The Problem of Piracy in the Newfoundland Fishery in the Aftermath of the War of the Spanish Succession

• Main Author: Janzen, Olaf U.
• Format: Book Part
• Language: unknown
• Published: Liverpool University Press 2013
• Subjects: Newfoundland; North Atlantic
• Online Access: http://dx.doi.org/10.5949/liverpool/9781927869024.003.0004

This chapter explores the brief resurgence of piracy in Newfoundland between the years 1717 and 1725. It places the developments in Newfoundland within the context of North Atlantic piracy in the aftermath of the War of Spanish Succession, whilst linking the presence of pirates in Newfoundland to the working conditions of the Fishery. It details the fish trade’s vulnerability to piracy, particularly from North African ‘Sallee Rovers’; the increase in state protection; the differing approaches of Britain and France when dealing with piracy; and the difficult working conditions in the fishery and how that contributed to the recruitment of pirates. It concludes that once the Royal Navy’s presence in Newfoundland increased and the working conditions in the fishery eased during economic recovery, piracy was quick to disappear from the area.