Bay Bulls ( 2021 population: 1,566) is a small fishing town in the province of

Newfoundland and Labrador Newfoundland and Labrador is the easternmost province of Canada, in the country's Atlantic region. The province comprises the island of Newfoundland and the continental region of Labrador, having a total size of . As of 2025 the populatio ...

, Canada.

Geography

Located in a sheltered bay, it has been home to many fishermen and a strategic location in early times as it is located just a few miles from the capital, St. John's.

History

Bay Bulls first appears on a 1592 map drawn by

Thomas Hood Thomas Hood (23 May 1799 – 3 May 1845) was an English poet, author and humorist, best known for poems such as "The Bridge of Sighs (poem), The Bridge of Sighs" and "The Song of the Shirt". Hood wrote regularly for ''The London Magazine'', '' ...

. Fortification of the harbour came in 1638 by Governor David Kirke. In 1665, Bay Bulls was raided by Dutch sailors under Admiral De Ruyter. During

King William's War King William's War (also known as the Second Indian War, Father Baudoin's War, Castin's War, or the First Intercolonial War in French) was the North American theater of the Nine Years' War (1688–1697), also known as the War of the Grand Allian ...

, the village was attacked twice. In 1696, Monbeton de St. Ovide de Brouillan, the governor of Placentia, attacked Bay Bulls from the sea, resulting in the scuttling of the English warship HMS Sapphire. Then in 1697

Pierre Le Moyne d'Iberville Pierre Le Moyne d'Iberville (16 July 1661 – 9 July 1706) or Sieur d'Iberville was a French soldier, explorer, colonial administrator, and trader. He is noted for founding the colony of Louisiana in New France. He was born in Montreal to French ...

marched overland from Placentia and attacked Bay Bulls in the Avalon Peninsula Campaign. In 1702, Commodore John Leake of the

Royal Navy The Royal Navy (RN) is the naval warfare force of the United Kingdom. It is a component of His Majesty's Naval Service, and its officers hold their commissions from the King of the United Kingdom, King. Although warships were used by Kingdom ...

entered Bay Bulls with several Men of War, and received information about the whereabouts of French ships and unprotected settlements around the

Avalon Peninsula The Avalon Peninsula () is a large peninsula that makes up the southeast portion of the island of Newfoundland in Canada. It is in size. The peninsula is home to 270,348 people, about 52% of the province's population, according to the 2016 Ca ...

, which he then attacked. On June 24, 1762, the French led by Admiral d'Arsac de Ternay, landed seven hundred men who occupied Bay Bulls and marched to St. John's. Bay Bulls suffered its last invasion on September 29, 1796, when Admiral Richery attempted to storm St. John's but finding it well defended; he attacked and burned Bay Bulls instead. In 1890 the Roman Catholic church St. Peter and St. Paul was rebuilt. The gate was initially marked by cannons left over from the battles with the French, then statues of the Saints were added on top, which gave the famous "Canonized Saints of Bay Bulls."

Demographics

In the 2021 Census of Population conducted by

Statistics Canada Statistics Canada (StatCan; ), formed in 1971, is the agency of the Government of Canada commissioned with producing statistics to help better understand Canada, its population, resources, economy, society, and culture. It is headquartered in ...

, Bay Bulls had a population of living in of its total private dwellings, a change of from its 2016 population of . With a land area of , it had a population density of in 2021.

Economy

Bay Bulls is a fishing community and was established because it is close to the rich fishing grounds on the

Grand Banks The Grand Banks of Newfoundland are a series of underwater plateaus south-east of the island of Newfoundland on the North American continental shelf. The Grand Banks are one of the world's richest fishing grounds, supporting Atlantic cod, swordfi ...

. Due to its proximity to St. John's, the town is becoming more of a bedroom community for people employed there. Bay Bulls has been at the forefront of many strategies such as

fish farming Fish farming or pisciculture involves commercial breeding of fish, most often for food, in fish tanks or artificial enclosures such as fish ponds. It is a particular type of aquaculture, which is the controlled cultivation and harvesting of ...

and lately servicing the Oil and Gas industry. The Penney Group of Companies has built a repair facility that services the many

oil rig An oil rig is any kind of apparatus constructed for oil drilling. Kinds of oil rig include: * Drilling rig A drilling rig is an integrated system that Drilling, drills wells, such as oil or water wells, or holes for piling and other construc ...

s that drill for oil on the Grand Banks. Tourism has become an important part of the community as well. Four whale and bird watching establishments, as well as several bed-and-breakfast places, attract visitors from all over the world.

Image gallery

Bay Bulls Harbor.jpg, Bay Bulls Harbour Canonizedsaints.jpg, St. Peter and St. Paul Church, showing the "canonized saints"

References

External links

Official town website
{{Authority control , additional=Q33448470 Populated coastal places in Canada Towns in Newfoundland and Labrador Lighthouses in Newfoundland and Labrador