When overlooking the new modern fish plant adjacent to Bay de Verde harbour, it is hard to believe what transpired in the Northern Avalon Peninsula community nearly a year ago.
An April 11 fire totally destroyed the Quinlan Brothers Ltd. seafood processing plant, devastating the community and impacting the employment of about 700 workers.
Vice-President of Quinlan Brothers, Robin Quinlan, recently told CBC that plant construction is coming along well and the company is hoping to be up running and ready for the crab processing season starting the first week of April.
The April 11 fire was first reported at 5:30 a.m. and quickly grew in intensity, fueled by strong westerly winds. In a few hours, the Town of Bay de Verde ordered a state of emergency and evacuation order that saw 300 homes emptied as firefighters from around the region battled the blaze at the Quinlan Brothers plant.
The large plant, one of the largest employers in the region, was just gearing up for the start of the crab season. In 2015, the Bay de Verde plant processed more than 17 million pounds of crab.
While the fire was still smouldering, the company was making arrangements with other plants in the region and on the island to take its crab in order not to delay fishermen during the very lucrative fishery.
The company said despite the fire, it had worked with snow crab producers throughout the province to ensure that fish harvesters were serviced as normal.
Less than two weeks after the fire, Quinlan Brothers released expressions of interest (EOI) for seafood processing equipment, design, manufacture and supply, as well as for building engineering management, planning and design services.
The equipment EOI was also notable in that it included not only processing lines for both snow crab and Northern shrimp, but for the design/manufacture/supply of equipment for the processing of Atlantic groundfish as well.
But the new plant is not the only fisheries-related improvements being witnessed in Bay de Verde.
Last year, the federal government announced more than $13 million will be invested into Bay de Verde’s harbour — $8 million for the wharf, $4 million for the north-side breakwater extension, $750,000 for a breakwater extension on the south side and $250,000 for south-side parking lot repairs.
The funding was part of a $68.2-million investment this year into small craft harbour improvement projects across Newfoundland and Labrador. A total of $26.9 million will be invested at 16 harbours throughout eastern Newfoundland and the Bay de Verde Peninsula. Five of these harbours will see their investment extend into future years for an additional $14.6 million.
