Tarium Niryutait is a

marine protected area A marine protected area (MPA) is a protected area of the world's seas, oceans, estuaries or in the US, the Great Lakes. These marine areas can come in many forms ranging from wildlife refuges to research facilities. MPAs restrict human activity ...

(MPA) located in the coastal areas of the

Yukon Yukon () is a Provinces and territories of Canada, territory of Canada, bordering British Columbia to the south, the Northwest Territories to the east, the Beaufort Sea to the north, and the U.S. state of Alaska to the west. It is Canada’s we ...

and

Northwest Territories The Northwest Territories is a federal Provinces and territories of Canada, territory of Canada. At a land area of approximately and a 2021 census population of 41,070, it is the second-largest and the most populous of Provinces and territorie ...

Canada Canada is a country in North America. Its Provinces and territories of Canada, ten provinces and three territories extend from the Atlantic Ocean to the Pacific Ocean and northward into the Arctic Ocean, making it the world's List of coun ...

. It is located within the

Inuvialuit Settlement Region The Inuvialuit Settlement Region, abbreviated as ISR (; ), located in Canada's western Arctic, was designated in 1984 in the Inuvialuit Final Agreement by the Government of Canada for the Inuvialuit (''the real people''). It spans , including ...

and was the first Arctic MPA established in Canada. The MPA was established with the goal of protecting Beluga whales and the biodiversity of other bird and fish species and their habitats.

Geography

Tarium Niryutait is divided into three sections adjacent to the Mackenzie Delta that together cover an area of : * Niaqunnaq (Shallow Bay) is located on the western side of the Mackenzie Delta containing part of Mackenzie Bay, * Okeevik (East Mackenzie Bay), the most northern area, encompasses a triangular region between Pelly Island, Garry Island and

Kendall Island Kendall Island is one of the irregularly shaped, uninhabited Canadian arctic islands in the Northwest Territories, Canada. It is located in Mackenzie Bay at the northern tip of the Mackenzie River Delta. Richards Island is to the southwest o ...

, adjacent to the Kendall Island Migratory Bird Sanctuary, and, * Kittigaryuit (Kugmallit Bay), the easternmost region, is located to the west of the hamlet of

Tuktoyaktuk Tuktoyaktuk ( ; , ) is an Inuvialuit hamlet near the Mackenzie River delta in the Inuvik Region of the Northwest Territories, Canada, at the northern terminus of the Inuvik–Tuktoyaktuk Highway.Montgomery, Marc"Canada now officially connected ...

, and surrounds Hendrickson Island. It is also located near the

Pingo National Landmark Pingo Canadian Landmark, also known as Pingo National Landmark, is a natural area protecting eight pingos near Tuktoyaktuk, Northwest Territories. It is in a coastal region of the Arctic Ocean which contains approximately 1,350 Arctic ice dome ...

. These areas are very shallow and heavily influenced by the

Mackenzie River The Mackenzie River (French: ; Slavey language, Slavey: ' èh tʃʰò literally ''big river''; Inuvialuktun: ' uːkpɑk literally ''great river'') is a river in the Canadian Canadian boreal forest, boreal forest and tundra. It forms, ...

during summer, and seasonal land-fast sea ice. The regions lie adjacent to seasonal stamukhi zone which impounds the Mackenzie River during the winter and spring.

Ecology

The area is an important summer habitat of the Eastern Beaufort Sea

Beluga Beluga may refer to: Animals *Beluga (sturgeon) * Beluga whale Vehicles * Airbus Beluga, a large transport airplane * Airbus BelugaXL, a larger transport airplane * Beluga-class submarine, a class of Russian SSA diesel-electric submarine * U ...

population. The whales return annually in June once the sea-ice has broken up and remain until September. Other mammals observed in the area include

bowhead whales The bowhead whale (''Balaena mysticetus''), sometimes called the Greenland right whale, Arctic whale, and polar whale, is a species of baleen whale belonging to the family Balaenidae and is the only living representative of the genus '' Balaena' ...

polar bears The polar bear (''Ursus maritimus'') is a large bear native to the Arctic and nearby areas. It is closely related to the brown bear, and the two species can interbreed. The polar bear is the largest extant species of bear and land carnivo ...

and ringed seals. Notable fish species that occur in the region include

Pacific herring The Pacific herring (''Clupea pallasii'') is a species of the herring family associated with the Pacific Ocean environment of North America and northeast Asia. It is a silvery fish with unspined fins and a deeply forked caudal fin. The distribu ...

, Dolly Varden, broad whitefish, and

Arctic cisco The Arctic cisco (''Coregonus autumnalis''), also known as Arctic omul (), is an anadromy, anadromous species of freshwater whitefish that inhabits the Arctic parts of Siberia especially Yenisey Gulf. It can also be found in Alaska and Canada. I ...

, among others. The Tarium Niryutait MPA area is also used by many important waterfowl throughout their life cycles. For example, ice edges are frequented by the Ivory gull, which is

endangered An endangered species is a species that is very likely to become extinct in the near future, either worldwide or in a particular political jurisdiction. Endangered species may be at risk due to factors such as habitat loss, poaching, inv ...

in Canada.

References

{{Yukon parks Marine Protected Areas of Canada * *

Geography

Ecology

See also

References