Nova Scotia. Traces of fishing

Along the coasts of Nova Scotia, in eastern Canada, traces of a craft that shaped community life for generations can be found. Some of these traces are vibrant, while others seem like relics from a bygone era. Those driving through the small towns of the Eastern Shore today will see not only the beauty of the landscape but also signs of a profound transformation in coastal fishing – often understated, but of great significance.

The shipwreck at the port of Marie Joseph as a symbol

On the edge of the small harbor of Marie Joseph, a remote spot on Nova Scotia's Eastern Shore, lies an abandoned workboat, its hull slowly being overgrown by coastal vegetation. The picture was taken with infrared recording technique and detaches the motif from the present, overlaying it with a layer of memory. In the background, structures of the port are visible – halls, jetties, equipment – ​​which were once part of an everyday working world. Today they appear calmer, less bustling, as if waiting for a future that has become uncertain.

This boat doesn't tell a dramatic story. It tells an everyday one: of businesses closing; of families selling their boats; of changing fishing quotas; of declining stocks. It is a silent symbol of structural change that doesn't happen abruptly, but in a slow, often barely perceptible movement.

The fishing industry on Canada's east coast is undergoing a transformation.

Coastal fisheries in Atlantic Canada have undergone profound changes in recent decades. The collapse of cod stocks in the 1990s was a watershed moment, the consequences of which are still felt today. Many small businesses could not survive, while others had to adapt their fishing methods or focus on new species.

Against this backdrop, coastal fishing in many regions of Nova Scotia and Newfoundland has shifted heavily towards lobster fishing. For numerous small businesses, it is now the most important economic foundation – often the only one that is reliably viable.

This has led to a shift in the economic structure of many communities: away from diverse fishing and towards a highly seasonal lobster harvest, supplemented by tourism and service industries. This transformation is evident not only in statistics but also in the landscape itself – in abandoned boats, disused stages, aging docks, and underutilized infrastructure.

Traces in the landscape – Norris Point/Neddies Harbour

Similar signs can be found in Newfoundland, around Norris Point and Neddies Harbour. Small boathouses, narrow jetties, drying racks – functional architecture that dictated the rhythm of fishing for decades. Today, some places seem deserted, as if they have taken a step back in time. The infrared image reinforces this perception: sky and water appear denser, the structures clear and detached from time.

Parallels to Europe – connection to Turning point

The observations along the Atlantic coast of Canada are reminiscent of developments I encountered in my project Turning point I have documented the decline of traditional fishing on the Schlei with the last fishermen from Holm. There, too, it is the quiet signs that make the change visible: boats that no longer set sail; nets that are no longer used daily; places whose rhythm has changed.

This parallel is not contrived, but real: coastal fishing is a declining craft in many places – in Europe as well as on the east coast of Canada.

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Camera (Nova Scotia/Newfoundland): Nikon D700, modified for monochrome infrared photography (wavelength 830 nm). Lens: AF-S Nikkor 16-35 mm 1:4G ED VR.