The Burin Peninsula ( ) is a

peninsula A peninsula is a landform that extends from a mainland and is only connected to land on one side. Peninsulas exist on each continent. The largest peninsula in the world is the Arabian Peninsula. Etymology The word ''peninsula'' derives , . T ...

located on the south coast of the island of

Newfoundland Newfoundland and Labrador is the easternmost province of Canada, in the country's Atlantic region. The province comprises the island of Newfoundland and the continental region of Labrador, having a total size of . As of 2025 the population ...

in the province of

Newfoundland and Labrador Newfoundland and Labrador is the easternmost province of Canada, in the country's Atlantic region. The province comprises the island of Newfoundland and the continental region of Labrador, having a total size of . As of 2025 the populatio ...

Marystown Marystown is a town in the province of Newfoundland and Labrador, Canada, with a population of around 5,000. Situated 306 km from the province's capital, St. John's, Newfoundland and Labrador, St. John's, it is on the Burin Peninsula. Until ...

is the largest population centre on the peninsula.Statistics Canada. 2017. Marystown, T ensus subdivision Newfoundland and Labrador and Newfoundland and Labrador rovince(table). Census Profile. 2016 Census. Statistics Canada Catalogue no. 98-316-X2016001. Ottawa. Released 29 November 2017. https://www12.statcan.gc.ca/census-recensement/2016/dp-pd/prof/index.cfm?Lang=E (accessed 21 March 2020). The Burin Peninsula extends to the southwest from the main island of Newfoundland, separating

Fortune Bay Fortune Bay () is a fairly large natural bay located in the Gulf of St. Lawrence on the south coast of Newfoundland, Canada.Placentia Bay Placentia Bay () is a body of water on the southeast coast of Newfoundland, Canada. It is formed by Burin Peninsula on the west and Avalon Peninsula on the east. Fishing grounds in the bay were used by native people long before the first Europ ...

to the east. It measures approximately in length and between in width. It is connected by a wide

isthmus An isthmus (; : isthmuses or isthmi) is a narrow piece of land connecting two larger areas across an expanse of water by which they are otherwise separated. A tombolo is an isthmus that consists of a spit or bar, and a strait is the sea count ...

between Terrenceville and Monkstown. It was originally named the Buria Peninsula by fishermen from the Basque region during the 16th century. The peninsula is also known as "The Boot" because of its shape.

Economy

For centuries, there were plentiful

cod Cod (: cod) is the common name for the demersal fish genus ''Gadus'', belonging to the family (biology), family Gadidae. Cod is also used as part of the common name for a number of other fish species, and one species that belongs to genus ''Gad ...

, other fish and crustaceans in the area. The seafood supplied a thriving fishing industry. The eventual

collapse of the Atlantic northwest cod fishery In 1992, Atlantic cod, Northern cod biomass (ecology), populations fell to 1% of historical levels, in large part from decades of overfishing. The Canadian Minister of Fisheries and Oceans (Canada), Federal Minister of Fisheries and Oceans, John ...

led to local mass unemployment during the second half of the 1990s. In response to a decline in the cod fishery industry, the Newfoundland government refurbished the Marystown shipyard in 1992. Ownership left Canada when the American company Friede Goldman Ltd. bought the facility in 1998, and remained in American hands when ownership changed again in 2002 to Kiewit Offshore Services Ltd. By 2019, the shipyard had been idle for four years and was acquired by Marbase Marystown Inc. (usually just Marbase), under a 20-year lease with the intention of establishing a service hub supporting regional

aquaculture Aquaculture (less commonly spelled aquiculture), also known as aquafarming, is the controlled cultivation ("farming") of aquatic organisms such as fish, crustaceans, mollusks, algae and other organisms of value such as aquatic plants (e.g. Nelu ...

