When the cod fishery collapsed in the spring of 1992, fisherman Eugene Maloney’s livelihood was suddenly gone. His pride, his life, everything he’d ever known was abruptly ended. Stuck on land with useless fishing gear, Gene had caught his last cod, ending a five-generations-old way-of-life for the Maloney family. But Gene, a typically enterprising Newfoundlander, pivoted from fishing to a new beginning – boatbuilding - a self-taught practice he continues in 2020 in his eighties. Set in Bay Bulls, Newfoundland, ‘Last Fish, First Boat’ revisits the 1992 cod moratorium through a fisherman’s eyes. It’s an old story that holds new meaning as a global pandemic put Canadians from coast-to-coast-to-coast out of work, stuck at home and needing to pivot. Like Gene’s story, where there’s will, Canadians will find a way.

This short, animated story is applicable for many subjects and includes a resource guide.