Capstan Island

Last updated

Canada Newfoundland and Labrador location map 2.svg
Red pog.svg
Capstan Island
Location of Capstan Island in Newfoundland and Labrador

Capstan Island is a designated place in the Canadian province of Newfoundland and Labrador.

Contents

Located along the Labrador Straits or Strait of Belle Isle, which is a major shipping/export route to oversea destinations, Capstan Island is a small community of 55 residents. It is primarily known for its rich fishing grounds.

Residents lived off the land and sea for primary food/income. Cod fish, crab, scallop, escargot, lumpfish roe, herring and squid, Black duck, murre, pigeons, rabbits, spruced grouse, ptarmigan, caribou, moose, porcupine, beaver, bear were species hunted & fished by most families. Also the fur industry added additional income.

Capstan Island got its name from a capstan located on an island very near to the village. A capstan is a sturdy wooden post and handle, mounted in a stabilizing frame, used to wind in a rope or cable to block seals in the bay. Around 1851 residents began sealing in this area. A large capstan was placed on the small island just offshore and a seal net attached to it. When harp seals migrated along the shore in spring, the net 'box' trapped them. Capstan Island is located in the Labrador Straits region on Route 510 (Trans-Labrador Highway), only 39 km from the Quebec/Labrador border.

There are often icebergs directly across from the community; visitors can go to the fishing wharf and get a view.

Geography

Capstan Island is in Labrador within Subdivision A of Division No. 10. [1]

Demographics

As a designated place in the 2021 Census of Population conducted by Statistics Canada, Capstan Island recorded a population of 55 living in 30 of its 31 total private dwellings, a change of

See also

Related Research Articles

Red Bay is a fishing village in Labrador, notable as one of the most precious underwater archaeological sites in the Americas. Between 1530 and the early 17th century, it was a major Basque whaling area. Several whaling ships, both large galleons and small chalupas, sank there, and their discovery led to the designation of Red Bay in 2013 as a UNESCO World Heritage Site.

Piccadilly Slant-Abraham's Cove is a local service district and designated place in the Canadian province of Newfoundland and Labrador. It is located on the island of Newfoundland, along St. George's Bay, on the Port au Port Peninsula. The DPL consists of the fishing villages of Abraham's Cove and Piccadilly.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Anchor Point, Newfoundland and Labrador</span> Town in Newfoundland and Labrador, Canada

Anchor Point is a town located in St. Barbe Bay, south of Flower's Cove on the west side of the Great Northern Peninsula, in Newfoundland and Labrador, Canada. It was the first English settlement on what is called the 'French Shore' of Newfoundland.

Virgin Arm–Carter's Cove is a local service district and designated place on New World Island in the Canadian province of Newfoundland and Labrador. Virgin Arm-Carter's Cove is located approximately 90 km Northwest of Gander in Subdivision H of Division No. 8.

Garden Cove is a local service district and designated place in the Canadian province of Newfoundland and Labrador. It is southeast of Swift Current. The residents of Sound Island moved without government assistance during a period around 1953. They moved to the mainland into Garden Cove and surrounding communities. Today Garden Cove has an active close community. There is a tour boat, Merasheen which is part of the Woody Island Resort hotel which gives people a Newfoundland outport experience. Garden Cove has hiking trails passing by Big Rock Hill and Placentiamans Point. There is an inshore fishery operating there. Some species caught are lobster, cod, mackerel, herring, crab, scallops, mussels, flounder and trout. Late in summer Tuna chase bill fish just off shore.

Charlottetown is a town in Labrador with a population of 292 in the Canadian province of Newfoundland and Labrador. It was said to be founded by Benjamin Powell in 1950 and named for Charlottetown, Prince Edward Island: "I thought that maybe someday the place would be the capital of the bay, the same way Charlottetown is the capital of Prince Edward Island."

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Rattling Brook, Newfoundland and Labrador</span> Local service district / designated place in Newfoundland and Labrador, Canada

Rattling Brook is a local service district and designated place in the Canadian province of Newfoundland and Labrador. It is in the north-central portion of the island of Newfoundland near Baie Verte and Springdale. Formerly a fishing village, its main residents are retirees and seasonal tourists.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Change Islands</span> Town in Newfoundland and Labrador, Canada

Change Islands is an outport community in the Canadian province of Newfoundland and Labrador.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Frederickton, Newfoundland and Labrador</span>

Frederickton is a designated place in the Canadian province of Newfoundland and Labrador.

Plum Point is a local service district and designated place in the Canadian province of Newfoundland and Labrador. It is west of Anchor Point.

Mainland is a local service district and designated place in the Canadian province of Newfoundland and Labrador. It is on the western shore of the Port au Port Peninsula approximately 50 kilometres (31 mi) from the Stephenville International Airport. Mainland is a coastal community, bordered by both the ocean and forest. The main industry in the community has traditionally been fishing, but currently (2016) a large portion of the inhabitants leave the community seasonally to earn income.

William's Harbour is a former local service district and designated place in the Canadian province of Newfoundland and Labrador. The community was entirely resettled in 2017. The settlement was part of the NunatuKavut territory.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Sop's Arm</span> Community in Newfoundland and Labrador, Canada

Sop's Arm is a local service district and designated place in the Canadian province of Newfoundland and Labrador. The community was formed in the 1930s and 1940s by families moving from surrounding communities, including Jackson's Arm. In the 1950s and 1960s families from nearby Sop's Island moved to Sop's Arm, towing their houses across the channel of water.

Norman's Bay is a local service district and designated place in the Canadian province of Newfoundland and Labrador. It is an isolated community at the head of Norman Bay, an extension of Martin Bay. The population of the community was 15 in the 2021 census.

Mattis Point is a local service district and designated place in the Canadian province of Newfoundland and Labrador. It is in the Bay St. George area.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">La Poile</span> Local service district / designated place in Newfoundland and Labrador, Canada

La Poile is a local service district and designated place in the Canadian province of Newfoundland and Labrador. It is on La Poile Bay. The community is inaccessible by road and is served by a ferry via a port in Rose Blanche.

Blaketown is a local service district and designated place in the Canadian province of Newfoundland and Labrador.

Black Duck Cove is a local service district and designated place in the Canadian province of Newfoundland and Labrador. It is on the Great Northern Peninsula of Newfoundland.

Patrick's Cove-Angels Cove is a local service district and designated place in the Canadian province of Newfoundland and Labrador. It is on the Cape Shore of the Avalon Peninsula. The area was first settled by James Coffey in the early 19th century. Coffey had moved to Newfoundland from County Waterford, Ireland to work at Placentia's Saunders and Sweetman firm. Sweetman's firm had sent some of their employees outward from Placentia to start farms in which to supply Sweetman's with produce. Coffey became the first resident of this community.

Caplin Cove-Southport is a local service district and designated place in Trinity Bay in the Canadian province of Newfoundland and Labrador. Caplin Cove-Southport is approximately 50 km from Clarenville.

References

  1. "Population and dwelling counts, for Canada, provinces and territories, census divisions, census subdivisions (municipalities) and designated places, 2016 and 2011 censuses – 100% data (Newfoundland and Labrador)". Statistics Canada. February 7, 2018. Retrieved December 23, 2021.
  2. "Census Profile, 2021 Census of Population Profile table". Statistics Canada. 2021. Retrieved April 28, 2023.

51°34′12″N56°43′55″W / 51.570°N 56.732°W / 51.570; -56.732