Duck Islands (Grand Manan)
 High Duck Island with Low Duck Island slightly visible behind it, as viewed from the Castalia Salt Marsh | |
Interactive map of Duck Islands | |
| Geography | |
|---|---|
| Location | Bay of Fundy |
| Administration | |
Canada | |
| Province | New Brunswick |
| County | Charlotte |
| Parish | Grand Manan Parish |
The Duck Islands are in the Grand Manan Parish of Charlotte County, New Brunswick, Canada in the Bay of Fundy.[1][2][3]
There are three Duck Islands, Great Duck Island is the largest, with provincially-owned Low Duck and High Duck Islands to the north of it.[4]
Low Duck and High Duck Island
Low Duck Island's highest elevation is 4.6m, while High Duck Island's is 18m.[5] Low Duck Island has Brent goose populations.[6]
In 1804, Wilfred Fisher purchased High Duck Island to start a smoked herring business before expanding to Woodward's Cove, where he retained the title "King of Duck Islands".[7]
In 1831, John Ross was given both islands in a land grant by the Crown.[8]
As of 1866, there was a small fishing community made up of three families residing on High Duck Island.[9] In approximately 1870, Alexander Fisher, grandson of Squire Fisher, left Eastport to establish a poultry business with chickens, ducks and geese on High Duck Island.[10]
The islands are owned by the Government of New Brunswick, and Class II Protected Natural Areas.[11]
Great Duck Island
The highest elevation on Great Duck Island is on its south end, and it slopes down toward the north.[5] A submarine power cable runs from the south end of the island to Ross Island.[5]
In the 1880s, residents of Grand Manan sent a petition to Ottawa seeking a fog whistle on Great Duck Island, so in 1884 Parliament appropriated the land and awarded a $2,070 tender to G. S. Mayes to build the fog alarm, a small keeper's dwelling and boathouse.[12] Samuel G. Dinsmore was appointed the engineer to oversee the fog alarm.[12] In 1892, federal funds were used to expand the property.[13] In 1916, the foghorn was replaced with a diaphone sounding for four seconds, every 45 seconds and a lifesaving crew was stationed on the island.[14][15] In 2010, its lighthouse was declared "surplus" by the Department of Fisheries which no longer wished to maintain it.[16]
Today there is a 16.5m light station on the south end of the island, as well as a microwave tower.[5][17]
As of 1923, Great Duck Island had a buoy associated with the island.[18]
Keepers: Keepers: Samuel G. Dinsmore (1886 – 1906), Rupert Burnham (1906 – 1914), Manfred L. Daggett (1915 – 1916), Chick S. Stanley (1917 – 1922) Clayton E. Small (1922 – at least 1937), Jack Russell (at least 1974 – 1984).
References
- ↑ "No. 166". Provincial Archives of New Brunswick. Department of Natural Resources and Energy Development. Retrieved 4 July 2021.
- ↑ "489" (PDF). Transportation and Infrastructure. Government of New Brunswick. Retrieved 4 July 2021. Remainder of parish on mapbooks 490, 497, 500, and 501 at same site.
- ↑ "Search the Canadian Geographical Names Database (CGNDB)". Government of Canada. Retrieved 4 July 2021.
- ↑ "Grand Manan Tourism". www.grandmanannb.com. Retrieved 2026-04-08.
- 1 2 3 4 "Sailing Directions - Gulf of Maine and Bay of Fundy" (PDF). Government of Canada. December 2021. Retrieved 8 April 2026.
- ↑ "Grand Manan Archipelago (NB011)".
- ↑ Gilman, John D. "Canned: A History of the Sardine Industry", 2001
- ↑ https://archives.gnb.ca/en-ca/land-grants/view/4920/6214
- ↑ "Provincial Archives of New Brunswick".
- ↑ "History of the islands and islets in the Bay of... - Canadiana".
- ↑ "South Grand Manan EBSA". 19 April 2023.
- 1 2 "Great Duck Island Lighthouse".
- ↑ "The Canadian contract record : [Vol. 2, no. 49 ... - Canadiana". www.canadiana.ca. Retrieved 2026-04-08.
- ↑ "The Beacon : Vol. XXVIII, No. 5 (July 29, 1916) - Canadiana".
- ↑ "The Saint John standard : Vol. VII, No. 236 (Ja... - Canadiana".
- ↑ "Swallowtail among lighthouse sites declared surplus by DFO". 25 June 2010.
- ↑ "Atlantic Coast: List of Lights, Buoys and Fog Signals" (PDF). Government of Canada. Canadian Coast Guard. 2024. Retrieved 8 April 2026.
- ↑ Fifty-Sevent Annual Report of the Department of Marine and Fisheries", 1924, https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/1/19/Fifty-seventh_Annual_Report_of_the_Department_of_Marine_and_Fisheries%2C_for_the_year_1923-24_-_Marine._%28IA_1925v61i5p28_1773%29.pdf, page 43
