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H. Hopkins Ltd.
5 September 2005
Cow Head Summerside

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Cow Head Today

Cow Head is now a community with all the household conveniences of the modern world. In addition to our Church, School, Museum, Library and Clinic, we now have a liveTheatre. The Gros Morne Theatre Festival operates from the Warehouse Theatre from June to September. The impact on tourism has been phenomenal.

Before the fishery moratorium Cow Head was a thriving, growing community with a population of close to a thousand people. Since the down turn of the fishery, the population has been cut in half. There are few businesses remaining and people travel to Deer Lake and Corner Brook to do most of their shopping. Only a handful of fishermen remain .They still travel to the ice floes during the spring for the annual seal hunt.
The larger fish plant closed at the time of the moratorium and a smaller one remains opened. H. Hopkins a fish buyer from Nova Scotia still employs upwards of about 20 people during the peak season which runs April to September. Cod, lump row and ground fish are processed at the plant.
Most men either work away from home for long periods of time or travel and come home daily. Women work mostly in the service industry. The service industry has a very short season and provides mostly minimum wage jobs.
Although quiet during the winter months Cow Head becomes a flurry of activity and excitement as the tourism season approaches.