About Ramea
Who We Are
You’re only a stranger once is a saying we have here in Ramea. Tranquility, friendship, and authentic Newfoundland maritime culture awaits you. Once you visit, you may never want to leave.
The town, located on Northwest Island, is home to about 350 people and is one of a group of five large islands located off the south coast of Newfoundland, Canada. The other islands in the archipelago are Great Island (or Big Island), Middle Island, Harbour Island, and South West Island. Ramea residents have long been known as “Puffins” in reference to a large puffin colony on nearby Colombier Island.
A Brief History of Ramea
In the early nineteenth century, settlers formed several small independent communities on the Ramea Islands. By the early 1940’s everyone moved to Northwest Island and formed the town of Ramea. It was incorporated in 1951.
The well-sheltered and ice-free harbour was strategic for facilitating the fishery. In the mid to late 1800’s John Penny & Sons developed a salt fish operation which rapidly grew into a fresh fish processing plant with a fleet of deep-sea trawlers.
The plant provided year-round employment for nearly 400 people. However, the moratorium on the east coast fishery in 1992 had a huge impact on Ramea’s cod fishing industry. Today the fishing industry is making a recovery and the island is home to Labrador Gems Seafood Company which offers some of the world’s finest seafood from its multi-species processing plant.
Ramea is a fully functioning municipality; complete with an electrical power plant, wind generators, a water treatment and water distillation plant, daily ferry service, a medical clinic, garbage pickup, snow removal, a heli-pad, post office, a library, church and school. There’s even something for dogs in our dog park.
Ramea has a strong volunteer spirit, as evidenced by our volunteer fire department, a community cable television cooperative and a variety of community service organizations.
Town Council
Mayor
Ian Stewart
Clerk/Manager
Ann Margaret Cutler
Coastal Beauty You Have to See to Believe
Visit Ramea and discover life on the edge of the Atlantic.