Baie Verte

Baie Verte lies on the Atlantic coast of northern Newfoundland, where sheltered water, bogland and low hills face the Strait of Belle Isle. The bay offered shelter from ocean weather but only thin soils for farming. Fishing and hunting provided the main seasonal foods, and travel depended on boats in summer and snow routes in winter.

Mi'kmaq and Innu peoples used the wider island and Labrador country, while European fishermen reached Newfoundland waters in the early sixteenth century. French, Basque, English and Irish crews dried cod along the coasts. The name Baie Verte, “green bay,” entered French charts and described the sheltered indentation rather than a permanent town.

English and Irish settlement expanded during the seventeenth and eighteenth centuries as migratory fishing gave way to resident communities. Families combined inshore fishing with gardening, hunting and trapping. The coast's stormy weather and dependence on the cod fishery gave Baie Verte a fragile economy tied closely to seasonal migration of fish. The sea supplied cod, seals and fuel, while wooded slopes provided timber for stages and drying flakes. Fishing stages, salting sheds and boat repair occupied the coves, while homes appeared only where fresh water and timber were available. Harbour crews repaired nets and boats in the short summer, while winter families relied on stored fish, game and firewood.