View source for James Bay

{{short description|Bay on the southern end of the Hudson Bay, Canada}}
{{About|the body of water|the singer|James Bay (singer)|the former municipality|Baie-James|other uses|James Bay (disambiguation)}}
{{Multiple issues|{{more footnotes needed|date=September 2013}}{{Travel guide|date=February 2025}}}}
{{Infobox body of water
 | name                 = James Bay
 | image                = james bay in summer.jpg
 | caption              = A satellite image of James Bay
 | location             = Southern end of [[Hudson Bay]], between [[Ontario]] and [[Quebec]], politically part of [[Nunavut]]
 | coords               = {{coord|53|30|N|80|30|W|type:waterbody_region:CA-NU_scale:4000000|notes=<ref>{{Cite cgndb|OAIFM|James Bay}}</ref>|display=inline,title|name=James Bay}}
 | rivers               = 
 | oceans               = 
 | pushpin_map          = Ontario
 | countries            = [[Canada]]
 | length               = {{convert|443|km|abbr=on}}<ref name="Tikkanen"/>
 | width                = {{convert|217|km|abbr=on}}<ref name="Tikkanen"/>
 | depth                = {{convert|60|m|abbr=on}}<ref name="Tikkanen"/>
 | area                 = {{convert|68300|km2|mi2|abbr=on}}
 | settlements          = 
 | references           = 
}}

'''James Bay''' ({{langx|fr|Baie James}},<ref>{{Cite cgndb|OASUI|Baie James}}</ref> {{IPA|fr|bɛ dʒɛmz|pron}}; {{langx|cr|ᐐᓂᐯᒄ|Wînipekw|dirty water}}) is a body of water located on the southern end of [[Hudson Bay]] in Canada. It borders the provinces of [[Quebec]] and [[Ontario]], and is politically part of [[Nunavut]]. Its largest island is [[Akimiski Island]].

Numerous waterways of the James Bay watershed have been modified with dams or diversion for several major [[hydroelectricity|hydroelectric]] projects. These waterways are also destinations for river-based recreation. Several communities are located near or alongside James Bay, including a number of [[Indigenous peoples in Canada|Aboriginal Canadian]] communities, such as the [[Kashechewan First Nation]] and nine communities affiliated with the [[Grand Council of the Crees|Cree]] of northern Quebec.

As with the rest of Hudson Bay, the waters of James Bay routinely freeze over in winter. It is the last part of Hudson Bay to freeze over in winter, and the first to thaw in summer.

==History==
{{Unsourced section|date=June 2025}}
Human presence along the shores of the bay began after the retreat of the glaciers at the end of the [[Last glacial period|last ice age]], around 8,150 years ago. A variety of indigenous cultures have lived in this area. At the time of contact with Europeans, the indigenous peoples along both shores of the bay were ethnically [[Cree]] peoples.

[[Henry Hudson]] is believed to have been the first European to enter the bay, when he explored it in 1610 as part of his exploration of the larger bay that was named for him. This southerly bay was named in honour of [[Thomas James (sea captain)|Thomas James]], a [[Wales|Welsh]] [[Captain (nautical)|captain]] who explored the area more thoroughly in 1630 and 1631.

James Bay is important in the [[history of Canada]] as one of the most hospitable parts of the Hudson Bay region, although it has had a low human population. It was an area of importance to the [[Hudson's Bay Company]] and [[History of Canada (1763–1867)|British expansion into Canada]]. The fur-trapping duo of explorers [[Pierre-Esprit Radisson]] and [[Médard des Groseilliers]] convinced the English Crown, primarily [[Prince Rupert of the Rhine]], a favoured nephew of [[Charles I of England|Charles I]] and cousin to [[Charles II of England|Charles II]], that a colonial enterprise in [[Northern Canada|the north]] would yield wealth in minerals and fur. Des Groseilliers accompanied Captain Zachariah Gillam on the [[ketch]] ''[[Nonsuch (1650 ship)|Nonsuch]]'' and they jointly founded Charles Fort, the first European fur-trading post on James Bay.

