<P> In the early years , the colony was highly dependent on the import of staples from England and was supported by the investments of a number of wealthy immigrants . Certain businesses were quick to thrive , notably shipbuilding , fisheries , and the fur and lumber trades . As early as 1632 , ships built in the colony began trading with other colonies , England , and foreign ports in Europe . By 1660 , the colony 's merchant fleet was estimated at 200 ships and , by the end of the century , its shipyards were estimated to turn out several hundred ships annually . In the early years , the fleet principally carried fish to destinations from the West Indies to Europe . It was common for a merchant to ship dried fish to Portugal or Spain , pick up wine and oil for transport to England , and then carry finished goods from England or elsewhere back to the colony . This and other patterns of trade became illegal following the introduction of the Navigation Acts in 1651 , turning colonial merchants who continued these trading patterns into de facto smugglers . Many colonial authorities were merchants or were politically dependent on them , and they opposed being required by the crown to collect duties imposed by those acts . </P>
what commercial activities were most significant to the economy of colonial new england
shipbuilding fisheries fur and lumber trades trading with other colonies , England , and foreign ports in Europe