Catholic Church in Greenland first churches in the western hemisphere, and after much effort the people of Greenland received a bishop. The church thrived with the Norse colony which saw its peak in the 14th century, and had an active relationship with Scandinavia and the European continent; the church also participated in the European exploration of the Americas. The abandonment of the colony around 1450 ended any church presence in Greenland and the Protestant Reformation in Denmark effectively shut Greenland from any Catholic presence until the 20th century, when freedom of religion was declared and a small permanent Catholic presence reestablished. Catholicism was introduced
Fishing industry in Greenland based on a referendum, in 1985 this was replaced with five year agreements with the EU. Although in the 1970s and early 1980s the halibut industry in Greenland was low scale, it has since dramatically increased since the 1980s and in the future may develop into a purely commercial venture for many native people in the country. Although the industry grew dramatically in the 1990s, by 2000 depletion of stocks resulted in falling revenues and the closure of many fishing plants. This problem continued into 2002. In 2000, Greenland renewed its agreement with the European Union in which along with