Walrus Islands
Encyclopedia
The Walrus Islands are a group of craggy coastal islands in the Bering Sea
, close to the northern shores of Bristol Bay
, Alaska
at the entrance to Togiak Bay
. They are located 18 km to the east of Hagemeister Island
.
The Walrus Islands consist of a small group of islands and rocky islets extending to the southeast. The main islands are: Summit Island (close to the coast), High Island, Crooked Island, Black Rock Island and Round Island. The longest island is Crooked Island with a length of 10 km from north to south. The highest point is 69 m. Administratively these islands belong to the Dillingham Census Area, Alaska
.
This island group was first explored by Captain James Cook
in 1785. The Russian
name "Morzh", meaning "walrus", was first used by Lt. Sarichev
(1826, map 3), IRN (Imperial Russian Navy
). Captain Tebenkov applied the name "Ostrova Morzhovyye" ("Walrus Islands") to the whole group of islands east of Hagemeister Island (1852, map 4), IRN. Captain Tebenkov also identified Walrus Island with the "Ound Island" of Capt. Cook (1785, v. 28 p. 431), RN.
The Walrus Islands earned their name because of the big concentration of walrus
es in the adjacent waters of these islands every summer, the largest concentration being in Round Island. Nowadays this island group forms the Walrus Islands State Game Sanctuary and a permit is required to visit Round Island.
The Walrus Islands should not be confused with Walrus Island
located in the southeastern shores of the Bristol Bay
or with tiny Walrus Island located in the Pribilof group
.
Bering Sea
The Bering Sea is a marginal sea of the Pacific Ocean. It comprises a deep water basin, which then rises through a narrow slope into the shallower water above the continental shelves....
, close to the northern shores of Bristol Bay
Bristol Bay
Bristol Bay is the eastern-most arm of the Bering Sea, at 57° to 59° North 157° to 162° West in Southwest Alaska. Bristol Bay is 400 km long and 290 km, wide at its mouth...
, Alaska
Alaska
Alaska is the largest state in the United States by area. It is situated in the northwest extremity of the North American continent, with Canada to the east, the Arctic Ocean to the north, and the Pacific Ocean to the west and south, with Russia further west across the Bering Strait...
at the entrance to Togiak Bay
Togiak Bay
Togiak Bay is an 18-mile-long bay in the U.S. state of Alaska. It extends southwest from the Togiak River to Hagemeister Island and east 25 miles from Tongue Point to the mouth of the Negukthlik River....
. They are located 18 km to the east of Hagemeister Island
Hagemeister Island
Hagemeister Island is an island in the U.S. state of Alaska, located on the north shore of Bristol Bay at the entrance to Togiak Bay.The island is long, has a land area of , and its highest point is...
.
The Walrus Islands consist of a small group of islands and rocky islets extending to the southeast. The main islands are: Summit Island (close to the coast), High Island, Crooked Island, Black Rock Island and Round Island. The longest island is Crooked Island with a length of 10 km from north to south. The highest point is 69 m. Administratively these islands belong to the Dillingham Census Area, Alaska
Dillingham Census Area, Alaska
Dillingham Census Area is a census area located in the state of Alaska, United States. As of the 2000 census, the population was 4,922. It is part of the unorganized borough and therefore has no borough seat...
.
This island group was first explored by Captain James Cook
James Cook
Captain James Cook, FRS, RN was a British explorer, navigator and cartographer who ultimately rose to the rank of captain in the Royal Navy...
in 1785. The Russian
Russian language
Russian is a Slavic language used primarily in Russia, Belarus, Uzbekistan, Kazakhstan, Tajikistan and Kyrgyzstan. It is an unofficial but widely spoken language in Ukraine, Moldova, Latvia, Turkmenistan and Estonia and, to a lesser extent, the other countries that were once constituent republics...
name "Morzh", meaning "walrus", was first used by Lt. Sarichev
Gavril Sarychev
Gavril Andreyevich Sarychev , spelt "Sarichef" in the United States, was a Russian navigator, hydrographer, admiral and Honorable Member of the Russian Academy of Sciences in Saint Petersburg.Sarychev started his career in the Imperial Russian Navy in 1775...
(1826, map 3), IRN (Imperial Russian Navy
Imperial Russian Navy
The Imperial Russian Navy refers to the Tsarist fleets prior to the February Revolution.-First Romanovs:Under Tsar Mikhail Feodorovich, construction of the first three-masted ship, actually built within Russia, was completed in 1636. It was built in Balakhna by Danish shipbuilders from Holstein...
). Captain Tebenkov applied the name "Ostrova Morzhovyye" ("Walrus Islands") to the whole group of islands east of Hagemeister Island (1852, map 4), IRN. Captain Tebenkov also identified Walrus Island with the "Ound Island" of Capt. Cook (1785, v. 28 p. 431), RN.
The Walrus Islands earned their name because of the big concentration of walrus
Walrus
The walrus is a large flippered marine mammal with a discontinuous circumpolar distribution in the Arctic Ocean and sub-Arctic seas of the Northern Hemisphere. The walrus is the only living species in the Odobenidae family and Odobenus genus. It is subdivided into three subspecies: the Atlantic...
es in the adjacent waters of these islands every summer, the largest concentration being in Round Island. Nowadays this island group forms the Walrus Islands State Game Sanctuary and a permit is required to visit Round Island.
The Walrus Islands should not be confused with Walrus Island
Walrus and Kritskoi Islands
Walrus Island, in the southeastern shore of Bristol Bay in Aleutians East Borough, should not be confused with the Walrus Islands in the Walrus Islands State Game Sanctuary, located close to Hagemeister Island in the Dillingham Census Area in the northern edge of the bay, or with tiny Walrus Island...
located in the southeastern shores of the Bristol Bay
Bristol Bay
Bristol Bay is the eastern-most arm of the Bering Sea, at 57° to 59° North 157° to 162° West in Southwest Alaska. Bristol Bay is 400 km long and 290 km, wide at its mouth...
or with tiny Walrus Island located in the Pribilof group
Pribilof Islands
The Pribilof Islands are a group of four volcanic islands off the coast of mainland Alaska, in the Bering Sea, about north of Unalaska and 200 miles southwest of Cape Newenham. The Siberia coast is roughly northwest...
.