“Bonjour, bienvenue aux îles de la Madeleine!” Indeed. All on board National Geographic Explorer would feel very welcomed to this small archipelago of islands here in the Gulf of St. Lawrence. This expedition started in France when we flew by charter to the small island of St. Pierre, then sailed to Cape Breton Island in Nova Scotia yesterday. And today we are in the province of Quebec!
What a day to explore these small islands, connected to each other by strands of sand dunes, as we had blue skies and warm weather the entire day. Some chose to explore by kayak while others decided the best vantage point would be from the saddle of a bicycle. Most of us chose to view as much as we could fit into our day via coach.
Fishing and tourism are the two industries that drive the economy here in the islands. As our guide Nigel Quinn explained, these days fishing really means lobster and crab, as that is the primary fishery to be had here with the diminishing returns on cod and herring. There are 325 lobster fishermen here in îles de la Madeleine, each with just under 300 lobster pots that they employ during the short fishing season. Gravid females and “shorts” – that is, undersized lobster – are cast back into the water for another day.
We were afforded a look into one of about 20 smokehouses that specialize in seafood when we stopped at Le fumoir d’ antan. Third-generation, family-owned and operated smokers still use the original Arseneau family recipes for smoking fish and scallops. All on board can attest to the success of the recipe as Head Chef Stina Hansson served smoked scallops from this smokehouse for dinner tonight.
The highlight of the afternoon came to us as we strolled along the boardwalk and paths of La Grave, a delightfully colorful community on the southern end of the archipelago. Designated as a historical site in 1983, the beach is full of small boutiques and shops.
Perhaps the most interesting to me was the sand museum where owner Albert Cummings has been building sand castles for over 34 years now! The population of îles de la Madeleine has been shrinking in recent years. Young people are leaving the islands as they seek the rewards of larger cities. Like many small communities, there is simply not enough financial incentive to remain and so the population is aging. It occurs to me that at 72 years old, Albert epitomizes the islands; although he is aging he is still going strong and young at heart!
