Atlantic Fishing

Lunenburg is a UNESCO-listed National Historic Site boasting buildings from the late 18th and early 19th centuries.

It was certainly nice enough and we adults enjoyed a tasty bowl of seafood chowder 'to go' down by the waterfront after we had finished checking out the town centre.

But the real action for us was at the Fisheries Museum of the Atlantic.

I wasn't too sure at first...

The entry room was an aquarium focusing on the creatures of the Atlantic coast and frankly it wasn't a patch on the ones back home (written by an Aussie aquarium snob!)

But everything else was impressive and we stayed for hours enjoying the exhibits and presentations.

There were two vessels moored at the dockside that we were able to board and stick our noses into every nook and cranny of.

The kids loved the sleeping quarters and the galleys and we parents loved imagining that the fishing nets they were pretending to be caught inside of were purchasable items at the gift shop.

I loved seeing the fish hold pens below the decks of the Theresa E. Connor, a salt bank schooner built in 1938.

After having seen "The Perfect Storm" a few years back, I tried to imagine this old girl out on the Grand Banks, trawling for the 193 tonnes of fish she could hold and facing everything the sea could throw at her.

The older kids enjoyed gently holding the sea stars and other intertidal creatures in the touch tank, however Dash's little monster grip proved a problem. And on to the next exhibit!

I asked the boys later what their favourite part of the day was and it was launching a model-sized schooner.

The presenter explained how the boats were built and launched and then completed afloat and the kids themselves got to progressively knock out all of the brakes holding the vessel back before watching it slide down the ramps into the water.

The Banks Fishery exhibits on the top floor mapped out the ocean currents and explained why the Grand Banks (off Newfoundland) are such rich fishing grounds.

The small exhibit about the 'August Gales' (massive storms during 1926 and 1927 which claimed 139 lives) and the Fisherman's Memorial Room were sobering reminders of the perils of working at sea.

The video about lobsters seemed to jump around a bit but was still fairly informative, although we parents could have done without the extended lobster coitus shots and the ultra-specific commentary, accompanied by a thousand questions from the peanut gallery.

Indy's questions were left-of-field but poignant as usual... "Where is he going? Will he ever see her again?"

(I'm sure many a lobster gal has asked the very same thing.)

Thoroughly enlightened, we headed back to our campsite just outside of Lunenburg to enjoy one final night with our wonderful travelling companions and a sensational side of salmon cooked over the fire.

Thanks guys! It has been unforgettable to share this adventure with you!