Skincuttle Inlet Islands (11099)
Canada, North America
Site overview
KBA status: confirmed
Global KBA criteria: A1d, D1a
Year of last assessment: 2008
National site name: Skincuttle Inlet Islands
Central coordinates: Latitude: 52.3703, Longitude: -131.1830
System: marine, terrestrial
Elevation (m): 0 to 30
Area of KBA (km2): 155.83254
Protected area coverage (%): 99.99
KBA classification: Global
Legacy site: Yes
Site details
Site description: Skincuttle Inlet is located within the Queen Charlotte Islands, just to the east of Moresby Island and south of Burnaby Island. Within the inlet, a chain of islands extends in an easterly direction from the sheltered water at the south end of Burnaby Island to the open exposed waters of Hecate Strait. These low lying islands, which include Bolkus, Rock, Skincuttle, George, Jeffrey, East Copper, and other small unnamed islets, are characterized by rocky shorelines with occasional 'pocket' beaches. They are forested with a typical mix of Sitka Spruce, Western Red Cedar, and Western Hemlock. At some locations there are extensive areas of young growth where windfalls have occurred. The ground cover on the larger islands is composed primarily of moss and bare litter, with scattered patches of elderberry, huckleberry and salmonberry being interspersed, and some areas of thick salal being present along the exposed shorelines.
Rationale for qualifying as KBA: This site qualifies as a Key Biodiversity Area of international significance that meets the thresholds for at least one criterion described in the Global Standard for the Identification of KBAs.
Additional biodiversity: Both Ancient Murrelets and Cassin's Auklets are present at this site in globally significant numbers. Surveys conducted in the mid-1980s yielded an estimate of 29,100 pairs of Ancient Murrelets (as much as 5.8% of the estimated global and 11% of the estimated national population), that nested primarily on George and Bolkus Islands. A more recent survey of George Island (1996) resulted in an even higher population estimate for the Ancient Murrelet colony. The Skincuttle Inlet Islands also supports 26,560 pairs of Cassin's Auklets (about 1.5% of the estimated global, and almost 2% of the estimated Canadian population) with the highest nesting concentrations occurring on East Copper Island. Four additional species of birds are present in nationally significant numbers: Fork-tailed Storm-Petrels (at least 2.5% of the estimated national population); Leach's Storm-Petrels (at least 2.2% of the Canadian eastern Pacific population); Black Oystercatchers (about 2.6% of the national population); and Pigeon Guillemots (over 1% of the estimated national population). Other seabirds nesting in the area include Glaucous-winged Gulls (252 pairs), whose numbers approach that of national significance, and Rhinoceros Auklets. Bald Eagles nest on most of the islands and Peregrine Falcons (ssp. pealei) are recorded in the area. The waters of Skincuttle Inlet, particularly on the south side of the island chain and extending eastwards into Hecate Strait, is an area of particular importance to Ancient Murrelets as a staging area during the breeding season.
Delineation rationale: 2011-06-06 (BL Secretariat): site area updated from 200 ha to 15000 ha, following GIS analysis of site polygon by Bird Studies Canada (J. Moore & S. Marquez in litt. 2009). Type 1 marine IBA: suitable for the seaward extension approach to marine IBAs.
Habitats
Land use: tourism/recreation
| IUCN Habitat | Coverage % | Habitat detail |
|---|---|---|
| Forest | 33 | |
| Marine Neritic | 33 | |
| Marine Coastal/Supratidal | 33 |