Lawrence in the sixteenth century.

Seals could be killed at the water’s edge when they hauled out onto rocks or ice, and their meat and fat provided significant caloric value.

Seal fat, in particular, is an extremely efficient caloric source, and the ability to render and store seal fat would have been essential for surviving winter.

Seabirds — particularly the colonies of seabirds that nest on Gulf of St.

Lawrence islands — would have provided eggs in season and birds that could be taken with some effort.