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Location of Baccalieu Island in Newfoundland
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| Geography | |
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| Area | 5 km2 (1.9 sq mi) |
| Highest elevation | 137 m (449 ft) |
| Highest point | |
| Country | |
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Canada
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| Province | Newfoundland and Labrador |
| Demographics | |
| Population | 0 |
Baccalieu Island is a 5 km² uninhabited island at the northern extremities of Conception Bay near the community of Red Head Cove, Canada. It is separated from the island of Newfoundland by Baccalieu Tickle, a small strait and an abundant fishing ground.
The name 'Baccalieu' is derived either from the Portuguese bacalhau, Spanish bacalao or the Basque baccalos, all meaning "codfish". It was known to Europeans since at least 1556, when it was drawn on the Gastaldi map as "Bacalaos".[1].
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There were two lighthouses located on Baccalieu Island of which today both are automated. The lighthouse on the northern end is not operational any more and was extinguished in the early 1990s. This lighthouse was replaced as an aid to navigation by an automated light on a skeletal tower. It was originally a brick tower and was later encased in iron. The old tower's data:
Four generations of the Ryan family kept the light at Baccalieu from 1858 to 1950. Other keepers at Baccalieu included Felix Noonan, Eric Blundon, John Hyde, Linus Walsh, Joseph Hatch, Pat Rice and principal lightkeeper Raymond Hyde.
Baccalieu Island is the largest seabird island in Newfoundland and supports the greatest diversity of breeding seabirds in Eastern North America. The island supports the largest known colony of Leach's Storm-Petrel in the world, approximately 40% of the global population and about 70% of the western Atlantic population of this species. It is a nesting area for 11 breeding species:
The island has a surface of 5 km², and the reserve spans 23 km², including all of the island and one kilometer of ocean around the coast.