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People have begun to flock to the coasts of Newfoundland and Labrador on a hunt for icebergs, according to the Canadian Tourism Commission.

The stretch of water between the northern tip of Labrador and the eastern shores of the Avalon Peninsula is known as iceberg alley at this time of year, when the sea carries mountains of ice close to land.

Icebergs tens of thousands of years old, which were once part of the Greenland icecap, are buffeted by wind and tide, breaking into smaller chunks before melting in the warm waters south of Newfoundland and Labrador.

According to the International Ice Patrol, 2008 could be a highly active year for iceberg sightings.

The agency has been monitoring the movement of the ice since February and has reported more than 500 icebergs moving south from Greenland, compared to only 50 last year.

Newfoundland and Labrador rely on iceberg-spotting as part of their tourism industries and visitors can join organised kayak or boat tours, or can simply stand on the shoreline to watch the massive bodies of ice float by.

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