Koukdjuak River
Encyclopedia
The Koukdjuak River begins at the outlet of Nettilling Lake
and empties into the Arctic Ocean
. It is the namesake of the Great Plain of the Koukdjuak
located in the Foxe Basin
on western Baffin Island
, Nunavut
(formerly Northwest Territories
), northern Canada
.
The first non-Inuit
who specifically explored the river was the Canadian Arctic explorer/ornithologist, J. Dewey Soper
. The northern boundary of the Dewey Soper Migratory Bird Sanctuary
is the middle thread of the Koukdjuak River. The river is also notable as a Barren-ground caribou
migration crossing and for Arctic char
r fishing.
Nettilling Lake
Nettilling Lake [nech'iling] is a cold freshwater lake located toward the south end of Baffin Island, Nunavut, Canada. It is also the world's largest lake on an island, with an area of 5,542 km2 and a maximum length of 123 km. The lake is in the Great Plain of the Koukdjuak about...
and empties into the Arctic Ocean
Arctic Ocean
The Arctic Ocean, located in the Northern Hemisphere and mostly in the Arctic north polar region, is the smallest and shallowest of the world's five major oceanic divisions...
. It is the namesake of the Great Plain of the Koukdjuak
Great Plain of the Koukdjuak
The Great Plain of the Koukdjuak is located in Qikiqtaaluk Region, Nunavut within the Canadian Arctic. It is the namesake of the Koukdjuak River in western Baffin Island on the southeastern coast of Foxe Basin. It stretches from Cory Bay to Hantzsch Bay, and then inland.-Geography:The plain is...
located in the Foxe Basin
Foxe Basin
Not to be confused with Fox Bay, Falkland IslandsFoxe Basin is a shallow oceanic basin north of Hudson Bay, in Nunavut, Canada, located between Baffin Island and the Melville Peninsula...
on western Baffin Island
Baffin Island
Baffin Island in the Canadian territory of Nunavut is the largest island in the Canadian Arctic Archipelago, the largest island in Canada and the fifth largest island in the world. Its area is and its population is about 11,000...
, Nunavut
Nunavut
Nunavut is the largest and newest federal territory of Canada; it was separated officially from the Northwest Territories on April 1, 1999, via the Nunavut Act and the Nunavut Land Claims Agreement Act, though the actual boundaries had been established in 1993...
(formerly Northwest Territories
Northwest Territories
The Northwest Territories is a federal territory of Canada.Located in northern Canada, the territory borders Canada's two other territories, Yukon to the west and Nunavut to the east, and three provinces: British Columbia to the southwest, and Alberta and Saskatchewan to the south...
), northern Canada
Northern Canada
Northern Canada, colloquially the North, is the vast northernmost region of Canada variously defined by geography and politics. Politically, the term refers to the three territories of Canada: Yukon, Northwest Territories, and Nunavut...
.
The first non-Inuit
Inuit
The Inuit are a group of culturally similar indigenous peoples inhabiting the Arctic regions of Canada , Denmark , Russia and the United States . Inuit means “the people” in the Inuktitut language...
who specifically explored the river was the Canadian Arctic explorer/ornithologist, J. Dewey Soper
J. Dewey Soper
Joseph Dewey Soper was a widely-traveled Canadian Arctic explorer, zoologist, ornithologist, and prolific author.-Early years:...
. The northern boundary of the Dewey Soper Migratory Bird Sanctuary
Dewey Soper Migratory Bird Sanctuary
Dewey Soper Migratory Bird Sanctuary, or Dewey Soper, is a migratory bird sanctuary in Qikiqtaaluk, Nunavut, Canada. It is located in western Baffin Island, from Bowman Bay to the Koukdjuak River, and is named in honour of zoologist J. Dewey Soper. It is an area that was classified a wetland of...
is the middle thread of the Koukdjuak River. The river is also notable as a Barren-ground caribou
Barren-ground Caribou
Barren-ground Caribou is a subspecies of the caribou that is found mainly in the Canadian territories Nunavut and the Northwest Territories and western Greenland. It sometimes includes the similar porcupine caribou, in which case the barren-ground caribou also is found in Alaska...
migration crossing and for Arctic char
Arctic char
Arctic char or Arctic charr is both a freshwater and saltwater fish in the Salmonidae family, native to Arctic, sub-Arctic and alpine lakes and coastal waters. No other freshwater fish is found as far north. It is the only species of fish in Lake Hazen, on Ellesmere Island in the Canadian Arctic...
r fishing.
Further reading
- Kraft, Paul G. Caribou Tagging on the Koukdjuak River, Baffin Island, N.W.T. A Summary and Analysis of Tag Returns. Yellowknife: N.W.T. Wildlife Service, 1984. ISBN 0770871402
- Kristofferson, A. H., R. D. Sopuck, and D. K. McGowan. Commercial Fishing Potential for Searun Arctic Charr, Koukdjuak River and Nettilling Lake, Northwest Territories. Canadian manuscript report of fisheries and aquatic sciences, no. 2120. Winnipeg: Fisheries and Oceans Canada, 1991.