Their success was such that the company was chartered by Charles II on their return, although they did not bring any minerals. This charter granted a complete trading monopoly to the company of the whole [[List of Hudson Bay rivers|Hudson Bay basin]] (including James Bay). At the same time, the first English colony on what is now mainland Canada, [[Rupert's Land]], was formed, with the first "capital" designated at Charles Fort. The first colonial governor, Charles Baley (various spellings exist, including but not limited to "Bailey"), was a [[Religious Society of Friends|Quaker]], and this is believed to have been a factor in his respectful relations with the company's trading partners, the [[First Nations in Canada|First Nations]].

Significant fur trapping has continued in the region. In general, the east coast or East Main of James Bay was too easily accessed by French and independent traders from the south. The Hudson's Bay Company emphasised from an early period trading relations with tribes in interior trapping grounds, reached from the west coasts of James and Hudson bays. East Main was, nevertheless, the gateway to British settlements in what would become [[Manitoba]] ([[Winnipeg]], for example) and as far west as the [[Rocky Mountains]].

==Geography==
[[File:Hannah Bay.jpg|thumb|upright|Hannah Bay at the southern end of James Bay]]

James Bay represents the southern extent of the [[Arctic Archipelago Marine]] [[ecozones of Canada|ecozone]]. While the coastal areas are primarily in the [[Hudson Plains]], the northeastern coast bordering Quebec is in the [[Taiga Shield]] ecozone. This rocky and hilly eastern shore forms the western edge of the [[Canadian Shield]] in Quebec and as such, the main habitat is [[taiga|boreal forest]] of the [[Eastern Canadian Shield taiga]] [[ecoregion]]. The western shore, however, is characterised by broad [[tundra]] lowlands that are an extension of the [[Hudson Bay Lowlands]], and the vegetation is mostly [[muskeg]] bog. A large portion of this area is part of the [[Polar Bear Provincial Park]]. [[Ringed seal]]s are common elsewhere along James Bay and [[polar bear]]s can be seen hunting the seals as prey.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.carc.org/pubs/v19no3/2.htm |title=Sustainable Development in the Hudson Bay / James Bay Bioregion |access-date=2016-10-24 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160714171517/http://www.carc.org/pubs/v19no3/2.htm |archive-date=2016-07-14 |url-status=dead }}</ref> [[Beluga whale]]s within James Bay basin could be distinct from those found in Hudson Bay.<ref>[http://www.dfo-mpo.gc.ca/csas-sccs/Publications/ResDocs-DocRech/2012/2012_074-eng.html Beluga whales in James Bay: a separate entity from eastern Hudson Bay belugas?]</ref>

Hundreds of rivers flow into James Bay. The geography of the region gives many of them similar characteristics. They tend to be wide and shallow near the Bay (in the James Bay Lowlands), whereas they are steeper and narrower farther upstream (as they pour off the [[Canadian Shield]]). For a larger list of waterways in the region, see [[list of Hudson Bay rivers]].

===Hannah Bay===
Hannah Bay is the southernmost bay of James Bay. Here the [[Kesagami River|Kesagami]] and [[Harricana River]]s flow into James Bay. About 238&nbsp;km<sup>2</sup> is protected under the [[Migratory Birds Convention Act]] of Canada as the [[Southern James Bay|Hannah Bay Bird Sanctuary]]. This sanctuary has also been designated as a [[Ramsar list of wetlands of international importance|Wetland of International Importance]] under the [[Ramsar Convention]] since May 1987.

The shores in this area are a mixture of intertidal [[Mudflat|mud]], sand, and [[Salt pan (geology)|salt flat]]s, [[Estuary|estuarine waters]], intertidal [[marsh]]es, freshwater ponds, [[swamp]]s, and forested [[peat]]lands.<ref>[http://www.wetlands.org/RSDB/_COP9Directory/Directory/ris/4CA025en.pdf Southern James Bay Migratory Bird Sanctuary fact sheet]{{dead link |date=November 2017 |bot=InternetArchiveBot |fix-attempted=yes}}</ref> These elements make an abundance of wildlife.

