One a Sunday in July when we had hoped to take the children to Thomas Amusements in Torbay. Sadly we got there and the operations were cancelled. I thought we were going to have two very sad little boys, but we make the quick decision to visit the beach. The kiddos love throwing rocks and getting their feet wet. They were even more surprised and excited when there were lots of people congregating around the shoreline and catching tiny caplin that were coming ashore.
As a child it was always exciting when the caplin rolled and we would fill up small buckets to either dry this fish or to place them as natural fertilizers in the garden.
It was so exciting to see my two nephews feel that same level of exciting as these tiny fish landed in the beach.
I recall the provincial tourism ad that focused on the sounds of Newfoundland and Labrador and closed with the line and so are the instruments, which was a video of the caplin flicking their tails and making sounds along the beach.
Enjoy the wonders of the sea and the experiences it can bring you. Tradition, culture and for sure the important caplin roll is quintessentially a part of our rural communities.
Live Rural NL –
Christopher Mitchelmore
