At the beginning of the century, the smoked herring industry was flourishing in the Magdalen Islands and continued to flourish through to the end of the 1970's. The imposing smoke house structures were visible throughout the archipelago, and they created work for hundreds of people from April through September, who could then support their families. The smoke houses were in operation for many decades. The beginning of the 70's was without a doubt when herring stocks off the coast of the Magdalen Islands began to decline. Large Canadian and European fishing vessels were often seen fishing around the Islands. Over fishing and stock mismanagement finally got the better of these imposing smoke house structures that had been the pride of the locals for more than a century. Around 1978, the 40 smoke houses in the Magdalen Islands began to put out their fires, one by one.

 

In 1996, in an effort to preserve its family history, and in combination with returning herring stocks around the archipelago, the "Areseneau" family from 'Pointe-Basse' decided to get back into the business and revive the industry using the old-fashioned method for preserving fish by smoking it. The knowledge passed down from father to son guarantees the quality and authenticity of this product. The curling smoke clouds are once again dancing over the smoke houses, just like in the old days.