Island cowboys

Island cowboys

Mention Newfoundland, Canada’s easternmost province, and the first thing most people think of is fishermen. And yet, despite lacking windsweptwindgepeitschtwindswept prairies, the island is currently producing cowboys — iceberg cowboys, that isjedenfallsthat is.

Because of climate change, increasing numbers of icebergs are breaking off the glacierGletscherglaciers of western Greenland and floating down to the so-called Iceberg alleyGasse; hier etwa: PassageAlley, from the coast of Labrador to the south-east coast of Newfoundland. Iceberg water is reputed to be particularly pure, which makes to harvest sth.etw. ernten; hier: wirtschaftlich verwertenharvesting those icebergs a profitable new industry.

During the month-long spring iceberg season, cowboys like Captain Ed Kean and his crew use a tugboatSchleppertugboat to search for icebergs. After throwing a ropeSeilrope around it, they use a winch(Seil-)Windewinch to bring the iceberg close to the boat. Kean then operates a backhoeTieflöffelbaggerbackhoe with a mechanical clawGreiferclaw to break off pieces of ice, which is crushed and placed in holding tankAuffangbehälter, Vorratstankholding tanks.

Six companies are currently licensed to harvest icebergs, according to Maclean’s magazine. The water is used for vodka, craft beer and bottled water, which can sell for as much as $33 (€29) a bottle.

For people living in Newfoundland outport (Can.)abgelegene Küsten- gemeindeoutports, where jobs are hard to find, iceberg harvesting has replaced codKabeljaucod fishing. “It’s the way to to make a livingseinen Lebensunterhalt bestreitenmake a living,” Kean says. “That’s it.”