Cupids is a tiny Newfoundland village “around the bay” from St. John’s. In a nod to its English heritage, the Union Jack flapping on the shore across from the fish plant is the second-largest in the British Empire. It was here that John Guy settled the second English community in North America, here that the first English child was born in what is now Canada in 1613.Before Europeans settled in Newfoundland, the ships just followed the cod. Then it was brought ashore to be salted and dried in coastal villages founded for just that purpose. But history does repeat itself. Once again, fishing is mostly migratory, with countries sending massive factory-freezer trawlers around the world to harvest and process the catch at sea.
The long, low-slung fish-processing plant on the other side of Cupids Harbour used to employ 80 workers who processed cod caught in nearby waters. Today it employs six. Next to the building is a shed that now houses squid bait for catching snow crab. Last year, the squid came from Argentina. This year, it came from Japan.
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