Jervis Inlet

Jervis Inlet[2] (locally /ˈdʒɑːrvɪs/ JAR-viss)[3] is one of the principal inlets of the British Columbia Coast, about 95 km (59 mi) northwest of Vancouver, and the third of such inlets north of the 49th parallel, the first of which is Burrard Inlet, Vancouver's harbour.[4]

Jervis Inlet
French: Baie Jervis
Mount Frederick William & the "elbow" of the inlet
Jervis Inlet
Map of Jervis Inlet
LocationBritish Columbia, Canada
Coordinates49°55′25″N 123°58′27″W
TypeFjord
Part ofSalish Sea
Max. length89 km (55 mi)[1]
Max. depth670 m (2,200 ft)[1]

Geography

It stretches 89 km (55 mi) from its head at the mouth of the short (18 km or 11 mi) Skwawka River to its opening into the Strait of Georgia near Texada Island. It is the deepest fjord on the British Columbia coast with a maximum depth of 670 m (2,200 ft).[1]

The inlet is made up of three arms or reaches:

At its uppermost stretch is Queens Reach, which takes a sharp right-angle often seen in fjord areas, to become Princess Royal Reach. Both reaches are about 20 km (12 mi) in length. The flanks of the fjord and the valley of the Skwawka River, which feeds the head of the inlet, are the site of two of Canada's highest waterfalls, James Bruce Falls (840 m or 2,760 ft) and Alfred Creek Falls at 700 m (2,300 ft).

The most frequented and best known inlet in the area is Princess Louisa Inlet, with the Malibu Club and Young Life Camp at the Malibu Rapids, the entrance of the inlet, and Princess Louisa Marine Provincial Park, including Chatterbox Falls, at its head.

At the mouth of Jervis Inlet a passenger and vehicle ferry operated by BC Ferries connects Earls Cove (on the upper end of the Sechelt Peninsula and lower Sunshine Coast) with Saltery Bay (on the bottom end of the Malaspina Peninsula and upper Sunshine Coast).

The mouth of Sechelt Inlet connects with Jervis Inlet in the area of Earls Cove.

Population is sparse on the shores of Jervis Inlet and there is no road access to the area. Industry includes small operations in aquaculture, commercial fishing and logging, but a substantial number of independent power projects are expected to develop in coming years.

Climate
Climate data for Jervis Inlet
Month Jan Feb Mar Apr May Jun Jul Aug Sep Oct Nov Dec Year
Record high °C (°F) 14
(57)		 12.5
(54.5)		 17.5
(63.5)		 26.5
(79.7)		 32.5
(90.5)		 32
(90)		 32
(90)		 35
(95)		 30.5
(86.9)		 23
(73)		 16.5
(61.7)		 12.5
(54.5)		 35
(95)
Average high °C (°F) 4.2
(39.6)		 5.8
(42.4)		 8.8
(47.8)		 12.9
(55.2)		 16.8
(62.2)		 19.7
(67.5)		 22.6
(72.7)		 22.8
(73.0)		 18.7
(65.7)		 12.3
(54.1)		 6.8
(44.2)		 4.1
(39.4)		 13
(55)
Average low °C (°F) 1.1
(34.0)		 1.8
(35.2)		 3.2
(37.8)		 5.6
(42.1)		 8.9
(48.0)		 12
(54)		 14.4
(57.9)		 15.1
(59.2)		 11.9
(53.4)		 7.8
(46.0)		 3.5
(38.3)		 1.2
(34.2)		 7.2
(45.0)
Record low °C (°F) −7.5
(18.5)		 −11
(12)		 −3.9
(25.0)		 0
(32)		 2.5
(36.5)		 5.6
(42.1)		 8
(46)		 9.4
(48.9)		 5
(41)		 −4
(25)		 −10
(14)		 −13.5
(7.7)		 −13.5
(7.7)
Average precipitation mm (inches) 279.5
(11.00)		 252.8
(9.95)		 216.9
(8.54)		 165.4
(6.51)		 141.6
(5.57)		 123.3
(4.85)		 94.1
(3.70)		 96.8
(3.81)		 109.8
(4.32)		 282
(11.1)		 372.3
(14.66)		 311.1
(12.25)		 2,445.5
(96.28)
Source: Environment Canada[5]

History

The head of Jervis Inlet was once a seasonal settlement of one of the four groups that make up today's amalgamated Shishalh, who called it xénichen (often anglicized as Hunaechin).[6]

George Vancouver named the inlet after the 1791–1795 expedition to search for the fabled Northwest Passage. In the Royal Navy tradition, Vancouver named this main waterway after his friend Rear Admiral Sir John Jervis (Earl of St. Vincent) for his victory over the Spanish fleet on February 14, 1797 at Cape St. Vincent in Portugal.[7] He named St. Vincent's Bay (near the entrance of Jervis Inlet) after the location of the battle, St. Vincent Bay.[8]

The three specific reaches of the inlet and mountains were named in the 1860 survey by HMS Plumper, which charted the known area in honour of members of Queen Victoria's family.[8] The waterways named during this survey mission were: Princess Louisa Inlet, Queens Reach, Princess Royal Reach, and Prince of Wales Reach. Also named were the main mountains of the area:

In the early 1900s, logging and commercial fishing developed in the Jervis Inlet area. Relatively large logging camps operated at Goliath Bay, Vancouver Bay and Hotham Sound, commercial fishing was conducted by owner-operators based in Egmont, Pender Harbour and Saltery Bay, and several fish-processing plants operated in Egmont, Pender Harbour and Saltery Bay.

References
  1. Government of Canada, Fisheries and Oceans (2009-01-29). "Fisheries and Oceans Canada |Pacific Region | Jervis Inlet". www.pac.dfo-mpo.gc.ca. Retrieved 2020-10-03.
  2. "Jervis Inlet". Geographical Names Data Base. Natural Resources Canada. Retrieved 2020-06-16.
  3. The Canadian Press (2017), The Canadian Press Stylebook (18th ed.), Toronto: The Canadian Press
  4. "Jervis Inlet". BC Geographical Names.
  5. Environment Canada—Climate Normals 1971–2000, accessed 25 March 2010
  6. Sechelt Nation website Territory Description page
  7. "Jervis Inlet". BC Geographical Names.
  8. Hitz, Charles W.(2003).Through the Rapids - The History of Princess Louisa Inlet, p.30. Sitka 2 Publishing Archived 2008-11-22 at the Wayback Machine., Kirkland, Washington. ISBN 0-9720255-0-2.
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