Québec National Parks, one of the three magnificent Sépaq Networks

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	Conservation Mission

History

The island, the cradle of New France, was long frequented by fishermen from the Basque Country, Brittany, and Normandy, until Anglo-French cod fishing companies-the biggest being Le Boutillier Brothers-permanently established themselves on the island. Over time, Irish, Anglo-French, and French fishermen-farmers established a close-knit and self-reliant island community that would survive for almost 300 years in relative isolation, separated from the mainland and living to the rhythm of the often harsh seasons.

When the fishing companies and the population went into decline at the beginning of the 20th century, the island developed another vocation-tourism. In 1971, the Québec government bought the island and created a wildlife reserve. The island and the rock became a conservation park in 1985, to forever protect the flora and fauna, and the traces of an island lifestyle that is part of our history.