, the first of its kind in Canada. Marbase is a

partnership A partnership is an agreement where parties agree to cooperate to advance their mutual interests. The partners in a partnership may be individuals, businesses, interest-based organizations, schools, governments or combinations. Organizations ...

between one Newfoundland businessman, Paul Antle, and the Norwegian company Amar Group AS. In 2019, Marbase Cleanerfish Ltd., began work on a commercial

lumpfish The Cyclopteridae are a family of marine fishes, commonly known as lumpsuckers or lumpfish, in the order Scorpaeniformes. They are found in the cold waters of the Arctic, North Atlantic, and North Pacific oceans. The greatest number of species ar ...

hatchery in Marystown, with an anticipated customer base of Atlantic salmon farm operators. As of 2020, government approval of the work in relation to environmental impact had not yet been completed. Fluorspar (also called

fluorite Fluorite (also called fluorspar) is the mineral form of calcium fluoride, CaF2. It belongs to the halide minerals. It crystallizes in isometric cubic habit, although octahedral and more complex isometric forms are not uncommon. The Mohs scal ...

) deposits had been noted on the peninsula as early as 1843; however, it was not until 1933 that mining began. The operation was started by American Walter Siebert whose company was named the St. Lawrence Corporation of Newfoundland. Backbreaking work and no pay initially, finally led to a more significant mine by 1937; a second mine also opened in 1937, the American Newfoundland Fluorspar Company. The

fluorspar Fluorite (also called fluorspar) is the mineral form of calcium fluoride, CaF2. It belongs to the halide minerals. It crystallizes in isometric cubic habit, although octahedral and more complex isometric forms are not uncommon. The Mohs scal ...

mines in St. Lawrence were major employers until business declined in the 1970s; the mines had closed by 1978. In 2011, Canada Fluorspar Inc. outlined preparations to open a fluorspar mine on the site of the old mine. The federal government provided $5 million in funding in 2017 and the provincial government provided a loan of $17 million to finance the re-opening. Production finally commenced in mid-2018.

Communities

Route 210 traverses the length of the Burin Peninsula, running along the northwest side of the peninsula between

and

Fortune Fortune may refer to: General * Fortuna or Fortune, the Roman goddess of luck * Luck * Wealth * Fate * Fortune, a prediction made in fortune-telling * Fortune, in a fortune cookie Arts and entertainment Film and television * ''The Fortune'' (19 ...

. Route 220 runs from Fortune to Marystown on the southern side. A short connecting road Route 222 runs between these two roads west of Marystown. Routes

211 Year 211 ( CCXI) was a common year starting on Tuesday of the Julian calendar. At the time, in the Roman Empire it was known as the Year of the Consulship of Terentius and Bassus (or, less frequently, year 964 ''Ab urbe condita''). The denomin ...

, 212,

213 Year 213 ( CCXIII) was a common year starting on Friday of the Julian calendar. At the time (in Rome), it was known as the Year of the Consulship of Aurelius and Calvinus (or, less frequently, year 966 ''Ab urbe condita''). The denomination 213 ...

, 214, 215, and

221 __NOTOC__ Year 221 ( CCXXI) was a common year starting on Monday of the Julian calendar. At the time, it was known as the Year of the Consulship of Gratus and Vitellius (or, less frequently, year 974 ''Ab urbe condita''). The denomination 221 ...

are numbered local roads. The Burin Peninsula's economy is tied to the ocean, consequently most of its settlements are located on the coast; some are outports and have no road connection (such as South East Bight).

Rencontre East Rencontre East is a small, outport community in Newfoundland and Labrador, Canada located north east of Belleoram, and west of Terrenceville in Fortune Bay. The population was 115 in the 2021 census. This small community is not connected to ...

, another isolated community, is accessible by a

ferry port A port is a maritime law, maritime facility comprising one or more wharves or loading areas, where ships load and discharge Affreightment, cargo and passengers. Although usually situated on a sea coast or estuary, ports can also be found far inla ...

