The Grand Banks sit in the Atlantic Ocean southeast of Newfoundland, Canada

The Grand Banks are a series of underwater plateaus on the continental shelf of North America, located roughly 250 miles southeast of Newfoundland. The area spans about 36,000 square miles—larger than the state of Maine. The banks sit in relatively shallow water, mostly between 300 and 600 feet deep, which is why they became one of the world's most productive fishing grounds for centuries.

The exact boundaries of the Grand Banks have been defined by international agreement. The main area includes the Grand Bank proper, the Northeast Peak, and several smaller banks including the Tail of the Bank. The waters are where the cold Labrador Current meets the warm Gulf Stream, creating conditions that historically supported enormous populations of cod, halibut, and other fish species.

Key Takeaways

  • The Grand Banks lie in the Atlantic Ocean about 250 miles southeast of Newfoundland, Canada, on the continental shelf.
  • The banks cover roughly 36,000 square miles in water depths between 300 and 600 feet.
  • The meeting of the Labrador Current and Gulf Stream creates the conditions that made the banks historically rich fishing grounds.
  • International boundaries for the Grand Banks were established through the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea, with Canada controlling most of the area.
  • Overfishing in the 1980s and 1990s caused a collapse of the cod stock, leading to a moratorium on commercial fishing that remains partially in effect.

How the Grand Banks formed and why the water is so productive

The Grand Banks are part of the continental shelf—the underwater extension of the North American continent that slopes gradually into deeper ocean. During the last ice age, glaciers carved out the shape of these banks, leaving them shallower than the surrounding ocean floor. When sea levels rose after the ice melted, the banks remained in relatively shallow water.

The shallow water matters because sunlight penetrates to the seafloor, allowing phytoplankton to grow. These microscopic organisms form the base of the food chain. The Labrador Current brings nutrient-rich cold water from the north, while the Gulf Stream brings warm water from the south. Where these currents meet over the banks, they create upwelling—cold, nutrient-dense water rising toward the surface—which feeds massive populations of small fish and crustaceans. Larger fish follow the food, which is why cod and other species thrived there in such abundance.

The history of fishing on the Grand Banks

European fishermen knew about the Grand Banks by the early 1500s, within a few decades of Columbus. Portuguese, Spanish, French, and English vessels sailed there to catch cod, which they dried and salted for the journey home. For nearly 500 years, the banks supplied fish to Europe and later to North America. The cod fishery was so central to Newfoundland's economy that the province's coat of arms features a cod.

By the 1960s and 1970s, industrial fishing vessels with sonar, freezing equipment, and massive nets began operating on the banks. Catches increased dramatically, but the fish populations could not sustain the level of removal. By the late 1980s, the cod stock had collapsed. In 1992, Canada declared a moratorium on commercial cod fishing in the area. The moratorium was meant to be temporary—five years at most—but the cod population has not recovered sufficiently to allow a full return to commercial fishing. Some limited fishing resumed in certain areas in the 2000s, but the Grand Banks have never returned to their historical productivity.

International boundaries and who controls the Grand Banks

The Grand Banks sit in international waters and Canadian waters, depending on the specific location. Canada's continental shelf extends beyond its 12-mile territorial sea limit. Under the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea, countries can claim an exclusive economic zone (EEZ) extending 200 miles from their coast, where they have the right to fish and extract resources. Canada's EEZ includes most of the Grand Banks.

However, some parts of the Grand Banks fall outside Canada's EEZ and remain in international waters where fishing is governed by international agreements. The Northwest Atlantic Fisheries Organization (NAFO) manages fish stocks in the area and sets catch limits for member countries, including Canada, the European Union, Russia, and others. This shared management reflects the reality that fish migrate across boundaries and that overfishing by one nation affects all nations.

What the Grand Banks look like today

The Grand Banks remain a working fishing ground, though at a fraction of historical levels. Fishing vessels still operate there, targeting species like snow crab, shrimp, and halibut, which have proven more resilient than cod. Scientific surveys continue to monitor fish populations. The area is also used for oil and gas exploration—the Hibernia oil field, one of Canada's largest, sits on the banks.

Tourism has become another use. Some tour operators offer trips to see the banks and the marine life around them, though the waters are cold and rough, and visits are seasonal. The Grand Banks remain a symbol of both the ocean's abundance and the consequences of overexploiting it—a place where human activity fundamentally changed an ecosystem that had supported fishing for centuries.

How to find the Grand Banks on a map

To locate the Grand Banks, start with Newfoundland on the eastern coast of Canada. Look southeast from the island into the Atlantic Ocean. The banks begin roughly 50 miles offshore and extend to about 250 miles out. On most maps, they appear as a lighter shaded area on the seafloor, indicating shallower water than the surrounding ocean. The coordinates for the center of the Grand Bank proper are approximately 47°N latitude and 52°W longitude.

If you are using an online mapping tool like Google Maps or a nautical chart, search for "Grand Banks Newfoundland" or use the coordinates above. Nautical charts, which show depth contours and are used by ships, provide the most detailed view of the banks' shape and the surrounding water depths. These charts are available through the Canadian Hydrographic Service and through private nautical chart providers.

Frequently Asked Questions

Are the Grand Banks the same as the Grand Dogger Bank?

No. The Grand Banks are off Newfoundland in the western Atlantic. The Dogger Bank is in the North Sea between the United Kingdom and continental Europe. Both are shallow continental shelf areas that historically supported major fisheries, but they are separate locations thousands of miles apart.

Can you visit the Grand Banks?

You cannot walk on them—they are underwater. Some tour operators offer boat trips from Newfoundland that travel over the banks, and you may see marine life and icebergs in the area. The waters are cold and often rough, so trips are seasonal and require appropriate clothing and seasickness preparation.

Why did the cod disappear from the Grand Banks?

Overfishing removed fish faster than the population could reproduce. Industrial fishing fleets in the 1970s and 1980s caught far more cod than the stock could sustain. By 1992, the population had collapsed so severely that Canada banned commercial cod fishing. The population has not recovered, likely because the ecosystem changed and because some fishing continues even under the moratorium.

Is commercial fishing still allowed on the Grand Banks?

Commercial cod fishing remains banned or severely restricted. Other species like snow crab and shrimp are fished commercially under catch limits set by NAFO. Some limited cod fishing for food and personal use is permitted in certain areas, but the large-scale commercial fishery that once defined the banks has not returned.