In the North Atlantic, the medieval and early modern periods were characterized by rapid increase in marine fisheries; as urbanization and globalization in western Europe drove increasing demand for stock fish; and multinational fishing fleets sought favorable fishing grounds for Atlantic cod . At the same time a cooling climate significantly affected societies across northern Europe, with the onset of the “little ice age” and subsequent temperature fluctuation; including a North Atlantic temperature minimum in the 17th century [39, 40]. Adult Atlantic cod are tolerant to a wide range of temperature  and are known to migrate to areas with favorable temperature [41, 42]. However, age 0+ juveniles are dependent on shallow nearshore areas and may therefore be more affected by changes in sea temperature [43, 44].