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Cod Collapse: The Rise and Fall of Newfoundland's Saltwater Cowboys
Pop returned then, as I do now, to this porch in Little Bay East…. I take a deep breath of fresh, salty air—the smell of fish, noticeably absent.
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. Integrating the varied and compelling stories of a whale-watcher, a singer-songerwriter, 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.
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. Integrating the varied and compelling stories of a whale-watcher, a singer-songerwriter, 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.
264 pages, Paperback
Published October 31, 2019
2 people are currently reading
70 people want to read
About the author
Jenn Thornhill Verma
1 book8 followersJenn Thornhill Verma is a journalist/writer and visual artist from Corner Brook, Newfoundland and Labrador (NL), now living in Ottawa with her family. She has Master’s degrees of Fine Arts (MFA Creative Nonfiction, University of King’s College) and Science (MSc Medicine, Memorial University of Newfoundland), is a fellow of the Royal Canadian Geographical Society (FRCGS), a Fellow International of The Explorers Club (FI’23), an alumna of the Oxford Climate Journalism Network, and executive lead of the Global Commission on Evidence to Address Societal Challenges. In 2019, Jenn published her first book, “Cod Collapse: The Rise and Fall of Newfoundland’s Saltwater Cowboys,” which features her cover art and was shortlisted for a historical writing award at the 2021 Atlantic Book Awards. Jenn’s book inspired her first short-film, “Last Fish, First Boat,” which recounts the true story of a fifth-generation fisherman who pivots to boat-building after the cod fishery closes. In 2020, Jenn’s landscape art was recognized for best cover (magazine) at the Atlantic Journalism Awards (AJAs), where she has been a repeat nominee (a thrice silver winner for best proflie article). Also nominated for a data journalism award at the Canadian Association of Journalists awards (2023), best science and technology storytelling award at the Digital Publishing Awards (2023), and best new magazine writer at the National Magazine Awards (2019), Jenn has bylines in Canadian Geographic, CBC, The Independent (NL), The Globe and Mail, The Narwhal, Reader’s Digest, and more. Jenn also serves on the boards of the University of King’s College (also serving as the Alumni Association’s vice-president), Bruyère Continuing Care, Nourish Leadership and the Justice Emmett Hall Memorial Foundation.
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Displaying 1 - 5 of 5 reviews
May 9, 2020
Special thanks to Jenn Thornhill Verma for writing COD COLLAPSE:THE RISE AND FALL OF NEWFOUNDLAND'S SALTWATER COWBOYS. Thanks to Nimbus Publishing and NetGalley for providing me with a temporary digital ARC of this book.
Some thirty thousand fishers across Newfoundland and Labrador lost their jobs in 1992 when there was a moratorium put on cod. The author grew up in Newfoundland, and revisits the place where her 'pop', father and uncles once lived in Little East Bay on southeastern shore of Newfoundland. Jenn Thornhill Verma wants to know her family's background and shares the results of her research in this book, which is both a memoir and history book. The family stories and many photos added a personal touch.
"Integrating the varied and compelling stories of a whale-watcher, a singer- songerwriter, 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 what lies ahead." (Quote from book description on Goodreads)
April 21, 2020 posted on Goodreads, NetGalley, Savvy Reader and Twitter
Some thirty thousand fishers across Newfoundland and Labrador lost their jobs in 1992 when there was a moratorium put on cod. The author grew up in Newfoundland, and revisits the place where her 'pop', father and uncles once lived in Little East Bay on southeastern shore of Newfoundland. Jenn Thornhill Verma wants to know her family's background and shares the results of her research in this book, which is both a memoir and history book. The family stories and many photos added a personal touch.
"Integrating the varied and compelling stories of a whale-watcher, a singer- songerwriter, 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 what lies ahead." (Quote from book description on Goodreads)
April 21, 2020 posted on Goodreads, NetGalley, Savvy Reader and Twitter
February 27, 2020
Cod Collapse is a very nice dive in to Newfoundland culture today as seen from a Newfoundland born journalist/artist. Jenn Thornhill Verma has lived off the rock for a while and returned for a very personal journey to help get a deeper understanding of the history of her family and home. And to get a sense of what our best chances are of moving forward to a sustainable future, hopefully still based on our historic relationship with cod and the inshore fishery.
The first section of the book covers Jenn's upbringing and family history in Little Bay East on the North end of the Burin Peninsula. As with most families in Newfoundland, the inshore fishery was a big part of the Thornhill family. Jenn tells some stories of her Grandfather and Father's experiences of the fishery along the Grand Banks and Nova Scotia.
After giving context of the importance of the inshore fishery to Newfoundland's history, Jenn gives character vignettes of modern day Newfoundlanders. From a former boat Captain turned RV park and resort operator, a tour boat operator, a photographer of houses abandonded during resettlement programs, a songwriter telling stories of the collapse of the fishery, and a fish plant processor, Jenn tells the stories of how Newfoundlanders are coping while the cod stocks try to recover in the oceans.
Jenn also talks to various fishermen, processing plant operators, scientists, organizers, and union heads to get a sense of what the best methods and chances are of hopefully gaining a sustainable future in the cod and inshore fisheries.
I love the variety of experiences that Jenn has dug out for this book. And the personal journey through her family history and relationship with her Father feel very intimate. This is a very fine book to get a sense of Newfoundland culture and fishery as it is today, as it was before, and how it could be if careful attention is paid to sustain the cod stocks in our oceans.
The first section of the book covers Jenn's upbringing and family history in Little Bay East on the North end of the Burin Peninsula. As with most families in Newfoundland, the inshore fishery was a big part of the Thornhill family. Jenn tells some stories of her Grandfather and Father's experiences of the fishery along the Grand Banks and Nova Scotia.
After giving context of the importance of the inshore fishery to Newfoundland's history, Jenn gives character vignettes of modern day Newfoundlanders. From a former boat Captain turned RV park and resort operator, a tour boat operator, a photographer of houses abandonded during resettlement programs, a songwriter telling stories of the collapse of the fishery, and a fish plant processor, Jenn tells the stories of how Newfoundlanders are coping while the cod stocks try to recover in the oceans.
Jenn also talks to various fishermen, processing plant operators, scientists, organizers, and union heads to get a sense of what the best methods and chances are of hopefully gaining a sustainable future in the cod and inshore fisheries.
I love the variety of experiences that Jenn has dug out for this book. And the personal journey through her family history and relationship with her Father feel very intimate. This is a very fine book to get a sense of Newfoundland culture and fishery as it is today, as it was before, and how it could be if careful attention is paid to sustain the cod stocks in our oceans.
August 4, 2020
I really enjoyed how the author mixes the science of the fish decline with her own personal history and the social impacts of the cod fishery decline in Newfoundland.
March 2, 2021
I found this book very moving. There were a few sections where the details were a bit overwhelming. Overall, the book offers a perspective that never gets shared. Imagine losing a way of life that generations of your family were actively engaged in, only for it to come to a screeching halt with no prospects of an alternative. The government incompetence is sickening although all too familiar to us.
October 2, 2025
Finished it bc I started it. Wasn’t never all that interested
Displaying 1 - 5 of 5 reviews