The port of Gros-Mécatina

Gros-Mécatina is an isolated municipality in Le Golfe-du-Saint-Laurent in the North Shore of Quebec. It's only accessible by boat, plane or snowmobile via the Route Blanche in winter.

Understand

Gros-Mécatina is a municipality of 356 inhabitants (2021) on the north shore of the Gulf of St. Lawrence near the border with Labrador. It is near excellent crab, lobster and scallop fishing grounds. Thus, fishing is the main economic activity there.

The municipality is made up of two small villages: La Tabatière and Baie-des-Moutons (also called Mutton Bay). It also includes the abandoned villages of Lac-Salé and Baie-des-Ha!-Ha!. The village of La Tabatière is located on the bay of the same name opposite the island of Gros Mécatina and is divided into three hamlets: Vieux-Poste, Baie-Rouge and La Tabatière. This village includes a fish processing plant. For its part, the village of Baie-des-Moutons is located on the eponymous bay just east of the mouth of the Gros-Mécatina River.

The municipality is crossed by the Gros-Mécatina River from north to south to the east of the two villages. This ends in a large archipelago called Gros Mécatina which extends from Baie-des-Moutons to Harrington Harbor. Cap du Gros Mécatina is located at the southern tip of Mitchell Island, southwest of Baie-des-Moutons. In addition, the Petit Mécatina River flows east and empties into the Gulf of St. Lawrence west of Tête-à-la-Baleine.

History

Exploration of the region began as early as 1535 when Jacques Cartier made his second voyage. The area became an important hunting and fishing spot in the early 18^th century. Around 1739, the Gros-Mécatina Post was established near the current village of La Tabatière and soon became one of the most important fishing villages on the Côte-Nord of Saint- Lawrence.

The municipality was incorporated on January 1, 1994. Its territory is a detachment of the municipality of Côte-Nord-du-Golfe-du-Saint-Laurent.

Get in

By plane

La Tabatière Airport

• 1 La Tabatière Airport (ZLT  ^IATA) (at La Tabatiere). Airport operated by G.I.D.C. Mecatina owned by the Government of Quebec. Regular flights are carried out aboard a Twin Otter given the short length of the landing strip. (updated Jul 2022)

By boat

• Bella Desgagnés (Maritime service Anticosti Island-Basse-Côte-Nord) - Departing from Rimouski, the vessel Bella Desgagnés offers weekly maritime service to the ports of Port-Menier (L'Île-d'Anticosti), Sept-Iles, Havre-Saint-Pierre and Natashquan, reaching as far as Blanc-Sablon. Operated by the Government of Quebec, this ship makes the connection between the localities of the MRC Le Golfe-du-Saint-Laurent: Saint-Augustin, La Tabatière, Tête-à-la-Baleine, Harrington Harbour, La Romaine, Kegaska and Blanc-Sablon. This cargo-passenger ship has eight decks and can accommodate 420 passengers, including around 40 crew members. It has 63 cabins with private bathrooms to accommodate passengers, a cafeteria, a dining room, a bistro and seascape observation lounges. ☏ +1-800-463-0680.

By snowmobile

Gros-Mécatina is also accessible in winter by snowmobile via the route Blanche from Natashquan. This 525-km snow road passes through the villages of Kegaska, La Romaine, Chevery, Harrington Harbour, Tête-à-la-Baleine, Mutton Bay, La Tabatière, Saint-Augustin, Rivière-Saint-Paul (Bonne-Espérance) and Blanc-Sablon. Trail layout and conditions may vary from winter to winter. Users of this trail should act proactively by having enough fuel, geolocation instruments, a satellite telephone system, spare parts in case of breakage, mechanical repair tools, a gun, a map and survival gear. Group travel is recommended.

Get around

A coastal road (designated "rue Principale") of 8.6 km connects the centre of the villages Mutton Bay (to the south) and La Tabatière (to the northeast), along the coast, facing the island of Gros Mécatina. In winter, this is not cleared of snow; users tend to use snowmobiles there. The hills of Mécatina have a hilly relief which makes it difficult to develop forest roads in this area. A good way to travel between villages in summer is by boat or plane; in winter, by snowmobile.

Gros-Mécatina is an isolated municipality, being not connected to the Quebec road network. Thus, Route 138 coming from the city of Quebec, stops at Kegaska, where the end point (east side) of rRoute 138 turns out to be 170 km in a direct line from the village of Mutton Bay.

Talk

In 2011, 3 per cent of Gros-Mécatina's population was French-speaking while the other 97 per cent was English-speaking.

