Stewardship Association of Municipalities

Main Brook

SAM Member Since: May 2021

Area Protected: 1231 acres

Main Brook is a small community of roughly 240 people on the shores of the Northern Peninsula of the island of Newfoundland. Nestled on the southwest shore of Hare Bay, Main Brook was historically a fishing and lumbering community, and has seen a recent economic resurgence due to the revival of the Northern Lights fish processing plant and a growing tourism and outfitting industry. Known for its beauty and its hunting, fishing, and snowmobiling opportunities, Main Brook attracts locals, visitors, and tourists wishing to enjoy its isolation and nearly pristine nature. Along with valuable forest resources and world-class salmon rivers, the coastal areas of the surrounding Hare Bay support a wide diversity of waterfowl and seabirds, including one of the most important Common Eider habitats in our province.

Conservation Area

The entirety of the Town of Main Brook is within the Beaver Brook Limestone Subregion of the Northern Peninsula Forest Ecoregion of Newfoundland. Its growing season is shorter than most of the island (110-150 days to the average 145-170days), it has lower precipitation, and possesses a significantly lower plant biodiversity than more southern regions of Newfoundland. As an example, White Pine, Red Maple, Yellow Birch, and Trembling Aspen are all absent in the region, though there is no shortage of the dominant Balsam Fir and Black Spruce. The Subregion is somewhat sheltered, and as such houses the most productive boreal forests of the ecoregion. The subregion is also home to a wide variety of animal species including many moose, woodland caribou, and black bears - which support a thriving outfitting industry. The area is also home to many species of waterfowl (such as American black duck, Green-winged teal, mergansers) and shorebirds (such as Greater yellow legs and Spotted sandpiper), and many species of passerine birds (such as chickadees, swallows, and sparrows). The rivers that run through Main Brook provide habitat for numerous fish species, supporting a strong recreational and commercial fishing industry, particularly for salmon and trout. The marine habitat surrounding Main Brook is similarly rich, supporting all manner of marine mammals and sea bird.

Following discussions with members of Council, and geospatial analysis, assessments of known biodiversity in the area, two areas were selected for inclusion within the Stewardship Agreement: Salmon River, First Salmon Pond, and Little Pond Conservation Area and Hare Bay Coastal Stewardship Zone.