A Nod to Cod

You can't talk about Newfoundland without mentioning its long cod fishing history.  Because of this history, locals would not have been surprised to learn that Zane Grey’s chartered ship, the Ondina, had been  used to haul Cod since the fishing banks in the region were rich with cod and other fishes. Prior to the invention of freezer technology, the Rock’s fisheries depended on salt as a preservative and curing agent. A fish flake (fleyke) is a platform built on poles and spread with boughs for drying cod on the shores of fishing villages and small coastal towns in Newfoundland and Nordic countries.  When the fish was taken from the saltbulk it was then washed of excess salt and film that had formed during the curing process. The salted cod was then transported to the fish flakes by two men carrying a barrow. The fish was then spread out in a very neat and tidy order by placing them alternately heads and tails. These were first laid face-up, which is flesh side exposed to the sun. As the fish dried it was then flipped over to dry the back side of the salted cod. Before nightfall when the air became damp the fish was gathered up and placed in neat piles called faggots to minimize the exposed area of the fish. It is likely that Zane Grey and his fishing uddies saw a fish flake in every town they visited.