Uploaded September 2021 | Updated September 2026, 4 hours ago
Come along as we find the capelin and whales on the shores of Newfoundland in early summer. We spend the morning in Middle Cove beach just outside St. John's watching the capelin roll up on the beach to spawn. Later that afternoon we travelled to St. Vincent's beach approximately one hour and forty five minutes drive away from our home to watch the numerous varieties of whales feed on the capelin. It was an awesome day!
Capelin
Capelin are small, slender fish that closely resemble smelt. They have a pointed snout with a slightly protruding lower jaw, a large dorsal fin and a small adipose fin behind it. They are silvery under their lateral line and green or olive-green above it, and their underside is silvery-white. During the spawning season, capelin exhibit sexual dimorphism, which means the head and back of males become darker; their pectoral, pelvic and anal fins are well-developed compared to females; and males have 'spawning ridges' consisting of a row of elongated scales just above the lateral line on either side of the body. Mature capelin are generally between 13 and 20 centimetres long, with the largest male found in Newfoundland waters at 25 centimetres long. Mature capelin can weigh as much as 40 and 45 grams, and rarely live longer than five years.
Capelin have a circumpolar distribution throughout the arctic and subarctic regions of the world. In the northwestern Atlantic, they range from western Greenland and Hudson Bay in the north to Maine in the south and are most abundant around Newfoundland. Since the early 1990s, they have been observed in greater numbers in the southern Gulf of St. Lawrence and on the Scotian Shelf. In the eastern Atlantic, they are found from the Barents Sea to the coast of Norway, as well as in Icelandic coastal waters. In the Pacific, their range stretches from the Juan de Fuca Strait north along Alaska and across the Bering Sea to Siberia. From there, their range extends south, around Japan and toward Korea. Some stocks of capelin spend the bulk of their lives offshore, moving inshore only to spawn on beaches, while other stocks live their entire lives offshore, spawning on the bottom in deep water such as in the Barents Sea, in Icelandic waters, and on the Southeast Shoal of the Grand Bank.
Whales around Newfoundland
Humpback
The world's largest population of feeding humpback whales is found here. Migrating from the Caribbean, they spend from April to October in the waters off Newfoundland and Labrador. They are often seen "breaching" or jumping out of the water and crashing into the waves.
Minke
Common in the bays of Newfoundland and Labrador, this is the smallest baleen whale. Unlike other whales, the minke's tail does not show when it dives to feed on capelin, mackerel or herring, and it will spend very little time on the surface before swimming deep under water for 15 to 20 minutes at a time. You'll see these whales in summer and early fall.
Pothead (Pilot)
Named for its thick pot-shaped head, these small toothed whales often travel in large groups of up to 100. They love to feed on squid and fish during summer and early fall.
Fin
This large baleen is the second largest of the whales. They travel further offshore than the humpbacks and minkes. And they can travel in packs of up to eight.
Sperm
The largest of the toothed whales, the sperm, has a wrinkled body that is dark brown or grey in colour. A blowhole in the shape of the letter "S" sits on the left side of its head, producing a bushy spout that extends beyond its front.
Blue
The blue whale is the largest mammal that has ever lived on earth – a whopping 21 to 28 metres long. This baleen whale is most abundant on the southwest coast of Newfoundland, especially during the winter months.
Orca (Killer Whale)
This well-known toothed whale can be seen off of Newfoundland and Labrador in the summer months. Look out for a stout, glossy, black and white body – and a big set of teeth.
Camera "A": Canon SL2
Lens: Canon EF-S 18-55mm f/3.5-5.6 IS STM
Microphone: Rode VideoMicro Compact
Camera "B": iPhone 10
Tripod: Geekoto AT24 PRO DREAMER
End Music: "Bluefin's Theme" ©️ Written and performed by Matt Keels
-~-~~-~~~-~~-~-
Please watch: "Moose vs Kia Soul"
youtube.com/watch?v=RVL0Z6WdTqo
-~-~~-~~~-~~-~-
Come along as we find the capelin and whales on the shores of Newfoundland in early summer. We spend the morning in Middle Cove beach just outside St. John's watching the capelin roll up on the beach to spawn. Later that afternoon we travelled to St. Vincent's beach approximately one hour and forty five minutes drive away from our home to watch the numerous varieties of whales feed on the capelin. It was an awesome day!
