Grimsby is strongly linked with the sea fishing industry, which once generated wealth for the town. At its peak in the 1950s, it was the largest and busiest fishing port in the world. As a result of the Cod Wars with Iceland, this industry has been in decline for many years. In 1970 around 400 trawlers were based in the port, by 2013 only 5 trawlers remain based there. By comparison, 15 vessels are used to maintain offshore wind farms in the North Sea. The town still has the largest fish market in the UK, but most of what is sold
Harold Innis and the cod fishery method of curing their catches onshore, then transporting the dried fish to Mediterranean countries where there was a demand for a higher protein diet. This combined with consumer preferences for dried fish over cod packed in brine meant higher prices, especially in Catholic countries where the church required the regular consumption of fish. Thus, dried cod sold in Spain allowed England to receive substantial amounts of the precious metals that the Spanish were bringing from their colonies in the New World. "Cod from Newfoundland was the lever by which she [England] wrested her share of the riches of the New