The Nova Scotian fishing industry was undergoing some painful changes in the late 1930s. New technology in the form of large mechanized trawler ships was disrupting the lifestyle and livelihood of fishermen who had grown up in the culture.
Fishing had been done the same way, following the same time-tested methods, for generations, but now the modern, mechanized world threatened the way of life of many Nova Scotians. Schooners were no match for ships with engines and trawling nets. Engines would make it possible to fish year round and to sell both to the salt and fresh fish markets. Even Bluenose had diesel engines installed in 1936, to try and get profits back up to their old levels.
An early mechanized trawler