Set in the coldest waters surrounding Newfoundland’s rugged Fogo Island, Justin Simms’ short film HAND.LINE.COD follows a group of “people of the fish”—traditional fishers who catch cod live by hand, by hook and line, one at a time. Their secret mission? To drive up the price of fish. After a 20-year moratorium on North Atlantic cod, the stocks are returning. These fishers are leading a revolution in sustainability, taking their premium product directly to the commercial market for the first time.
Simms takes viewers deep inside the world of the brave fishers returning to past methods that hold tremendous potential for the future. Travel with them from the early morning hours, spend time on the ocean, and witness the intricacies of a 500-year-old tradition that’s making a comeback.
Set in the coldest waters surrounding Newfoundland’s rugged, breathtaking Fogo Island, Justin Simms’ short film HAND.LINE.COD follows a group of “people of the fish”—traditional fishers who catch northern cod live by hand, by hook and line, one at a time. Their passion and livelihoods are intimately connected to the water. Their secret mission? To drive up the price of fish, the exact opposite of what’s been going on for the last 50 years, since the introduction of industrial fishing practices. After a 20-year moratorium on North Atlantic cod, the stocks are returning. Now, using proven techniques from centuries past, these fishers are leading a new revolution in sustainability, taking their premium product directly to the commercial market for the first time. Hand-lined cod fillets are making their debut in Toronto’s finest restaurants, where the city’s top chefs clamour for premium fish.
Simms takes viewers deep inside the world of the brave fishers returning to past methods that hold tremendous potential for the future. Travel with them from the early morning hours, spend time on the ocean, and witness the intricacies of a 500-year-old tradition that’s making a comeback. Watch them bestow the greatest honour they can give to any creature taken from the ocean.
Centuries of fishing for Northern Cod off Fogo Island ended when industrial practices swiftly depleted the stocks
Now fishers on Fogo Island are returning to the old ways by building their future on a technique rooted deeply in the past
This is the beginning…
A National Film Board of Canada production
Dominic Penton
Aidan Penton
Anthony (Tony) Cobb
Fogo Island Fish
Austin Reid
Toronto, Ontario
Chef Lora Kirk
Ruby Watch Co.
Dedicated to the Memory of
Colin Low
A very special thank you to
Aidan Penton
Anthony Cobb
Austin Reid
Boyce Reid
Dominic Penton
Janice Thomson
Lora Kirk
Written & Directed by
Justin Simms
Director of Photography
Andrew MacCormack
Edited by
Justin Simms & Andrew MacCormack
Produced by
Annette Clarke
Original Music by
Ian Foster
Sound Design by
Catherine Van Der Donckt
Cinematographer – Toronto shoot
A.A. Scott McClellan
Additional Camera
Nigel Markham
Justin Simms
Drone Operator
Michael Frere
Foley Artist
Lise Wedlock
Accordion
Aaron Collis
Thank you
Fogo Island Co-op
Fogo Island Fish
Additional thanks
Frank Barnes
Cecil Hancock
Phil Barnes
Jon Montes
Stu Barnes
Wanda Nolan
Tom Barnes
John Osmond
Paddy Barry
Aubrey Payne
Betty Brett
Lewis Payne
Ken Budden
Marie Payne
Steven Cannizzaro
Bern Penton
Zita Cobb
Marcel Penton
Derrick Coffin
Stella Penton
Paul Coffin
Walter Penton
Kirk Decker
André Picard
Fogo Island Arts
Edward Riche
Fogo Island Inn
Phyllis Tobin
John Griffin
Laura Wayne
Michelle van Beusekom
Online Facility
Facility Technician
Bern Hammond
Online Editor and Colourist
Steve Cook
Production Assistant
Penny Cofield
Assistant Editor
Chris MacIntosh
Technical Coordinator
Jean-François Laprise
Post-Production Assistant
Mylène Augustin
Transcriptionist
Willow Kean
Re-recording
Serge Boivin
Marketing Manager
Melissa Wheeler
Senior Production Coordinator
Kelly Davis
Legal Counsel
Dominique Aubry
Studio Administrator
Leslie Poyntz
Executive Producer
Annette Clarke