Capelin
Capelin are small, slender fish that closely resemble smelt. They have a pointed snout with a slightly protruding lower jaw, a large dorsal fin and a small adipose fin behind it. They are silvery under their lateral line and green or olive-green above it, and their underside is silvery-white. During the spawning season, capelin exhibit sexual dimorphism, which means the head and back of males become darker; their pectoral, pelvic and anal fins are well-developed compared to females; and males have 'spawning ridges' consisting of a row of elongated scales just above the lateral line on either side of the body. Mature capelin are generally between 13 and 20 centimetres long, with the largest male found in Newfoundland waters at 25 centimetres long. Mature capelin can weigh as much as 40 and 45 grams, and rarely live longer than five years.
Capelin have a circumpolar distribution throughout the arctic and subarctic regions of the world. In the northwestern Atlantic, they range from western Greenland and Hudson Bay in the north to Maine in the south and are most abundant around Newfoundland. Since the early 1990s, they have been observed in greater numbers in the southern Gulf of St. Lawrence and on the Scotian Shelf. In the eastern Atlantic, they are found from the Barents Sea to the coast of Norway, as well as in Icelandic coastal waters. In the Pacific, their range stretches from the Juan de Fuca Strait north along Alaska and across the Bering Sea to Siberia. From there, their range extends south, around Japan and toward Korea. Some stocks of capelin spend the bulk of their lives offshore, moving inshore only to spawn on beaches, while other stocks live their entire lives offshore, spawning on the bottom in deep water such as in the Barents Sea, in Icelandic waters, and on the Southeast Shoal of the Grand Bank.
Whales around Newfoundland
Humpback
The world's largest population of feeding humpback whales is found here. Migrating from the Caribbean, they spend from April to October in the waters off Newfoundland and Labrador. They are often seen "breaching" or jumping out of the water and crashing into the waves.
Minke
Common in the bays of Newfoundland and Labrador, this is the smallest baleen whale. Unlike other whales, the minke's tail does not show when it dives to feed on capelin, mackerel or herring, and it will spend very little time on the surface before swimming deep under water for 15 to 20 minutes at a time. You'll see these whales in summer and early fall.
Pothead (Pilot)
Named for its thick pot-shaped head, these small toothed whales often travel in large groups of up to 100. They love to feed on squid and fish during summer and early fall.
Fin
This large baleen is the second largest of the whales. They travel further offshore than the humpbacks and minkes. And they can travel in packs of up to eight.
Sperm
The largest of the toothed whales, the sperm, has a wrinkled body that is dark brown or grey in colour. A blowhole in the shape of the letter "S" sits on the left side of its head, producing a bushy spout that extends beyond its front.
Blue
The blue whale is the largest mammal that has ever lived on earth – a whopping 21 to 28 metres long. This baleen whale is most abundant on the southwest coast of Newfoundland, especially during the winter months.
Orca (Killer Whale)
This well-known toothed whale can be seen off of Newfoundland and Labrador in the summer months. Look out for a stout, glossy, black and white body – and a big set of teeth.
Camera "A": Canon SL2
Lens: Canon EF-S 18-55mm f/3.5-5.6 IS STM
Microphone: Rode VideoMicro Compact
Camera "B": iPhone 10
Tripod: Geekoto AT24 PRO DREAMER
End Music: "Bluefin's Theme" ©️ Written and performed by Matt Keels
-~-~~-~~~-~~-~-
Please watch: "Moose vs Kia Soul"
youtube.com/watch?v=RVL0Z6WdTqo
-~-~~-~~~-~~-~-
