Capelin are small fish that come to our beaches every year to spawn, their arrival is a spectacle that draws in thousands of birds and whales, but the exact date of the event is difficult to predict.
The Capelin Calendar is a place to discuss and share capelin sightings from all around Newfoundland.
Sharing your capelin news
At the start of summer, many people visit capelin-hotspots like Middle Cove beach to see if the capelin are rolling. If you are one of these ‘capelin watchers’, please share your capelin news here, it’s as easy as leaving a comment below:
When capelin season is in full swing, thousands of people visit this page every day, all hungry for capelin news, all waiting to hear from you!
Capelin through the years
To see what capelin activity was like in previous years, browse through years of comments or scroll back through the years in this abridged version of the Capelin Calendar:
| 2022: | |
| Port aux Choix area: | capelin activity around June 13 |
| Random Island area: | capelin activity around June 16 |
| Witless Bay area: | capelin activity around June 28 |
| Middle Cove area: | capelin activity around June 30 |
| Chapels Cove area: | capelin activity around July 10 |
| Bellevue area: | capelin activity around July 15 |
| Holyrood area: | capelin activity around July 25 |
| Other locations: | browse through the comments |
| Twitter: | #CapelinRoll2022 and #eCapelin |
| eCapelin: | eCapelin website |
| 2021: | |
| Gros Morne area: | capelin activity around June 8 |
| Burin area: | capelin activity around June 16 |
| Twillingate area: | capelin activity around June 17 |
| Middle Cove area: | capelin activity June 21 to July 10 |
| Bellevue area: | capelin activity around July 2 |
| Holyrood: | capelin activity around July 2 |
| Topsail: | capelin activity around July 4 |
| Other locations: | browse through the comments |
| Twitter: | #CapelinRoll2021 and #eCapelin |
| eCapelin: | eCapelin website |
| 2020: | |
| Gros Morne area: | capelin activity around June 13 |
| Stephenville area: | capelin activity around June 22 |
| Burin area: | capelin activity around June 22 |
| St. Vincent’s: | capelin activity around July 7 |
| Holyrood: | capelin activity around July 17 |
| St. Philip’s: | capelin activity around July 19 |
| Witless Bay: | capelin activity around July 20 |
| Middle Cove area: | capelin activity around July 25 |
| Other locations: | browse through the comments |
| Twitter: | #CapelinRoll2020 and #eCapelin |
| eCapelin: | eCapelin website |
| 2019: | |
| Middle Cove: | capelin activity from July 11 to July 28 |
| Topsail: | capelin activity around July 15 |
| Holyrood: | capelin activity from July 8 to July 12 |
| St. Vincent’s: | capelin activity around July 5 |
| Bellevue: | capelin activity from July 10 to July 13, and from August 3 to August 4 |
| Lawn: | capelin activity from June 19 to June 25 |
| Twillingate: | capelin activity around July 13 |
| Gros Morne: | capelin activity from June 16 to June 23 |
| Other locations: | browse through the comments |
| Twitter: | #CapelinRoll2019 and #eCapelin |
| eCapelin: | eCapelin website |
| 2018: | |
| Middle Cove: | capelin rolling for ~10 days after July 11, capelin rolling on August 3 |
| Bellevue: | scattered rolling from July 21 to August 4 |
| Holyrood: | capelin rolling for ~10 days after August 7 |
| Bryants Cove: | capelin rolling for ~8 days after July 10 |
| Random Island: | capelin rolling for ~7 days after July 2 |
| Gros Morne: | capelin rolling for ~6 days after June 19 |
| Cape Ray: | capelin rolling for ~8 days after June 21 |
| Port au Port: | capelin rolling for ~5 days after June 21 |
| Other locations: | browse through the comments |
| Twitter: | #CapelinRoll2018 and #eCapelin |
| eCapelin: | eCapelin website |
| 2017: | |
| Middle Cove: | scattered capelin activity for ~1 week after July 13 |
| Outer Cove: | scattered capelin activity for ~1 week after August 5 |
| Holyrood: | scattered capelin activity for ~2 weeks after July 18 |
| Witless Bay: | capelin rolling on July 14 and August 14 |
| Bellevue: | capelin rolling for ~3 days after July 22, capelin rolling on August 11 and 16 |
| English Harbour: | capelin rolling for ~3 days after July 13 |
| Other locations: | browse through the comments |
| Twitter: | #CapelinRoll2017 and #eCapelin |
| 2016: | |
| Middle Cove: | capelin rolling for ~2 weeks after July 15 |
| Outer Cove: | capelin rolling on July 27, August 3 and 5 |
