Before the codfish ban, the people of Newfoundland centered their source of livelihood around fishing. After the ban, many fishermen, fish plant workers, fish processing workers and the large amount of population that depended on fish farming lost their job. The collapse of the northern cod fishery marked a profound change in the ecological, economic and socio-cultural structure of Newfoundland.
Many people had to find new jobs, or further their education to be able to find jobs. The ban was devastating for the people of Newfoundland who have depended on fish-farming for generations.