Isostatic Rebound In Northern Newfoundland the glaciers lingered until about 10,000 years BP. This delayed the rebound of the Earth’s Crust and explains why certain areas are still rebounding fast enough that the coast there is still emerging from the sea. We can calculate that when Norse were here 1000 years ago the sea level was 2.7m above present. If the sea level had risen and isostatic rebound did not occur, the L’anse aux Meadows site would be submerged by 5 metres of water. Hence, It is possible that the site would not have been discovered.
Local Fishermen In the 1970’s there were 20 fishermen living and working in L’Anse aux Meadows. The 1990 cod moratorium was the cause of the reduction in the number of fishermen. Today, Donald and David Bartlett are the last remaining fishermen in this tiny village. They both have been fishing since they were 13 years old. These commercial fishermen harvest a variety of species, including lumpfish, herring, mackerel, cod, whelks, flat fish, capelin, flounder and seals in L’Anse aux Meadows National Historic Park . Other species found in the area include Scallops, Lobsters, Crabs, Squid, Sculpin, Rock Cod and Blue Mussels. Dave’s son Damien who is has spent many summers fishing with his father is not likely to continue to practice this career as a means of livelihood. Damien has said that he plans to study at the University in the fall in hope of being a biologist. Like many of the young people of the village Damien probably will only return to the village to visit his parents and grandparents, he will live and work elsewhere. Dave and Don very much enjoy this way of life and are among the lucky ones who gets to stay in the beautiful community. They wake up at 5:00a.m every morning to go fishing. Dave actually has a job that he will go to for eight hours a day on the week days after he has finished fishing for the day. He say that he doesn’t mind all the work because it is only for a few months in the summer. Dave’s wife Kitty is one of the chef here at the restaurant, and a great chef at that. She can do anything and at lightening speed. Damien has also grew up helping us at the restaurant. Personally I think he should study to be a chef because of his already natural ability of cooking. We are lucky enough to get fresh cod from these local fishermen to serve in the restaurant. It is not likely you will ever get fish as fresh as we serve in another restaurant.
Woodpiles You may be wondering why there are so many wood piles on the roadside. Northern Newfoundlanders are very self-sufficient and try to keep themselves occupied in the winter months by continuing with the traditional ways of their parents and grandparent before them. Most people in the area heat their houses with wood. Hence, the need for firewood is great. In the winter they use chainsaws to cut the wood and collect it with their snowmobiles and komatiks. They bring it to the side of the road and will proceed to neatly pile it there. An individual household owns each pile. They will collect the wood, as they need it throughout the year, this way they do not clutter around their houses. The government regulates the amount of wood cut by issuing permits, which cost each. Piles maybe measured to make sure that an individual has not cut more than their allotted amount of wood for that year. The long logs that are put in tee-pee form so that this green wood can dry and it can eventually be used for firewood.