Red Bay National Historic Site of Canada

Right and bowhead whales, once plentiful in the waters of coastal Labrador, attracted whalers from the Basque country (northern Spain and southern France) during the 16th century. A thriving industry based on the production of whale oil for export to Europe developed along the Labrador coast during the mid to late 1500s. The busiest port for this historic enterprise was the sheltered harbour of Red Bay.