See

• Gros Mécatina Bird Sanctuary (Refuge d'oiseaux de Gros Mécatina). A migratory bird sanctuary located in the Gros Mécatina archipelago protecting an important nesting site for seabirds: Atlantic puffins, razorbills, black guillemots, black-backed gulls, herring gulls and various species of terns form small colonies. Located about 15 km east and south of the village of La Tabatière, this refuge covers three islands: Île Plate, Île aux Marmettes and Île aux Trois Collines (length: 782 m). (updated Jul 2022)
• Remains of the Seal Robertson Foundry (Vestiges de la Fonderie Robertson de loup marin), La Tabatière. Visitors can head to Spar Point to see the foundry pots that were once used to turn seal blubber into oil. These vestiges bear witness to the business activities of the Robertson family's seal fishing business. (updated Jul 2022)
• Priest's Hill Walking Path (Sentier pédestre Priest's Hill), La Tabatière. Visitors can take the boardwalk up Priest's Hill next to the school; at this height, they have a bucolic view of the port, nearby nearby islands, bays, harbours and beaches. Continuing for another 3 k , they will be able to walk on the magnificent beaches known as “the sands”. (updated Jul 2022)
• Point aux Neiges Park (Parc Point aux Neiges), La Tabatière. This municipal park is on a gravel road on the outskirts of the village. Visitors have access to a platform with explanatory panels and even a telescope to observe the winged and marine fauna. (updated Jul 2022)

Do

Summer activities: boat excursions, sea kayaking, wilderness camping, all-terrain vehicle (ATV) excursions, hiking, observation of sea birds, marine mammals (e.g. whales), icebergs from the east (via the Strait of Belle Isle), picking wild berries (e.g. blueberries, cloudberries), salmon fishing, hunting and fishing.

Winter activities: snowmobiling, ice fishing (on the ice), snowshoeing, cross-country skiing, local winter carnival, and hockey tournaments.

• Kecarpoui Outfitter (Pourvoirie Kecarpoui), La Tabatière, ☏ +1 418-554-2055, bnblatabatiere@hotmail.com. (updated Jul 2022)
• Mecatina Outfitter (Pourvoirie Mécatina), Mutton Bay, ☏ +1 514-954-9118, nb_mecatina@outlook.com. Fishing centre for Atlantic salmon, protected from the sea by a host of rocky islands. This outfitter is located on the Mécatina River. Camp Mécatina is rustic. Catering on site. (updated Jul 2022)
• Boat trip, La Tabatière. Visitors can hire the services of a local boat owner to take an excursion to the many bays or around nearby islands, including Gross Île Mécatina (popularly known as "Grosse Île") which was once inhabited by several families of fishermen during the peak fishing season. In these boat trips, local guides will tell you about coastal life and the great history of the region. (updated Jul 2022)

Buy

• 1 Marché Omni-Variété D&M (Mutton Bay), 48, route Mécatina B, Mutton Bay, ☏ +1 418-773-2001. Supermarket. (updated Jul 2022)
• 2 SAQ Agence - Magasin Général Réal M, 2, chemin Gallichan, La Tabatière, ☏ +1 833-587-2727. Sale of wines and spirits. (updated Jul 2022)
• 3 Seaside Supplies, rue Cove S, La Tabatière (Zone du Vieux-Poste), ☏ +1 418-773-2434. General store. (updated Jul 2022)

Others

• 4 Crafty Crafts, rue Harbor View, La Tabatière, ☏ +1 418-229-2211, +1 418-229-2599. Souvenir gift shop. (updated Jul 2022)

Eat

• 1 Woody's Bar & Grill (La Tabatière), La Tabatière, Gros-Mécatina, ☏ +1 418-461-2580. Restaurant. (updated Jul 2022)

Sleep

• 1 Auberge de la Mer inc (La Tabatière), 9, route Mécatina, La Tabatière, ☏ +1 418-773-2596. Accommodation. (updated Jul 2022)
• 2 Gite La Tabatière - Gros Mécatina, 7, rue de la Pointe-Sparr, La Tabatière, ☏ +1 418-773-2684. Housing with services. (updated Jul 2022)
• Gite Bayview, La Tabatière, ☏ +1 514-621-1782, +1 581-621-1234. (updated Jul 2022)

Connect

The villages of the municipality are served by various services including cellular networks and community radio.

Go next

• 1 Côte-Nord-du-Golfe-du-Saint-Laurent Municipality bordering the Gulf of St. Lawrence and made up of five villages not yet connected to Route 138 (except Kegaska), therefore served by boats and planes: Kegaska, La Romaine, Chevery, Harrington Harbor and Tête-à-la-Baleine.
• 2 Blanc-Sablon Blanc-Sablon is the easternmost municipality in Quebec. Blanc-Sablon is a must-see destination for travellers arriving from the island of Newfoundland via the Strait of Belle Isle ferry and heading to Labrador.
• 3 Natashquan At the end of Route 183, its main tourist attractions are: the old school, the general store reconstituted in 39 themes, the promenade of the Elders, the pebbles where the cod were salted and stored.
• 4 Saint-Augustin (Le Golfe-du-Saint-Laurent) Its economy is based on fishing, services to travellers/tourists, in particular snowmobilers using the Route Blanche (in winter) which runs along the north shore of the Gulf of St. Lawrence, between Kegaska and Blanc-Sablon, as well as tourists arriving by the airport or the cargo-passenger boat Le Bella Desgagnés which serves the coastal villages.
• 5 Petit-Mécatina This territory is a hunting and fishing paradise under the aegis of outfitters, with access by seaplane. It can be crossed by snowmobile or ATV.

Routes through Gros-Mécatina

Sept-Îles ← (gap) ← Côte-Nord-du-Golfe-du-Saint-Laurent ← (gap) ←	W  E	→ (gap) → Bonne-Espérance → Blanc-Sablon
Rimouski ← Tête-à-la-Baleine ←	W  E	→ Saint-Augustin → Blanc-Sablon