Cabot immediately reported his discoveries to the king, telling him that there were so many fish in the waters of the Atlantic that they could be caught with a basket lowered over the side of a boat.

In 1497 Italian explorer John Cabot was one of the first modern Europeans ... Oh, and he also quite liked fish ...

Although Cabot's encounter with North American land was brief, his return to Bristol was met with much fanfare, especially over his news of the abundance of fish in the waters off New Found Land.