St. Mary's Bay
Encyclopedia
St. Marys Bay is a bay
located in western Nova Scotia
, Canada
, in Digby County
.
A sub-basin of the Gulf of Maine
, the bay's southeastern shore is formed by mainland Nova Scotia, while its northwestern shore is formed by the Digby Neck
, Long Island and Brier Island
.
The bay bifurcates the two municipal districts in Digby County, with the Francophone Clare Municipal District
located on the mainland portion (southeastern shore) and the Digby Neck being part of the Digby Municipal District
, which also occupies the eastern half of the county.
These bodies of water have shaped life on Digby Neck in several ways. Their tides are among the highest in the world, spanning 50 feet (16 metres) in places. The rich and varied flora and fauna of the bays are a result of this tidal action. Regularly exposed swaths of ocean floor create a special environment for the species that inhabit these regions. Tidal action also causes a stirring up of the water, allowing whales to feed easily on agitated plankton. This is one reason why the Bay of Fundy
is world renowned for its whale watching trips.
Shipbuilding, once an economic force in the area, was facilitated by the tides. Dry docks allowed ships to be built and floated without moving them, a significant advantage given the size and weight of a large boat. Weir fishing also benefits from the tides. At high tide the weir is submerged, fish swim in to the weir and, at low tide, the fishermen row in and scoop up the fish that are trapped at low tide.
Major communities situated on St. Marys Bay include Sandy Cove
, Weymouth
, Belliveaus Cove, Comeauville
, Saulnierville
, and Meteghan
.
Public parks are located at Meteghan (Smugglers Cove Provincial Park), Cape St. Marys
, (Mavilette Beach). and Plympton
(Savary Picnic Park).
Bay
A bay is an area of water mostly surrounded by land. Bays generally have calmer waters than the surrounding sea, due to the surrounding land blocking some waves and often reducing winds. Bays also exist as an inlet in a lake or pond. A large bay may be called a gulf, a sea, a sound, or a bight...
located in western Nova Scotia
Nova Scotia
Nova Scotia is one of Canada's three Maritime provinces and is the most populous province in Atlantic Canada. The name of the province is Latin for "New Scotland," but "Nova Scotia" is the recognized, English-language name of the province. The provincial capital is Halifax. Nova Scotia is the...
, Canada
Canada
Canada is a North American country consisting of ten provinces and three territories. Located in the northern part of the continent, it extends from the Atlantic Ocean in the east to the Pacific Ocean in the west, and northward into the Arctic Ocean...
, in Digby County
Digby County, Nova Scotia
Digby County is a county in the Canadian province of Nova Scotia.Taking its name from the Township of Digby , which had been named in honour of Rear Admiral Robert Digby who dispatched HMS Atlanta to convey loyalists from New York City in the spring of 1783 to Conway, which became known as Digby,...
.
A sub-basin of the Gulf of Maine
Gulf of Maine
The Gulf of Maine is a large gulf of the Atlantic Ocean on the east coast of North America.It is delineated by Cape Cod at the eastern tip of Massachusetts in the southwest and Cape Sable at the southern tip of Nova Scotia in the northeast. It includes the entire coastlines of the U.S...
, the bay's southeastern shore is formed by mainland Nova Scotia, while its northwestern shore is formed by the Digby Neck
Digby Neck
Digby Neck is a Canadian peninsula extending into the Bay of Fundy in Digby County, Nova Scotia.Digby Neck is the western extension of the North Mountain range from the Annapolis Valley and is made of two thick lava flows. It is separated from the eastern portion of the North Mountain by a deep,...
, Long Island and Brier Island
Brier Island
Brier Island is an island in the Bay of Fundy in Digby County, Nova Scotia.-Geography:The island is the western-most part of Nova Scotia and the southern end of the North Mountain ridge with Long Island lying immediately northeast; both islands constitute part of the Digby Neck...
.
The bay bifurcates the two municipal districts in Digby County, with the Francophone Clare Municipal District
Clare, Nova Scotia
Clare is a municipal district in western Nova Scotia, Canada.Primarily an Acadian region, Clare occupies the western half of Digby County. Most of the municipality's settled areas are located along St. Marys Bay, a sub-basin of the Gulf of Maine...
located on the mainland portion (southeastern shore) and the Digby Neck being part of the Digby Municipal District
Digby, Nova Scotia (municipal district)
Digby is a municipal district in Digby County, Nova Scotia.The district forms the eastern part of Digby County and uses the legal name The Municipality of the District of Digby...
, which also occupies the eastern half of the county.
These bodies of water have shaped life on Digby Neck in several ways. Their tides are among the highest in the world, spanning 50 feet (16 metres) in places. The rich and varied flora and fauna of the bays are a result of this tidal action. Regularly exposed swaths of ocean floor create a special environment for the species that inhabit these regions. Tidal action also causes a stirring up of the water, allowing whales to feed easily on agitated plankton. This is one reason why the Bay of Fundy
Bay of Fundy
The Bay of Fundy is a bay on the Atlantic coast of North America, on the northeast end of the Gulf of Maine between the Canadian provinces of New Brunswick and Nova Scotia, with a small portion touching the U.S. state of Maine...
is world renowned for its whale watching trips.
Shipbuilding, once an economic force in the area, was facilitated by the tides. Dry docks allowed ships to be built and floated without moving them, a significant advantage given the size and weight of a large boat. Weir fishing also benefits from the tides. At high tide the weir is submerged, fish swim in to the weir and, at low tide, the fishermen row in and scoop up the fish that are trapped at low tide.
Major communities situated on St. Marys Bay include Sandy Cove
Sandy Cove, Digby, Nova Scotia
Sandy Cove is a community in the Canadian province of Nova Scotia, located in the The Municipality of the District of Digby. in Digby County on Digby Neck.-References:**...
, Weymouth
Weymouth, Nova Scotia
-History:The area was settled in the 1760s by New England Planters after the Acadian Expulsion. The town was formally founded by Loyalists in 1783 . Current day Weymouth was once called Weymouth Bridge, and Weymouth North was called Weymouth...
, Belliveaus Cove, Comeauville
Comeauville, Nova Scotia
Comeauville is an Acadian community in the Canadian province of Nova Scotia, located in the District of Clare ....
, Saulnierville
Saulnierville, Nova Scotia
Saulnierville is a rural Acadian fishing village that was founded in 1785. It contains the French Shore's largest fish processing plant, Comeau Sea Foods, which has been in operations since 1946. Also Saulnierville has one of the oldest churches in the region, Sacré Coeur Church, was built in 1880...
, and Meteghan
Meteghan, Nova Scotia
Meteghan is an unincorporated Acadian fishing community in Digby County, Nova Scotia.Meteghan, which draws its name from the Mi'kmaq term "Mitihikan" meaning blue rocks, was founded in 1785 by Prudent Robichaud, Joseph LeBlanc, and other Acadian families...
.
Public parks are located at Meteghan (Smugglers Cove Provincial Park), Cape St. Marys
Cape St. Marys, Nova Scotia
Cape St. Marys is a headland located at the western tip of the Nova Scotia peninsula in the Canadian province of Nova Scotia.Cape St. Marys is not the westernmost point in the province as the two islands comprising the Digby Neck, Long Island and Brier Island, lie further west.-References:*...
, (Mavilette Beach). and Plympton
Plympton, Nova Scotia
Plympton is a community in the Canadian province of Nova Scotia, located in the District of Clare in Digby County .-References:*...
(Savary Picnic Park).
External links
- Natural History of Nova Scotia (excerpt)