The Portuguese White Fleet, whose name derived from its vessels’ white hulls, is an important part of Newfoundland and Labrador history. Gaspar Corte-Real’s followers had been fishing off the Grand Banks for more than 400 years, but it was not until the 1900s that Portuguese fishermen began persecuting the North American cod fishery in force.?xml:namespace prefix="o" ns="urn:schemas-microsoft-com:office:office" />

When these ships made calls to St. John’s, the sailors and fishermen became a prominent part of the city’s way of life. However, the year 1955 marked the end of an era for the Portuguese White Fleet when Canada began to protest foreign overfishing and exploitation of its fishery. Following a bitter international dispute over territorial fishing grounds, the last ship of the White Fleet left St. John’s on July 23, 1974.

The White Fleet by J. P. Andrieux is a pictorial history of the centuries-long relationship between the Newfoundland and Portuguese fisheries.

Jean Pierre Andrieux is a St. John’s–based businessman and author of numerous books published since 1970. He was born in Montreal of St. Pierre et Miquelon parents, raised in Prince Edward Island, and graduated from the Sir George Williams University School of Retailing (now Concordia) in 1968. He has been closely linked to the tourism industry both in St. Pierre and Newfoundland since that time.Andrieux has a photo collection that exceeds 30,000 prints and is regularly a guest lecturer on cruise vessels. He is the Honorary Vice Consul of Spain for Newfoundland and Labrador. He is married to Elizabeth King, and they reside in St. John’s.

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