 The largest source of wealth for Plymouth Colony was the fur trade . The disruption of this trade caused by Myles Standish 's raid at Wessagussett created great hardship for the colonists for many years to come , and was directly cited by William Bradford as a contributing factor to the colonists ' economic difficulties in their early years . The colonists attempted to supplement their income by fishing ; the waters in Cape Cod bay were known to be excellent fisheries . However , they lacked any skill in this area , and it did little to relieve their economic hardship . The colony traded throughout the region , establishing trading posts as far away as Penobscot , Maine . They were also frequent trading partners with the Dutch at New Amsterdam . 