Bay L'Argent Bay L'Argent ( ) is a town in the Canada, Canadian Provinces of Canada, province of Newfoundland and Labrador. The ferry MV Terra Nova has a port in Bay L'Argent servicing the Newfoundland outport, isolated outport of Rencontre East with another ...

and travels to

Pool's Cove Pool's Cove is a fishing village located on the north west side of Fortune Bay, on the South Coast of Newfoundland and Labrador, Newfoundland, Canada. The town had a population of 188 in the Canada 2021 Census, 2021 Census. History & Town Info ...

on the

Connaigre Peninsula The Connaigre Peninsula is a Canadian peninsula located on the south coast of the island of Newfoundland in the province of Newfoundland and Labrador. Harbour Breton is the largest population centre on the peninsula. The Connaigre Peninsula is ...

via Rencontre East. The French Islands of St. Pierre et Miquelon are the last colonies of

France France, officially the French Republic, is a country located primarily in Western Europe. Overseas France, Its overseas regions and territories include French Guiana in South America, Saint Pierre and Miquelon in the Atlantic Ocean#North Atlan ...

in North America, they are located just a 25 km ferry ride from

. Communities on the north coast of the peninsula, beginning in the east: * Terrenceville *

Harbour Mille Harbour Mille-Little Harbour East is a local service district and designated place in the Canadian province of Newfoundland and Labrador. Geography Harbour Mille-Little Harbour East is in Newfoundland within Subdivision I of Division No. 2. ...

* Little Harbour East *

St. Bernard's-Jacques Fontaine St. Bernard's-Jacques Fontaine is a town in the Canadian province of Newfoundland and Labrador. The town had a population of 433 in the Canada 2021 Census, a drop from 470 in 2011. History The town of St. Bernard's-Jacques Fontaine was amalg ...

* Point Enragée * Garnish * Frenchman's Cove *

L'Anse-au-Loup L'Anse-au-Loup (Town) is located on the banks of L'Anse-au-Loup Brook and the Strait of Belle Isle, in Newfoundland and Labrador province, Canada. History In Quebec-Labrador Peninsula, on the north shore of the Strait of Belle Isle, radiocarbon ...

* Grand Bank *

Communities on the south coast of the peninsula, beginning in the west: *

Lories Loriini is a tribe of small to medium-sized arboreal parrots characterized by their specialized brush-tipped tongues for feeding on nectar of various blossoms and soft fruits, preferably berries. The species form a monophyletic group within the p ...

* Point May * Calmer * High Beach * Allan's Island * Lamaline * Point au Gaul * Taylor's Bay * Lord's Cove *

Roundabout A roundabout, a rotary and a traffic circle are types of circular intersection or junction in which road traffic is permitted to flow in one direction around a central island, and priority is typically given to traffic already in the junct ...

Lawn A lawn () is an area of soil-covered land planted with Poaceae, grasses and other durable plants such as clover lawn, clover which are maintained at a short height with a lawn mower (or sometimes grazing animals) and used for aesthetic an ...

* Little St. Lawrence * St. Lawrence * Epworth * Lewin's Cove * Burin Bay Arm * Burin * Port au Bras * Fox Cove-Mortier * Little Bay, Placentia Bay * Creston * Creston North *

* Spanish Room * Rock Harbour * Jean De Baie * Red Harbour * Rushoon *

Baine Harbour Baine Harbour is a Canadian community in the province of Newfoundland and Labrador northeast of Marystown. History In 1911 it had one store, one church and one hotel. The way office was established in 1883. The first way master was Lemuel Robe ...

* Parkers Cove * Boat Harbour West * Boat Harbour * Brookside * Davis Cove * Sandy Harbour * Monkstown * Great Paradise * Little Paradise * St. Joseph's * Port Anne * Petite Forte * Clattice Harbour * Clattice South West * Burnt Island * Murphy's Cove * Isle Valen * Darby's Harbour * Great Bona * Little Bona * Southeast Bight * Toslow * Presque * Saint Annes * Saint Leonards * Winterland

References

External links

The Heritage Run
{{Coord, 47.38, N, 55.11, W, region:CA-NL_type:landmark_scale:1000000, display=title Peninsulas of Newfoundland and Labrador

Economy

Communities

See also

References

External links