The major industries of the New England colonies were shaped by the regions geography and climate. The rocky soil and harsh winters made farming difficult, so the colonists relied on other industries such as fishing, lumbering, and shipbuilding. The following were the major industries of the New England colonies:

• Fishing: The New England colonies were located along the coast of the Atlantic, which allowed for the development of a fishing industry. The colonists fished for cod, mackerel, bass, herring, halibut, hake, sturgeon, and other ocean fish.

• Whaling: Whaling was an important industry in the New England colonies and was often considered a part of the fishing industry. Whale oil was used as fuel for lamps and could also be sold.

• Shipbuilding: Shipbuilding was a primary industry in the New England colonies. The colonists built wooden vessels for the fisheries, the coastal trade, and trade with other countries. Shipbuilding created or stimulated many other industries such as the making of sails, rope, nails, spikes, anchors, and chain plates, as well as caulking and painting.

• Lumbering: The New England colonies were full of forests, giving the colonists the important natural resource of trees. These trees provided wood that colonists were able to use to build homes, buildings, and ships. Lumber became very important to the shipbuilding industry because they built ships for the colonies. Ships and lumber were also exported to England.

• Trade and Commerce: Trade was important for the New England economy. The colonists imported agricultural products from other colonies and exported their own products such as fish, lumber, and ships.

Other industries in the New England colonies included tanning and leatherworking establishments, fulling mills, gristmills, powder mills, saltworks, paper mills, printing shops, glassworks, brick kilns, firearms shops, copper shops, breweries, and distilleries.