What was the involvement of Jersey mariners in the Canadian cod-fisheries and the Transatlantic carrying trade?
Fishermen in the Channel Islands had set up profitable trade routes between Canada, Europe and America by the 1750s. They established bases on the Gaspé Coast where they could salt and prepare the cod-fish. It was during the 15th century that Jersey mariners reached Canada. Jersey fishermen were among the 10,000 European fisherman by the 1580s to make the transatlantic voyage to these areas every year to fish for cod.
Which ports did Jersey ships sail to and trade with?
There was an established trade route during the Roman period between Alet, in St Servan, and Hengistbury Head in Dorset.
Although these boats certainly called in to Jersey as well, Guernsey was the favoured stop off point, because of St Peter Port’s natural deep water. Furthermore, the Roman cargo boat which was raised from this harbour at St Peter provides information on the type of boat which would have travelled on this route.
What type of goods did Jersey merchants exchange for cod-fish?
Jersey cod merchants exchanged cargoes of wine, brandy, dried fruit, citrus fruit, oil, skins, furs, coffee, sugar, salt, and tobacco for cod-fish. Most of the cod was sold to Mediterranean ports, because of the large demand of fish in those countries. These cargoes were brought back from these ports, and often taken straight to an English or Northern European port, then returning home to Jersey with a third cargo, though some would come straight back to Jersey.
To what extent, has the island of Jersey benefitted from its constitutional relationship with Britain and the legacies of colonialism based on a slave plantation economy during the first Industrial Revolution (1760-1840)?
Jersey benefitted from the constitutional relationship it had with Britain and the legacies of colonialism based on a slave plantation economy during the first Industrial Revolution, especially during the peak of the cod trade. Fishing vessels for the Jersey fleet had moved from being built in the outposts of Canada to Jersey, along with the large scale commercial shipyard starting operation in 1815. By the 1850s, Jersey had 300-400 ships with a tonnage of over 40,000. It is estimated that by the 1860s, the Channel Islands and Jersey-built wooden fishing fleets made up about 6% of the total tonnage of wooden fishing fleets built in the British Isles. This significant growth of the economy could have also been correlated to the population increase doubling from 28,600 in 1821 to 57,020 in 1851.
