In 1992, The Cod Moratorium put some thirty thousand fishers
across Newfoundland and Labrador out of work. These were journalist Jenn Thornhill
Verma’s people. Encompassing memoir and history, Cod Collapse traces a
lost way of life, digging into the stories of the author’s own family,
including her Pop, one of the province’s original “saltwater cowboys,” a fisher
on the southeastern shores of Newfoundland. This thoughtfully researched and
captivating account reveals how Newfoundlanders from many walks of life, and
from distinct regions across the island portion of the province, have coped in
the aftermath of the largest mass layoff in Canadian history. Integration the
varied and compelling stories of a whale-watcher, a singer-songwriter, a
fisher, and a photographer, this moving narrative deftly takes readers from the
present back to the early days of the fishery, and forward to consider what
lies ahead.
