Canada geese flying over river and forest shoreline in Eeyou Istchee, Eastern James Bay.
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Feasibility assessment for a proposed national marine conservation area in Eeyou Istchee (in Eastern James Bay)
In May 2019, the Government of Canada and the Crees of Eeyou Istchee signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) to assess the feasibility of creating a national marine conservation area (NMCA) in eastern James Bay.
The study area for the proposed NMCA is found within the James Bay Marine Region, one of the 29 marine regions that make up Parks Canada’s NMCA system.
The study area lies in eastern James Bay. This area stretches from Chisasibi, in Eeyou Istchee (northern Quebec), south to the Quebec-Ontario border. At almost 28,000 km², the study area is larger than Lake Erie!
The Eeyou Istchee lands and waters
Eeyou Istchee (pronounced: ‘ee-you is-tchee’)—the Cree lands and waters in Eastern James Bay—are rich in biodiversity. Many rivers flow through the area, bringing large amounts of freshwater to the Bay. This creates a special marine environment with a low concentration of salt. Here, you can observe freshwater fish swimming beside marine fish.
As a part of the larger Hudson Bay inland sea, James Bay is also a hub for migrating geese, ducks, and shore birds.
Enhancing the protection of these ecosystems both conserves biodiversity and fights climate change. This would also support the treaties and rights of the Eeyou (Crees) of Eeyou Istchee and their determination to maintain their culture and way of life. The Eeyou have been stewards to these lands and waters since time immemorial.
A proposed NMCA supports the balance between safeguarding ecosystems and supporting sustainable use. Protected areas provide Canadians opportunities to learn about their environment and help preserve vulnerable ecosystems.
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Map of Study Area, Eastern James Bay
Map of Study Area, Eastern James Bay — Text version
This map shows James Bay between portions of northeast Ontario and western Quebec, as well as the southeast portion of Hudson Bay, in Canada.
The map contains a legend in the top right corner and a 0 to 200 km scale in the bottom left. The year 2022 is indicated outside the bottom right corner, alongside the logos of the Cree Nation Government and Parks Canada.
The Eastern James Bay feasibility assessment study area for a proposed national marine conservation area is indicated in yellow and lies in eastern James Bay and includes waters to the west and south of the community of Chisasibi along the Eastern James Bay coastline, past the community of Waskaganish in southern James Bay, and extending west to the Ontario-Quebec border, and north through the middle of James Bay. The names of the coastal communities and of Hudson Bay and James Bay are shown in English and eastern Cree syllabics.
A dotted area shows that the study area is part of the Eeyou Marine Region, which encompasses marine areas that are part of the traditional waters of the Crees of Eeyou Istchee and the Inuit of Nunavik (northern Quebec). The study area covers most of the Cree Zone of the Eeyou Marine Region. North of the Cree Zone, three other zones of the Eeyou Marine Region are indicated that are not part of the study area. Immediately north of the study area, and covering the northeast part of James Bay is the Cree/Inuit Overlap Cree Zone. Heading east along Eastern Hudson Bay, between the Belcher Islands (Nunavut) and the Quebec coastline, is the Cree/Inuit Overlap Joint Zone. Finally, immediately north of that, along the Quebec coastline, is the Cree/Inuit Overlap Inuit Zone.
In green, the boundaries of numerous terrestrial protected areas are indicated, but not labeled, in the Quebec portion of the map. An orange line indicates the terrestrial boundaries of Eeyou Istchee in Quebec.
The map includes a black line defining the James Bay Marine Region, which includes James Bay and Eastern Hudson Bay. This line starts northwest of the community of Inukjuak, on the Quebec coast, and bends southwest across the Hudson Bay, ending at Cape Henrietta Maria, a peninsula on the Ontario coast, north of the mouth of James Bay.
The Eeyou (eastern James Bay Cree) and Inuit are stewards of this area. They have developed and nurtured shared relationships with the ecosystems and waters of James Bay.
James Bay is biodiverse, with species at risk like polar bears and beluga whales. The area is home to a special subgroup of beluga. These resident white whales spend the winter in James Bay due to its less extreme ice conditions than in the Hudson Bay.
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