The only land mammals inhabiting the island are originally domesticated rabbits, which were set loose after the lifesaving station was established in the late 1800s (the ramp and massive rowboat for 10 men were still there in 1950/51 as well as an enormous house including a dam forming a fresh water reservoir also used by the radio range station operators and families up to the 1950s).

During the Age of Sail the island earned the nickname the "Graveyard of the Gulf" (of St. Lawrence) as it is fog-bound throughout much of the navigation season and posed a significant hazard.

[1] With the light station now automated using solar power, the island sees few visitors, aside from Canadian Coast Guard helicopters on maintenance trips.

The island used to host a Marconi wireless station and it still sees occasional amateur radio operators who use the callsign prefix CY9.

On rare occasions, the temperature can rise rapidly and briefly when southwesterly winds blowing offshore from mainland Cape Breton reach the island.