Petit Nevis is a small, privately owned island in the Grenadines, off the coast of Bequia.[1] The island is uninhabited but is used by whalers to flense their catches. That practice is now limited by law to conserve the endangered whale population.

Petit Nevis
Petit Nevis is located in Saint Vincent and the Grenadines
Petit Nevis
Petit Nevis
Petit Nevis is located in Lesser Antilles
Petit Nevis
Petit Nevis
Petit Nevis is located in Caribbean
Petit Nevis
Petit Nevis
Geography
LocationCaribbean Sea
Coordinates12°58′27″N 61°14′37″W / 12.974031°N 61.243522°W / 12.974031; -61.243522 (Petite Nevis)
Area71 acres (29 ha)
Administration

Whaling by early settlers to Bequia was undertaken to help feed their isolated community. Hunting is still carried out in small boats using a hand-held harpoon, a skill passed down through generations and promoted by local whale boat captain, Athneal Ollivierre (died 2000), who was also part-owner of Petit Nevis.

Eileen Corea, the last surviving, direct, legal owner of the island, died in July 2011. The island is now owned by the descendants of the previous owners.

A small isolationist community called Moonhole on nearby Bequia scavenges whale bones from the island for building materials.

References

edit
  1. ^ Mapcarta, 2018. Petit Nevis, St Vincent. Accessed 2018-03-30.