Gulf of Saint Lawrence
Basque whalers established their base on the Strait of Belle Isle and worked closely with the Iroquois in the Gulf of Saint Lawrence. In 1579 the English government closed all English ports to Spanish oil imports. As a result, a third of Basque whale oil could not be sold. Basque whaling collapsed in the Gulf of Saint Lawrence and never recovered. Basque whalers from Saint-Jean-de-Luz sailed into the Gulf of Saint Lawrence in 1583 and began whaling at Tadoussac.