Pictou Island has traditionally been ice bound as the Northumberland Strait freezes and ice moves through the Strait, usually from December/January to April/May of each year.

The waters of the Strait were and are not dependable in the winter season. The conditions are infamously unpredictable as anyone would know who has experienced an Atlantic Canadian winter storm near the water. Life on the frozen water must have been a bitter and dreadful experience.