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La Scie is located at the end of route 414 and the head of the Baie Verte Peninsula. La Scie got its name from the French settlers who occupied the harbour for approximately eighty-years. The hills around the community resemble the teeth of a saw - hence, the name La Scie means "the saw".
La Scie was settled by descendants of Irish and English fishermen as soon as the French left. The Andrews and Critch families who lived in La Scie in 1825 were from the West Country of England, whereas the Clance families came from Ireland.
There are several small islands near La Scie. The most noted are the Horse Islands, which are two large Islands surrounded in places by dangerous rocks. Local names such as Hit or Miss Point and Nervous Point tell you the kind of reputation that the Islands have among the people who fish and use the waters near Horse Islands. These Islands were the largest islands in the area and people lived there until 1967, when they were all relocated to La Scie. Bishop's Rock off La Scie is important as a roosting place for salt water duck.
Local History
July 1960, saw the opening of a new fishplant with 140 employees processing frozen fillets. Job Brothers and Co. Ltd opened up another plant in 1963 and also took salmon along with the codfish. National Sea Products bought the plant from Job Brothers and Co. Ltd in the late 1970's. It employed 500 people in 1978, and in 1981 it employed 665 people. That year 16 million pounds of fish was processed at the plant. Approximately 40 percent of the fish was landed at La Scie. The rest came from 12 other communities on the peninsula. During that year fish was bought from 743 fishermen who operated 316 small boats and 28 longliners.
During the 1984 fishing season, National Sea purchased fish from 932 fisherman, 153 of whom were based in La Scie, while the rest were from the other communities on the Baie Verte Peninsula. Peak employment at that time in the plant was 700 people for the processing of cod, herring, flounder, squid, turbot, mackerel, and caplin. In 1989 the plant processed 22 million pounds of fish.
La Scie once received most supplies by coastal boat until the roads were built. The extending and paving of the roads made a big difference to the development and expansion of the town.
Tourist Facilities & Attractions
- Picnic Park
- Recreational vehicle park / facility
- Boat tours are available
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