| Holyrood: | capelin rolling on July 8 (Kelly’s Beach), capelin rolling on August 12 and 14 (Main Beach) |
| Witless Bay: | capelin rolling on July 16 and 17 |
| Saint Vincent’s: | scattered capelin activity for ~2 weeks after July 10 |
| Bellevue: | capelin rolling on July 23, August 11 and 13 |
| Other locations: | browse through the comments |
| Twitter: | #CapelinRoll2016 |
| 2015: | |
| Middle Cove: | scattered capelin rolling for ~1 week after July 9, & capelin activity on July 28 and July 29 |
| Outer Cove: | scattered capelin rolling for ~1 week after July 9, & capelin rolling on July 10, July 18 and July 28 |
| Topsail: | capelin rolling on July 17 |
| Holyrood: | capelin rolling on July 26 and July 27 |
| Saint Vincent’s: | capelin rolling on July 21 |
| Bellevue: | capelin rolling on July 15, July 19 and August 15 |
| Twillingate: | capelin rolling for ~3 days after July 23 |
| Other locations: | browse through the comments |
| Twitter: | #CaplinRoll2015 |
| 2014: | |
| Middle Cove: | capelin rolling on June 23, June 24, June 29, July 7 and July 20 |
| Outer Cove: | capelin rolling on June 28 |
| 2013: | |
| Middle Cove: | scattered capelin activity for ~3 weeks after June 21, & capelin rolling for ~3 days after July 6 |
| Outer Cove: | capelin activity for ~3 days after June 25, & capelin rolling for ~3 days after July 3 |
| Holyrood: | capelin rolling on June 30 |
| 2012: | |
| Middle Cove: | capelin rolling for ~3 days after June 22, & capelin activity for ~1 week after June 22 |
| Outer Cove: | capelin rolling on June 22 and June 27, & capelin activity for ~1 week after June 29 |
| 2011: | |
| Middle Cove: | capelin rolling for ~2 weeks after June 25, & capelin rolling on July 26 |
| Outer Cove: | capelin rolling for ~3 days after June 29, & capelin rolling for ~3 days after July 18 |
| Holyrood: | capelin rolling on June 17 |
| Topsail: | capelin rolling on June 27 |
| 2010: | |
| Middle Cove: | capelin activity for ~1 week after August 9 |
| Outer Cove: | capelin rolling on August 7, & capelin activity for ~1 week after August 9 |
| Holyrood: | capelin rolling on July 20 |
| 2009: | |
| Middle Cove: | capelin activity/rolling for ~4 days after July 27 |
| 2008: | |
| Middle Cove: | capelin activity/rolling for ~5 days after July 4 |
| 2007: | |
| Middle Cove: | capelin activity/rolling for ~8 days after June 30 |
| 2006: | |
| Middle Cove: | capelin activity/rolling for ~7 days after July 4 |
| 2005: | |
| Middle Cove: | capelin activity/rolling for ~4 days after July 5 |
About these dates
The dates listed above are based on personal observations, information shared on social media, and crowd-sourced capelin sightings reported right here on the Capelin Calendar.
East Coast Trail Guide
Newfoundland’s #1 hiking guide tells you about the amazing East Coast Trail and all its wildlife, including capelin and their known spawning sites along the trail 🙂
newfoundsander 
Was at topsoil beach around 630 pm than sealcove to Holyrood Beach around 7pm but got half way to chaples cove and there they were around 715 pm stayed till 935pm the cod where after the caplin and they were a nice size coming out of the water than the whales where there it was amazing to see..im hoping to get to see them roll its one site my wife hasn’t seen yet but hopefully tomorrow we both will..u hope this helps ppl put on where we finally seen then…tops a foot from shore.the kids were having a ball..!!!!
That’s amazing! I’d love to take my son there this evening. We are visiting from Nova Scotia and Ontario. Any suggestions where to go that is a short walk for a 9 year old and my parents?
There’s Holyrood Beach but about half way towards chaples cove beach you will see a few places even with park bench.. you can reach the beach pretty easily. I hope this will help you out plus I really hope you get to see it also..it’s a great area to even sight see…
We did end up going and saw lots of Capelin! Thank you!
No whales though. Maybe next time.
Be sure to drive to the end of Northside Rd. In Holyrood as well (first right after the beach). I haven’t visited this year yet but over the last few years I’ve seen whales herd caplin and herring into the small bay on the other side. The whale was just feet from the wharf. It was amazing!
https://www.google.com/amp/s/www.cbc.ca/amp/1.5151506
Any word of the squid in at all?
Please send notice of sightings