HARVESTING THE FROZEN GOLIATHS
In Newfoundland and Labrador, icebergs are a big deal for both tourists and corporations.
THE COLD, HARD FACTS
Every spring and summer (mostly between April and June) off the coast of Newfoundland and Labrador, a new crop of icebergs floats by off shore. Broken away from glaciers over 10,000 years old (usually from western Greenland), the icebergs drift into the area from the Arctic. Annually, about 40,000 medium- to large-sized icebergs break off, or calve, from Greenland glaciers. Only about 400 to 800 make it as far south as St. John’s, Newfoundland, although climate change may be to blame for their more sporadic appearance in recent years.
Twillingate, a small island in the North Atlantic, is located on the edge of what’s known as “Iceberg Alley.” The townspeople call it the Iceberg Capital of the World. Locals say that tourism accounts for about half of the income generated in the town, with several businesses running iceberg-watching boat tours. Visitors come to admire the floating ice piles with their shades of aquamarine and white. Illuminated by reflections from the sea, the icebergs have been called “cathedrals of ice.” If you’re there at the right moment, you may see and hear one break apart, causing a great wheezing sounding that climaxes with a huge bang.
ICEBERGS ARE (VERY) BIG BUSINESS
Fishermen in this area have also found another source of income in harvesting water from icebergs. Once they capture chunks of the ice, they melt their “prey” and sell the water to vodka, beer, wine, and bottled water companies that are creating products using iceberg water as a hook. The Canadian Iceberg Vodka Corporation produces high-quality vodka from iceberg water, which it claims is the cleanest water on Earth. The company says that sales have been strong. Quidi Vidi Brewing sometimes has trouble keeping up with demand for its Iceberg Beer. Auk Island Winery makes several wines with berg water.
“In Canada, there are 9 months of winter and 3 months of road repair.” —Peter Hansen
A skin-care line now features environmentally friendly products made from iceberg water (along with seaweed, caviar, and berry extracts). Ossentra Wondrous Earth says the pH, or acidity, level of the iceberg water is 5.0, almost the same as the pH of skin.
BREAKING THE ICE
Scouting for the bergs takes patience and diligence. When an iceberg hunter spots a candidate drifting along, he has to calculate the trajectory and plan how to best approach it. Those scouting bergs often go to icebergfinder.com, which provides charts showing the last known location of icebergs in Iceberg Alley. The icebergs are tracked through visual sightings from on-the-ground ambassadors and satellite detection from Canadian Space Agency technology.
FINDING THE TIP OF THE ICEBERG
Getting a chip off the old block isn’t such an easy process. Iceberg hunters, all with permits from the provincial government to capture pieces of the giants, will sometime go at the ice with chainsaws and hatchets. Some icebergers shoot the ice with a rifle; the sonic waves will cleave off a chunk. Another method is to use a massive hydraulic claw to rip off chunks. These ice harvesters have to be very careful because icebergs are often very unstable. Varying degrees of melting and breakup can cause them to tip or roll suddenly. They can roll completely over in seconds without any apparent reason. Iceberg hunters often haul their harvest to bigger ships in massive nets dragged along by motorboats. Huge hydraulics lift the piece from the sea and onto the deck of a vessel. Workers use high-pressure steam or potable water to rinse the ice. Then they cut it into pieces and store them in barrels. Some is melted and pumped into holding containers. The hard work, potential hazards, and patience of iceberging is worth it for many of the harvesters because there’s money in the big ice cubes. During a good season, an ice man can bring in a haul worth several hundred thousand dollars.
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MORBID JOB MARKET
Something in the water? Between 1996 and 2006, the number of female funeral directors in Canada doubled, from 720 to nearly 1,400.
The largest community of Icelanders outside of Iceland is in Gimli, Manitoba.