FISHERMEN's Memorial monument, Port morien
The newest labour landmark that has been identified is a monument devoted to those who worked in the fishing industry in Port Morien. Members of the Port Morien Development Association erected the monument on 3 August 2011, overlooking Morien Bay. [1] The Fishermen’s Monument consists of a stone cairn with a granite plaque on the front; the plaque reads:
Since the time of the Mi’kmaq, fishing has sustained the economy of Port Morien and area. This plaque honours the men and women who have dedicated their lives to the industry, and to the culture and economy of the communities that surround Morien Bay.
The monument stands next to a small park, complete with benches and green space, which provides a scenic view of the harbour. Also included in this park are a number of ornamental buoys and carved wooden statues of fishermen.
This monument can also be explained as the result of the localization and specification of historical memory that has occurred in many industrial Cape Breton communities since the 1980s. Fishing has been a major part of the Port Morien economy since the 1850s. Lobster fishing and cannery operations were a major employer in the area during the early 20th century and by the 1960s the Acadia Products lobster factory was the major employer in the town, since the coal industry in Port Morien had declined during the 1950s. [2] The only other major industry in Port Morien, coal mining, was one of the earliest to be commemorated with a monument. In 2005, the Port Morien Development Association received funds from the Atlantic Canadian Opportunities Agency for the purposes of town beautification. This project included an extension of the local boardwalk, improvements to the beach and village square, and the erection of the fishermen’s memorial. [3] Although the monument was not erected until 2011, many of these other projects have already been completed within the community. The erection of the fishing monument reflects specification and localization of collective memory in that, since the coal industry was already commemorated and new funds were available for such a project, the extensive fishery was an important part of Port Morien’s history that had not yet been memorialized. Although the fisheries have been important in other communities as well, no other monuments to the fishing industry were identified in industrial Cape Breton.
Footnotes
[1] Cape Breton Post, 3 July 2011.
[2] Kenneth MacDonald, Port Morien: Pages from the Past (Sydney: University College of Cape Breton Press, 1995), 61.
[3] Canadian Environmental Assessment Agency, “Port Morien Development Association Community Upgrades and Beautification.”
Since the time of the Mi’kmaq, fishing has sustained the economy of Port Morien and area. This plaque honours the men and women who have dedicated their lives to the industry, and to the culture and economy of the communities that surround Morien Bay.
The monument stands next to a small park, complete with benches and green space, which provides a scenic view of the harbour. Also included in this park are a number of ornamental buoys and carved wooden statues of fishermen.
This monument can also be explained as the result of the localization and specification of historical memory that has occurred in many industrial Cape Breton communities since the 1980s. Fishing has been a major part of the Port Morien economy since the 1850s. Lobster fishing and cannery operations were a major employer in the area during the early 20th century and by the 1960s the Acadia Products lobster factory was the major employer in the town, since the coal industry in Port Morien had declined during the 1950s. [2] The only other major industry in Port Morien, coal mining, was one of the earliest to be commemorated with a monument. In 2005, the Port Morien Development Association received funds from the Atlantic Canadian Opportunities Agency for the purposes of town beautification. This project included an extension of the local boardwalk, improvements to the beach and village square, and the erection of the fishermen’s memorial. [3] Although the monument was not erected until 2011, many of these other projects have already been completed within the community. The erection of the fishing monument reflects specification and localization of collective memory in that, since the coal industry was already commemorated and new funds were available for such a project, the extensive fishery was an important part of Port Morien’s history that had not yet been memorialized. Although the fisheries have been important in other communities as well, no other monuments to the fishing industry were identified in industrial Cape Breton.
Footnotes
[1] Cape Breton Post, 3 July 2011.
[2] Kenneth MacDonald, Port Morien: Pages from the Past (Sydney: University College of Cape Breton Press, 1995), 61.
[3] Canadian Environmental Assessment Agency, “Port Morien Development Association Community Upgrades and Beautification.”