History Documentaries
In this short excerpt from our documentary “Codfish Heroes: Basques, Vikings and the Fishermen who Discovered America” we take a look at the burgeoning fishing and sugarcane industries that formed an important part of the pre-revolutionary American economy. By the mid 17th Century New England had become such a major player in the International Cod trade, that the fish was depicted in a myriad of official seals and documents, and generations of fishing families had established what’s come to be known as the cod-fish aristocracy, with numerous mansions being decorated with stylised fish motifs. We know that there was even a gilded cod hanging from the ceiling of the Boston Town hall and in subsequent government assembly buildings.
Credit Heroes and Legends Documentary Channel