Richmond Fisheries in Petit de Grat was the largest employer on Isle Madame. Five hundred men and women depended on the fish processing plant for their jobs. Once these people were out of work local stores and other businesses would close. What was Isle Madame, with its 4,300 people, going to do?

Most of the people in the fishery had never worked anywhere else. Their grandfathers and their grandfathers’ grandfathers had worked in the fishery. Now they had to change.

Some people saw the end of the cod fishery coming. They wanted their community to have a future so they volunteered their time and formed a committee. They had meetings to decide what could be done to help Isle Madame. The people of the community had to look at themselves very closely and to be honest. They had to list:

• their strengths
• their weaknesses
• their choices
• new things they could do

Trying to change can be very hard to do. The people of Isle Madame went to many, many meetings before they came up with a plan. The plan was to start new industries that had a realistic chance of success in the area.

Today many people from Isle Madame work in Port Hawkesbury and Point Tupper, about a 45-minute drive away. However, many others work in jobs that had never existed in Richmond County. Some of the new jobs are in aquaculture, (fish farming), a call centre and eco-tourism, (such as wilderness adventures), kayak tours and boating. Other small businesses include truck driving and a wood kiln. Today, the future looks much brighter for these people who love their Cape Breton Island home.