Calvert Island Conservancy

Highlights in this conservancy

Connected to and directly south of Hakai Luxvbalis Conservancy, this conservancy protects the southern portion of Calvert Island. Located on the outer coast near Rivers Inlet, Calvert Island awards its visitors with unpolluted, vacant stretches of white sand beaches.

Popular recreational pursuits in the area include boating, whale watching, angling, scuba diving, hiking, wilderness camping, and advanced sea kayaking. The waters surrounding Calvert Island are among the finest in the world for underwater exploration, with exceptional viewing opportunities year-round. Small crafts can find protected anchorage in both Pruth Bay and Safety Cove. Pruth Bay is on the north side of Calvert Island and can be reached via Kwakshua Channel, while Safety Cove is the first protected anchorage on entering Fitz Hugh Sound.

Calvert Island Conservancy is located within the Wuikinuxv First Nation traditional territory and is co-managed under an agreement between the Wuikinuxv Nation and the Province of British Columbia. This co-operative management agreement will allow the Wuikinuxv Nation to access land and resources for their use on Calvert Island while achieving conservation and recreation objectives for the area.

Know before you go

Advisories

Review the detailed guides under visit responsibly for more information on staying safe and preserving our natural spaces.

Visit responsibly

Follow these guides to ensure your activities are safe, respectful, and ecologically friendly:

Maps and location

Getting there

Calvert Island Conservancy is situated 95 km north of Port Hardy, 118 km southwest of Bella Coola and 55 km south of Bella Bella. Sharing its northern boundary with of Hakai Luxvbalis Conservancy, Calvert Island can be reached via boat or seaplane. Scheduled air service and chartered boats are available from Vancouver, Port Hardy, Bella Coola, and Bella Bella. Visitors can also use BC Ferries’ Discovery Coast Passage service which travels between Port Hardy and Bella Coola and disembark at Bella Bella.

Camping

Wilderness camping

Wilderness camping is allowed, no facilities are provided.

Things to do

Hiking

For your own safety and the preservation of the conservancy, obey posted signs and keep to designated trails. Shortcutting trails destroys plant life and soil structure. There are no developed trails at this conservancy.

Swimming

Swimming is not recommended here, because the water is cold and can be rough.

There are no lifeguards on duty in BC Parks.

Kayaking

Calvert Island Conservancy area is ideal for exploration by very experienced sea kayakers.

Fishing

This area is world famous for its unsurpassed salmon fishing. There are also good fishing opportunities for halibut, lingcod, red snapper and rockfish around Calvert Island.

Rockfish Conservation Areas occur within this park. Fishing activities are limited in Rockfish Conservation Areas. Before you go fishing please refer to the Rockfish Conservation Area descriptions available from Fisheries and Oceans Canada DFO.

Anyone fishing in British Columbia must have an appropriate licence. To learn more, see the fishing and hunting guide.

Scuba diving

There are scuba diving or snorkelling opportunities. The waters surrounding this conservancy are among the finest in the world for underwater exploration, with exceptional viewing opportunities year-round.

Hunting

The conservancy is open to hunting. Please refer to the British Columbia Hunting Regulations for more information.

Facilities

Campfires

Campfires are allowed but firewood is not provided. You can conserve firewood and air quality by keeping your campfire small. Be prepared to bring a portable stove for cooking.

If you must have a fire, please burn only dead and down wood, and be sure to extinguish the fire fully. Dead wood is an important habitat element for many plants and animals and it adds organic matter to the soil so please use it conservatively, if at all.

About this conservancy

Cultural Heritage

Calvert Island is situated within the Heiltsuk and Wuikinuxv First Nation territories. The Heiltsuk people lived in many villages and seasonal camp locations throughout their territory, which includes Calvert Island. The Heiltsuk Nation has collected evidence that dates Namu, a village site close to Calvert Island, at approximately 10,000 years old. First Nation people from the nearby community of Bella Bella currently harvest salmon, halibut, rockfish, clams, crabs, cod, herring, seaweed and countless other marine and terrestrial resources from Calvert Island and its surrounding waters.

History

Safety Cove was used for anchorage by Charles Duncan in 1788 during a trading expedition that he conducted between the Skeena River mouth and Cape Caution, and was subsequently used by other maritime fur traders. Captain George Vancouver undertook a voyage of the Pacific Ocean from 1791 to 1795, where he surveyed a good portion of the coastline of what is now British Columbia. In 1792, Vancouver, deterred by bad weather from continuing the survey, waited securely in Safety Cove. Captain Duncan named Calvert Island, whose name was probably given in honour of the noble house of Baltimore and was retained by Vancouver in 1792.

Conservation

This conservancy protects the remainder of Calvert Island and abuts against the Hakai Luxvballis Conservancy Area, which is BC’s largest marine park. The diversity of habitats within Calvert Island Conservancy protects a wide variety of wildlife species from limpids and sea urchins to wolves, deer and black bears.

Wildlife

Large runs of Chinook, Coho, Sockeye, Chum and Pink salmon crowd through Hakai Pass from the open Pacific Ocean headed for their natal streams and rivers. There are also halibut, lingcod, red snapper and rockfish in the waters surrounding Calvert Island. Kingfisher, common loon, cormorant and sandpiper occur around Calvert Island and over 100 bird species have been identified in the adjacent Hakai Luxvbalis Conservancy area.

The waters surrounding Calvert Island are home to numerous marine mammals such as harbour seals, sea lions, and orcas while Pacific white-sided dolphins frequent Fitz Hugh Sound. The offshore waters are home to minke, gray, and humpback whales as well as porpoises and dolphins. Other mammal inhabitants on Calvert Island include black-tailed deer, wolves, river otters, mink, beavers and black bears.

General Wildlife, Marine & Outdoor Ethics Information

Reconciliation with Indigenous Peoples

BC Parks honours Indigenous Peoples’ connection to the land and respects the importance of their diverse teachings, traditions, and practices within these territories. This park webpage may not adequately represent the full history of this park and the connection of Indigenous Peoples to this land. We are working in partnership with Indigenous Peoples to update our websites so that they better reflect the history and cultures of these special places.

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