The correct answer is A) ocean trade and fishing.
The economy in the New England colonies was based on ocean trade and fishing.
The New England colonies developed a good economy based on whaling (capture of whales), fishing, the building of ships, and trade. The soil of this region of North America was not good for growing crops because it was a rocky land. So basically by fishing and ocean trade, the colonies of New Hampshire, Connecticut, Rhode Island, and Mississippi made a living in the early stages of the American colonies.
