St. Alban's is a town of approximately 1,200 located in the Bay d'Espoir estuary on the south coast of Newfoundland, Canada.[2] St. Alban's is the largest community in Bay d'Espoir.[1] The town is 180 kilometres (110 mi) south of Grand Falls-Windsor.[3][4]
St. Alban's is regarded as a hub for the aquaculture industry and the Newfoundland Aquaculture Industry Association (NAIA) maintains an office in the town.[5]
History
The economy of the town and surrounding area has historically been rooted in trading and logging, dating back to its founding in the mid-1800s By the English explorer Barnabus John Lambert. Originally known as Ship Cove, The name was changed to Saint Alban's in 1915, and in 1964, Saint Alban's was incorporated as a town. Today, the major industries in the town and area include hydro generation and aquaculture.[6] The town consists of 1,189 residents and is the largest in Bay d'Espoir area.[3][7]
St. Alban's and area has emerged as the centre for the growing aquaculture industry and hydro generation remains an integral part of the area's economy.[8] The town is home to an Aquaculture Development Centre and Aquatic Fish Health Laboratory, a 58,000 square foot fish hatchery, aquaculture manufacturing and service firms, processing plant, and many offices associated with the foregoing.[9] The aquaculture industry in the town and area in 2013 exceeded a production value of $200 million (nearly 20% of the total value of the seafood industry of Newfoundland and Labrador).[10]
The Hydro Generation Site in the area is the largest on the island of Newfoundland and provides 2,650 GWh annually. The seven generating units produce a rated output of 604 MW.[11] Both industries are very predominate to the local economy.
Hurricane Matthew
St. Alban's, along with much of the island of Newfoundland, was gravely affected by Hurricane Matthew in October 2016.[12][13][14] Road access to the town was temporarily cut off by flooding washing away the main bridge. The nearby town of Conne River provided boat rides into the community while the road was being repaired.[15]
Demographics
In the 2021 Census of Population conducted by Statistics Canada, St. Alban's had a population of 1,189 living in 560 of its 650 total private dwellings, a change of 0.3% from its 2016 population of 1,186. With a land area of 20.48 km2 (7.91 sq mi), it had a population density of 58.1/km2 (150.4/sq mi) in 2021.[7]
