Wales Harbour Conservancy

Highlights in this conservancy

Wales Harbour Conservancy was established as part of government’s land use decision for the North Coast planning area. This conservancy protects an important recreational anchorage and the viewscape within Wales Harbour.

The area also contains important migratory waterfowl habitat. There is little recreational infrastructure in the area, though there are reports of a trail leading to a lake from the southeast arm of Wales Harbour.

Wales Harbour is a good anchorage and has a soft bottom. The eastern arm of the harbour is also a good anchorage, while the southwest arm dries out completely at low tide. There are also opportunities for recreational fishing and crabbing. There are no facilities in the conservancy.

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

The conservancy is located approximately 40 kilometres north of Prince Rupert.

Things to do

Hunting

Hunting is permitted in this park.

Anyone hunting in British Columbia must comply with BC hunting regulations. To learn more, see the fishing and hunting guide.

About this conservancy

Cultural heritage

Wales Harbour Conservancy encompasses an area where the Coast Tsimshian have strong cultural interests, including the desire to pursue their traditional activities as they have done for millennia, in a manner that sustains the biological diversity and natural values of the area.

The conservancy is within the asserted traditional territories of the Coast Tsimshian, and specifically within the tribal area of the Gitando Tribe, one of the nine tribes that together make up the Coast Tsimshian.

Wales Harbour Conservancy falls within the Pearse Natural Protection Area for Metlakatla First Nation. This classification recognizes the Pearse Island area as being important for its high natural values. Lax Kw’alaams First Nation considers Wales Harbour to part of the Ts’msedasx Special Management Area. The Ts’msedasx Special Management Area has been, and continues to be, important in providing Coast Tsimshian people with food, medicine, raw materials, cultural items, and goods as part of their economy.

The Coast Tsimshian have numerous harvesting sites in the area and the adjacent foreshores and waterways. The conservancy protects traditional harvesting sites thereby sustaining and enhancing traditional use opportunities. To date, no known archaeological sites have been recorded in the conservancy. The lack of identified archaeological sites in Wales Harbour Conservancy is typical for the British Columbia north coast where few detailed archaeological assessments have been completed. Future archeological site inventories may yet identify additional cultural heritage and archaeological resources within the Wales Harbour Conservancy.

History

The conservancy also contains the site of the last commercial fish cannery to operate in the Nass/Portland Canal area.

Conservation

Knowledge of the conservancy’s flora and fauna, especially ecosystems, ecological communities and species of conservation concern, is incomplete.

Wildlife

Marine wildlife species that have been recorded in or near the conservancy are canopy kelp beds, grey whales, harbour porpoises, humpback whales, killer whales, marbled murrelets, sea cucumbers, sea urchins, and pacific white-sided dolphins.

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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