In the 1600s, fishing was a primary food source for the Wabanaki Confederacy, which included the Penobscot, Passamaquoddy, Maliseet, Abenaki, and Mi’kmaq tribes. Using a wide range of specialized techniques, Wabanaki communities harvested fish from Maine’s coastal waters, lakes, and rivers. By the late 1600s, however, European colonization and unsustainable resource use began to disrupt these longstanding traditions.

Wabanaki people moved throughout their homelands based on seasonal availability of food. Fishing was central to their seasonal round:

• Spring: Massive fish runs of alewives, salmon, and sturgeon moved upriver to spawn. A Jesuit missionary noted being amazed by the enormous numbers of fish during this season.
• Summer: From May through mid-September, coastal communities relied on abundant cod stocks along the Maine coast.
• Year-round: Some Wabanaki groups lived year-round on the coast, while others lived near interior lakes. Birchbark canoes allowed efficient travel between coast and inland areas for hunting, fishing, and trade.

Wabanaki fishermen used a highly developed set of tools and techniques refined over thousands of years:

• Weirs: Fence-like structures placed in tidal zones or narrow river channels to guide fish into traps or nets.
• Spears and Harpoons: Used for larger species such as salmon and sturgeon. Harpoons were often carved from animal bone.
• Nets: Set, cast, or dipped to capture schooling fish.
• Hook and Line: Hooks were hand-carved from bone or other natural materials.

Beginning in the 1500s and accelerating through the 1600s, European activity dramatically affected Wabanaki fisheries:

• Trade: Early contact emphasized trading—especially beaver pelts. Some Wabanaki became skilled intermediaries, speaking multiple languages and adopting European maritime practices.
• Resource Depletion: European fishermen harvested enormous quantities of cod for export to Europe. What explorers first described as limitless fish stocks soon suffered from overfishing—unlike the sustainable harvesting practiced by Wabanaki communities.
• Loss of Access: As English and French settlements expanded, Wabanaki people faced increasing restrictions on their traditional fishing grounds. Later colonial and state governments further undermined access by building forts and establishing settlements at strategic waterways.