Local knowledge matters: Knowledge, technology, and power in Newfoundland cod farming

Aquacultural development is being pursued globally at a rapid rate in response to the depletion of the world's fish stocks through over-fishing. In Newfoundland, drastic declines in cod landings during the 1970s and 1980s through offshore harvesting and processing technology prompted interest in the inshore fishery. This resource crisis also spurred initiatives to develop cod farming during the mid to late 1980s. Early cod farming methods relied on the previously marginalised local knowledge traditions and technologies of inshore fishery workers. However, with the advent of the moratoria on fishing cod along the shores of Newfoundland and Labrador in 1992 and 1993, the trajectory of cod farming development in this province shifted. This shift could exacerbate preexisting inequities in Newfoundland fishing communities and further degrade marine resources. This thesis situates the Newfoundland development of cod farming in the global context of aquacultural development and analyses how the knowledge traditions and technologies developed by Newfoundland cultural groups have shaped cod farming initiatives in the province.