The settlement patterns within this region, as with most Newfoundland settlements, were influenced by the migratory fishery. Established as seasonal fishing stations, these sheltered coves in close proximity to good fishing grounds provided English merchant vessels access to a lucrative industry. The intention was that the workers would return to England at the end of the fishing season. Permanent settlement was not encouraged, for fear that it would negatively affect the industry’s profits at home in England. Over time, however, these migratory workers became settlers, and communities developed in coves sheltered from the open Atlantic and the English “patrol” ships that were sent to collect the workers at the end of the fishing season.

In the earliest days of the Newfoundland fishery, entire families worked together, sharing the tasks of catching and preparing cod fish. Examples of flakes, where fished would have been processed, can be found in Trinity and Bonavista. The fish was then traded to a fish merchant, in exchange for credit, as opposed to cash. Since the fish merchant also set the price, these communities were guaranteed dependence on him. As the fishery evolved and communities grew, the merchant system was replaced by large fish-processing plants. The demand for a larger local workforce resulted in the growth of towns around fish plants.

Between 1954 and 1975, three resettlement programs were introduced to Newfoundland, the goal being to create a more “centralized population”, to improve basic services, such as electricity, telephones, water and sewer systems, and roads. The result was the abandonment of 300 communities and the movement of 30,000 people. The decline of the Labrador fishery and the sealing industry also influenced the relocation of another 20,000 people between 1965 and 1975. Trinity Bay was one of the main areas affected, with such communities as Irelands Eye, British Harbour and Kerley’s Harbour being resettled.

Today out-migration is common, as young people go in search of work, to larger towns in the province or to the Mainland of Canada. However, most of those who leave come back again, to raise families in the towns where they grew up, or to retire in their hometowns. The abandoned communities are not forgotten, as former residents and their descendants often return to claim part of their past. Houses once left to fall down are sometimes rebuilt or repaired and now used as summer homes. This just goes to show how strong the attachment is that binds many Newfoundlanders to their birthplace.