Mécatina Islands

The Mécatina islands lie off the rugged northern shore of the Gulf of St. Lawrence. On Petit Mécatina, a sheltered harbour drew Basque crews who hunted whales and fished for cod. Bones discarded during the preparation of their catch have survived beneath the water, together with traces of the fishing station. Established in the late sixteenth century, the station stood among rocky islands and passages on a coast reached by seasonal voyages across the Atlantic.