Duke of York Bay

Duke of York Bay
Bowhead whale, Foxe Basin, 1999
Duke of York Bay is located in Nunavut
Duke of York Bay
Duke of York Bay
LocationFoxe Basin
Coordinates65°25′N 84°50′W / 65.417°N 84.833°W / 65.417; -84.833 (Duke of York Bay)[1]
River sourcesCleveland River
Ocean/sea sourcesArctic Ocean
Basin countriesCanada
SettlementsUninhabited

Duke of York Bay is an arm of Foxe Basin, in the Qikiqtaaluk Region of Nunavut, Canada. It is located in northeastern Southampton Island. The bay is directly south of the southern end of Qikiqtaaluk (formerly White Island), with Comer Strait at the western entrance and Falcon Strait at the eastern entrance.

History[edit]

Sir William Edward Parry and his crew gave the bay its name on 17 August 1821 during his second voyage for the discovery of a Northwest Passage from the Atlantic to the Pacific, in honour of Prince Frederick, Duke of York and Albany, having first entered the bay the day before, 16 August 1821, the Duke's birthday.[2][3]

In January 1996, Duke of York Bay was selected by delegates from across Nunavut as the site of the first bowhead whale hunt in Nunavut's waters. When the Nunavut Wildlife Management Board switched the location to Naujaat (then called Repulse Bay) the following month, the community of Coral Harbour, south of Duke of York Bay, was angered with the decision. Some thought it was politically motivated, others said that elders felt the ice conditions and strong currents in the bay would make for a difficult beaching.[4]

See also[edit]

References[edit]

  1. ^ "Duke of York Bay". Geographical Names Data Base. Natural Resources Canada. 10 July 2024.
  2. ^ Parry, Sir William Edward (1844). Three Voyages for the Discovery of a Northwest Passage from the Atlantic to the Pacific, and Narrative of an Attempt to Reach the North Pole, Volume 1 (of 2). Project Gutenberg. pp. Second Voyage, Chapter II. Archived from the original on 15 September 2011. Retrieved 4 April 2008.
  3. ^ Taylor, Isaac (1898). Names and Their Histories: A Handbook of Historical Geography and Topographical Nomenclature. London: Rivingtons. pp. 300. OCLC 4161840. Retrieved 4 April 2008.
  4. ^ Phillips, Todd (22 March 1996). "Anger surfaces over decision to move bowhead whale hunt". Iqaluit: Nunatsiaq News. Archived from the original on 25 September 2004. Retrieved 4 April 2008.