Port Union & Trinity

Yesterday:

Port Union is known as the first place where the local fishermen banned together to form a coop/union. Previously, the only place for them to sell their fish or to buy anything was the local merchant; they basically bartered their fish for everything else, so they were completely at the mercy of the merchant, as he set the prices for all goods & the fish. By forming this union, they could guarantee a fair price for their fish & the goods they purchased. Other coops have since been formed elsewhere in NL.  



The town is also know for the discovery of very early fossilized life forms, earning it a UNESCO designation.  

Today:

I took a walking tour of Trinity given by a 5th generation local. Though he went to college & then taught school in St John's, he comes back to the family home each summer. He still goes cod fishing, & salts & dries them in the traditional way. Commercial cod fishing is extremely limited now, & personal catches are limited to 5 fish/day on the 3 days fishing is allowed. Trinity has an excellent large harbour, so it was settled quite early, & boomed for several centuries. Like in all these coastal towns, many of locals have left, but some of the homes have been purchased by outsiders as summer homes.  

             


               

It went to 90* here today - very unusual. After the walking tour, I went out to Fort Point; with water on both sides, it was much cooler & breezier there. The first 2 pics are looking back at the town of Trinity. The orange lichens only grows on coastal rocks that have been fertilized by sea bird poop; it (the lichens, not the poop) is used to make a dye for wool. 


           





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