Grand Banks of Newfoundland

The Grand Banks of Newfoundland

The Grand Banks of Newfoundland are special underwater areas southeast of Newfoundland. They sit on the edge of the North American continent and are famous for their many fish and sea animals. You can find swordfish, haddock, capelin, shellfish, seabirds, and sea mammals there.

These underwater areas are shallow, with depths from 15 to 91 metres. The meeting of cold Labrador Current and warm Gulf Stream waters brings nutrients to the surface. This makes the Grand Banks a rich place for fishing.

Long ago, during a time called the Last Glacial Maximum, large glaciers covered the Grand Banks. About 13,000 years ago, the ice melted, leaving the Grand Banks as islands. Rising sea levels about 8,000 years ago then covered these islands.

Fishermen from many places, including France, Portugal, and Spain, began fishing on the Grand Banks after John Cabot discovered them in 1497. The fish from these waters helped early European settlers in eastern Canada and New England.

In the late 1900s, too much fishing made some fish, like the Atlantic cod, become very rare. To help the fish grow back, fishing near the Grand Banks stopped from 1992 until 2024. The Grand Banks have always been important for fishing and the people who live near the sea.

The Grand Banks have been featured in many stories and books. They appear in Rudyard Kipling’s novel Captains Courageous from 1897 and Sebastian Junger’s book The Perfect Storm from 1997. Herman Melville wrote about seeing whales when he passed through the Banks in his book Redburn: His First Voyage from 1849. Canadian author Farley Mowat also wrote about the Banks in his book The Grey Seas Under. A popular Canadian song called "Something to Sing About" mentions the Grand Banks of Newfoundland.