- Johnstone Strait
Johnstone Strait is a 110 km (68 mi) channel along the north east coast of
Vancouver Island inBritish Columbia ,Canada . [BCGNIS|12009|Johnstone Strait] Opposite the Vancouver Island coast, running north to south, are Hanson Island, West Cracroft Island, the mainlandBritish Columbia coast,Hardwicke Island ,West Thurlow Island andEast Thurlow Island . At that point, the strait meetsDiscovery Passage which connects to theGeorgia Strait .The strait is between 2.5 km (1.5 miles)and 5 km (3 miles) wide. It is a major navigation channel on the west coast of
North America as it is the preferred channel for vessels from the Georgia Strait leaving to the north of Vancouver Island through theQueen Charlotte Strait bound for Prince Rupert,Haida Gwaii ,Alaska , and the North Pacific Ocean and for south bound vessels from those areas bound for thePort of Vancouver .The Strait is home to approximately 150
Orca whales during the summer months who are often seen by kayakers and boaters packed with tourists. Scientists including Dr.Paul Spong have been researching the Orcas in the Strait since 1970. Spong's work has included the establishment of the OrcaLab which is based on the idea that the Orcas can be studied in their natural habitat without interfering with their lives or their habitat. [ [http://www.orcalab.org Orcalab.org] ]The Strait was named by Vancouver for James Johnstone master of the armed tender "Chatham". His survey party established that Vancouver Island was an island. [ Citation | last =Walbran | first = Captain John T. | title =British Columbia Place Names, Their Origin and History |url= http://www.nosracines.ca/e/toc.aspx?id=3545 | place=Vancouver/Toronto | publisher =Douglas & McIntyre | year =1971 | edition =Facsimile reprint of 1909 edition | isbn = 0-88894-143-9] rp|271 [cite web | last =Robson | first =John | title =Hakluyt edition of Vancouver's journals | publisher =W. Kaye Lamb, editor, Vol. 2, p 616 | date =2007 | url =http://pages.quicksilver.net.nz/jcr/~vancouver5.html | accessdate = 2007-07-27]
There are no cities or towns along the length of the strait. Telegraph Cove and
Robson Bight on Vancouver Island are along the strait near its north end and the village of Sayward on Kelsey Bay is near its mid point.ee also
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Cordero Channel References
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