Commercial fishing has played a critical role in the economy of the different islands of the Atlantic Ocean and those in the Canarian Archipelago in particular. In fact, one of the motives behind the European colonization of the Canaries was to exploit the fishing grounds of the Saharan Bank to satisfy part of the nutritional needs of a European population in constant expansion from the late Middle Ages. Fishing in the Canary Islands between the sixteenth and eighteenth centuries was essential as it served both an internal and an external market, and was a key factor in the development of the Canarian economy. During the Ancien Régime, the mobilization of people and resources in the fishing sector produced protein for a growing population. The fishing industry therefore offered a highly profitable protein-rich product at a low price. Although fishermen from a number of European countries, notably France, England and Peninsular Spain, fished the oceanic waters around the Canary Islands, most of this activity was carried out by Canarians.

商业捕鱼在大西洋不同岛屿尤其是加那利群岛的经济中起着至关重要的作用。实际上，欧洲殖民地加那利群岛的动机之一就是利用撒哈拉沙漠的渔场，以满足中世纪以来不断扩大的欧洲人口的部分营养需求。在十六至十八世纪之间，在加那利群岛捕鱼是必不可少的，因为它既服务于内部市场，又服务于外部市场，并且是加那利经济发展的关键因素。在AncienRégime时期，渔业部门人员和资源的动员为不断增长的人口提供了蛋白质。因此，渔业以低价提供了高利润的富含蛋白质的产品。