Right now, on beaches around eastern Newfoundland, small silver fish are washing in on the waves by the thousands. This is the capelin roll, and as of late June 2026 it is happening. If you have ever wanted to see it, this is the window.
What the capelin roll actually is
Capelin are small forage fish, roughly the length of your hand, that spend most of the year offshore. Every summer they come close to land to spawn in the gravel right at the water’s edge. When a school surges in on the surf and the fish spill onto the sand, sometimes thick enough to scoop by hand, that is what people mean by “rolling.” The timing shifts year to year and beach to beach, which is part of why it draws a crowd when word gets out.
Where to see the capelin roll right now
Middle Cove Beach, just outside St. John’s, is the best-known spot, and it has been busy. By late June the crowds were large enough that the town put up no-parking signs and stationed people to direct traffic, as VOCM reported. On the Avalon, beaches like Topsail and Holyrood have also had fish, with sightings reported down the southern shore at Portugal Cove South and as far north as Trinity and Bonavista. Runs are short and move from one beach to the next day by day, so check ecapelin.ca for current sightings before you drive out. There is no point making the trip on a quiet night.
Where the capelin have been reported, late June 2026. Middle Cove is the reliable one; the rest range from solid to crowd-reported, and the run moves night to night. Check ecapelin.ca before you go.
The roll is not only about the fish. Whales and seabirds follow the capelin in to feed close to shore, and capelin are the main prey for Northern cod, which is why this small fish matters far beyond the beach. We get into that in how capelin feed the cod comeback.
If you are near the coast while the capelin roll is on, it is worth the drive down with a bucket and a pair of boots. Bring the kids. It does not last long, and it does not happen anywhere else quite like this.
And if all that silver leaves you hungry for fish, see what is good from the Atlantic in our seafood shop.
