The soil is poor, so the settlers here had to rely on other ways to make a living. Naturally, they turned to fishing, timber and trade across the seas. Until 1808, the residents of New England carried raw materials to Europe and brought finished goods and slaves back. This trade provided the financial capital for later industrial development. Today the most important industries in the region are still mostly related to the primary sector.
Fishing remains important, both for fish and lobsters.
However, the fisheries are threatened by offshore oil drilling in the fishing banks. In Maine, forest industries remain important even though uncontrolled logging has destroyed the importance of timber in other parts of the region. Agriculture is now very area-specific, with Vermont dominating the dairy production and Maine leading the pack in potato cultivation and wild blueberries. Click on the links below to read more about the New England primary sector industries. Culture New England was settled in the first half of the 17th century by members of religious sects who had fled from persecution in England.