Nipper's Harbour, Newfoundland and Labrador
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| Nipper's Harbour | |
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  Nipper's Harbour
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| Coordinates: | |
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| Country |  Canada |
| Province |  Newfoundland and Labrador |
| Settled | 1804 |
| Population | |
| - Total | 190 |
| Time zone | Newfoundland Time (UTC-3:30) |
| - Summer (DST) | Newfoundland Daylight (UTC-2:30) |
| Area code(s) | 709 |
Nipper's Harbour, a community of 190 people, is located on the east coast of the Baie Verte Peninsula in the Province of Newfoundland & Labrador, Canada. This incorporated community is located on a rocky inlet that combines Nipper's Harbour and Noble's Cove, and where the primary industry is the inshore fishery.
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[edit] History
In 1804, John Noble from England settled on the present Nipper's Harbour site and made a living fishing salmon. Fifteen years later Thomas Starkes, also of England, settled there. Today, Starkes and Noble are still the most prominent family names in Nipper's Harbour, while Bowers and Prole round out the limited breadth of family names. In 1904, it was one of the larger and more prosperous towns in the region, with a population of 250 and was one of the few places with a hotel.
The inshore fishery was the prominent industry in the region and supplied bountiful amounts of codfish, turbot and salmon. Local road access to Nipper’s Harbour provided a land route to other communities in the region and was a key economic advantage, since other outports did not have land access. This advantage meant that other smaller communities in the region delivered fish to Nipper’s Harbour for export. These included the small outport Burton’s Pond, Bett’s Cove and Indian Burying Place. The cod was salted, dried, and packed is casks for export on foreign vessels to destinations as distant as Russia and Norway.
A government sponsored bait depot was commissioned by the government in 1950 and had a capacity of 120,000 lbs at its peak. The bait depot received squid, caplin and herring, which was frozen and stored. It was later resold to fisherman as a means to lure the ground fish near the fishing nets and cods traps, which had been placed. The absence of local refrigeration made the bait depot a popular place to store personal goods before the proliferation of electricity and personal refrigeration in the 1970s. The bait depot closed in 1978 as fishing methods developed and no longer required the enticement for harvesting of the local ground fish.
The presence of the mineral wealth in other parts of the Peninsula led to the sinking of a mining shaft in the early 1900’s at Nipper's Harbour. While local mining sites within a mile were able to deliver some mineral wealth, notably Burton’s Pond and Bett’s Cove, Nipper’s Harbour was never able to extract minerals of economic value.
[edit] Current Situation
Nipper's Harbour suffered the same fate of many communities in Newfoundland & Labrador with the closure of the inshore fisheries in 1990: an economic and social death toll rang. The removal of the primary livelihood resulted in a decline in the population to 190 by 2001.[1] A viable inshore fishery remains that permits the harvesting of limited amounts of ground fish and provides the only source of industry for the remaining local citizens.[citation needed]
[edit] Location & Geography
Nipper's Harbour is on the east cost of the Baie Verte Peninsula and part of the Notre Dame Bay waterway. It is approximately 300 km's north of Deer Lake International Airport, and roughly 700 km's northwest via the Trans Canada Highway of the provincial capital, St John's. It is in the province of Newfoundland & Labrador, Canada.
A group of seven small islands (Nipper's Islands) are located approximately one mile offshore from the harbour entrance. The largest island, Seal Island, was once the site of a large lighthouse until 40 years ago; while the smallest, Gull Island, is a nesting sight for local seagulls.
[edit] Items of Interest
The derivation of the name is believed to be from the local name for the mosquito, the "jarnipper."[2]
While three churches serve the local community, of particular interest is the Anglican church, which is well over 100 years old. It is noteworthy for its maintenance, since it has not been an active church for more than 20 years.
A short boat ride north along the coast, brings you to the former outport, Indian Burying Place. It is one of the last outport towns in Newfoundland & Labrador, and was highlighted on the cover of Canada's national magazine, Maclean's, in 2003 as the last remnants of a bygone era where the remains of a long-dead industry still echo.
[edit] See also
[edit] References
- ^ Community accounts. Nipper's Harbour Community Profile (English). Community accounts. Retrieved on September 18, 2007.
- ^ Emerald Zone Corporation. Municipalities - Nipper's Harbour (English). Emerald Zone Corporation. Retrieved on September 18, 2007.
[edit] External links
