The ecology of these islands in the sixteenth century included large populations of marine mammals: harp seals, grey seals, and other species that would have been present in numbers much larger than today, before centuries of commercial hunting reduced their populations.

The islands also supported large seabird colonies — common murres, razorbills, and Atlantic puffins nest on rocky islands throughout the region — providing eggs and birds for those who could access them.

The forests of the islands, where they existed, would have included boreal species: spruce, fir, and related trees that provide at least some shelter from wind and some source of firewood.

The undergrowth would have included various berry species — crowberries, partridgeberries, and others — that are both nutritious and abundant at certain seasons.