The Bay of Islands is a bay located on the west coast of the island of Newfoundland, in Canada. The Way Office was established on July 1, 1883. The first Waymaster was Thomas Carter. It is also a sub-basin of the Gulf of St. Lawrence and is named for the many small islands that are scattered throughout it, some of which were populated for generations with fishing families, but since the mid 20th century the islands are used mainly for recreational camping and cottages.