The Port aux Port Peninsula, Newfoundland is a small peninsula situated in the west coast of Newfoundland. The principle town in the region is Stephenville. You are able to reach the Port aux Port peninsula by road.

    The Port aux Port peninsula was a part of Newfoundland's "French shore". The French shore was a long expanse of Newfoundland's coast on which France and French fishermen retained rights to exclusively fish.  The rights of the French were maintained until 1904. In enforcing these treaty rights the English Royal Navy often acted against the inhabitants in a (sometimes) cruel and forceful manner.

    In ancient times, the Port aux Port peninsula was a habitat of the Archaic Maritime Indians (circa 4000 B.P.). More recently, it was the home of bands of Beothuk and Micmac indians. In the 1800's Scots from Cape Breton and Nova Scotia began to settle the region. Also, French from St. Malo, St. Pierre and Canada began to settle the peninsula and surrounding area.

In the Second World War the United States built Harnum Airforce Base at Stephenville. This led to an economic boom and the modernization of the Port Aux Port region.

     The Port aux Port peninsula has a number of small fishery based communities, including Grande Terre, Port aux Port, Gerry's Nose, Grande Jardins, Black Duck and Lourdes. In recent years, factory trawlers have decimated the St. Lawrence and North Atlantic fish stocks. The inshore fishermen of the Port aux Port peninsula have been put out of work and displaced. While many species of groundfish face endangerment and extinction.

     The Green Party recognizes the failure of draggers as an environmentally and/or economically viable long term endeavour. The Terra Nova Greens would like to see an emphasis placed on inshore and nearshore fisheries. With a system of maritime habitat parks, a new system of fisheries quotas and revised fisheries reguations. The Green Party believes that rural communities across Canada should be preserved.
 

A typical scene of lobster pots and inshore fishing boats at Port aux Port , Newfoundland. 1999.

TERRA  NOVA  GREENS

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