Harbour Breton

History

Harbour Breton is known for its rich fishing history. However, the first major company to take up post here was Newman & Co. Based in England and famous for its port wine, this company happened upon the value of the town's marine climate in its wine aging process. The Newman Company's ship Retriever arrived in Harbour Breton with a cargo of port wine around 1892. Through the 19th century, the company relied heavily on the importing of fishing servants from England and Ireland. By 1871, the Newman & Co. employed about 100 people in salting, drying, packing, and shipping fish to Europe, Brazil and the West Indies. By the late 1800s, a large part of the population had either settled in Harbour Breton permanently, moved to other areas on the south coast which were connected with the Newman & Co. or returned to their country of origin. By 1891, Harbour Breton's population had reached 484. Of them, 443 were Newfoundland born with the remainder from England, Ireland, Scotland and other British colonies. Newman & Co. fortunes declined in the early 1900s and the company closed its operation in 1907. A cottage hospital was built in Harbour Breton in 1936. Harbour Breton was designated as a growth centre in 1965 and the government encouraged people living in isolated communities to relocate to the town. From 1965 to 1971, a total of 700 people had moved to Harbour Breton. Many residents resettled from Sagona Island, Jersey Harbour, Little Bay West, Miller's Passage, Red Cove, and Grole. In 1971, Harbour Breton was linked to Trans Canada Highway by road. In 1973, a landslide on south side of Harbour Breton, killed 4 children from the Hickey family. A monument was erected on the site of the Hickey house in 1997. Harbour Breton has a notable fishing history, including…

Most-observed species

• Eelgrass

  Zostera marina L. · Liliopsida
  298
• American Crow

  Corvus brachyrhynchos C.L.Brehm, 1822 · Aves
  103
• Great Black-backed Gull

  Larus marinus Linnaeus, 1758 · Aves
  73
• American herring gull, Smithsonian Gull

  Larus smithsonianus Coues, 1862 · Aves
  72
• American Robin

  Turdus migratorius Linnaeus, 1766 · Aves
  69
• Rockweed

  Fucus distichus L. · Phaeophyceae
  67
• Fox Sparrow

  Passerella iliaca (Merrem, 1786) · Aves
  63
• Common Raven

  Corvus corax Linnaeus, 1758 · Aves
  61