New Brunswick, Nova Scotia, and Prince Edward Island are Canada’s maritime provinces. Sometimes the province of Newfoundland and Labrador is included; it also borders the Atlantic Ocean. The first Europeans to cross the Atlantic and reach North America were the Vikings. They landed on the northern tip of Newfoundland and attempted to set up a permanent settlement in the Americas. The Vikings established, and briefly maintained, L'Anse aux Meadows, a settlement dated to 1000 AD. During the 1800’s, the maritimes served as Canada’s primary center in the shipbuilding and fishing industry. Large fishing fleets brought in record catches from the well-stocked fields such as the Flemish Gap, the Grand Banks, and the Georges Banks. This caused a sharp decline in the fish populations of those areas.
