Hawke Harbour-Whaling Site

Located on the south side of Hawke Island on the Labrador coast, Hawke Harbour provides shelter and a good anchorage. A population of approximately fifty people lived there until the late 1950's.

Although it was a fishing community during the summer months, the major activity at Hawke Harbour was whaling. The Ryan Brothers established a whaling factory there in the early years of the Nineteenth Century when there was a demand for whale products in Europe. The factory was operated by various owners including the Newfoundland Whaling Company, the Polar Whaling Company and the Hawke Harbour Whaling Company. At one time they were able to employ 500 people; 350 on land and 150 in killer boats. They captured and processed ten to fifteen whales a day. They processed blue, sperm, finback and humpback whales and exported the oil, fertilizer and bone.

When harvesting whales, it is necessary to use every precaution and make sure to steer clear of the mammal if they seem to be wanting to do damage. Those whales are known to damage the whaling ships and even overturn them.

The factory operated until 1959, when it was destroyed by fire. All that remains today is the rusty ruins of the factory and the decayed hulks of the killer boats. Hawke Harbour is still a summer fishing station for some people of the communities of Norman Bay and Charlottetown.