===Islands===
James Bay contains numerous islands. The largest of the islands is [[Akimiski Island]], which covers {{convert|3002|km2}}.<ref name="Tikkanen">{{cite web |last1=Tikkanen |first1=Amy |title=James Bay |url=https://www.britannica.com/place/James-Bay |website=Encyclopedia Britannia |publisher=University of Chicago |access-date=19 August 2020}}</ref>

All of northern Ontario and northern Quebec were part of the [[Hudson Bay Company]]'s proprietary colony of [[Rupert's Land]], and after Rupert's Land was purchased by Canada in 1869, the area became part of the [[North-West Territories]] (NWT). In the late 19th and early 20th centuries, Canada transferred much of the NWT to Ontario and Quebec, thus forming modern northern Ontario and northern Quebec. However, all of the islands in Hudson Bay and James Bay remained part of the NWT.<ref name="Tikkanen"/>  Following the partition of the NWT in 1999, the islands in Hudson Bay and James Bay were transferred to the new territory of [[Nunavut]].

==Human development==
{{Unsourced section|date=June 2025}}
[[File:Baie James1.jpg|thumb|200px|right|James Bay, near [[Chisasibi, Quebec|Chisasibi]], [[Quebec]]]]

===Coastal communities===
The shores of James Bay are sparsely populated. On the eastern shore in Quebec there are four coastal communities belonging to the [[Grand Council of the Crees|Cree]], the [[Aboriginal peoples in Canada|indigenous people]] of the region (from south to north):
* [[Waskaganish, Quebec|Waskaganish]]
* [[Eastmain, Quebec|Eastmain]]
* [[Wemindji, Quebec|Wemindji]]
* [[Chisasibi, Quebec|Chisasibi]]

On the western shore in Ontario there are five coastal communities (from south to north):
* [[Moose Factory, Ontario|Moose Factory]]
* [[Moosonee, Ontario|Moosonee]]
* [[Fort Albany First Nation|Fort Albany]]
* [[Kashechewan First Nation|Kashechewan]]
* [[Attawapiskat First Nation|Attawapiskat]]

===Economic development===
[[File:GRAND Canal proposal (James Bay to Lake Huron).jpg|thumb|upright|Possible scenario of the GRAND Canal scheme, showing the initial water capture and diversion into Lake Huron.]]

Since 1971, the [[Politics of Quebec#Government of Quebec|government of Quebec]] has built [[hydroelectric dams]] on rivers in the James Bay watershed, notably [[La Grande River|La Grande]] and [[Eastmain River|Eastmain]] rivers. Built between 1974 and 1996, the [[James Bay Project]] now has a combined generating capacity of 16,021 [[Watt|MW]] and produces about 83 billion [[Kilowatt hour|kWh]] of electricity each year, about half of Quebec's consumption. Power is also exported to the [[United States]] via a direct transmission high voltage line. The James Bay Project continues to expand, with work that began in 2010 on a new phase that involves the diversion of the [[Rupert River]].

A proposed development project, the [[Great Recycling and Northern Development Canal]] (GRAND Canal), centred on constructing a large [[Dike (construction)|dike]] to separate southern James Bay from Hudson Bay. This would turn the bay into a freshwater lake, due to the numerous rivers that empty into it. The main benefit expected from this would be to redirect this freshwater for human use. Water would be pumped south from the newly formed James Lake into the [[Harricana River]], crossing into the Great Lakes watershed near [[Amos, Quebec|Amos]], into [[Lake Timiskaming]] and the [[Ottawa River]], crossing near [[Mattawa, Ontario|Mattawa]] into [[Lake Nipissing]] and the [[French River (Ontario)|French River]] to [[Lake Huron]] (Georgian Bay).

==Recreation==
{{Unsourced section|date=June 2025}}
===Canoeing===
Many of the rivers flowing into James Bay are popular destinations for wilderness canoe-trippers. Among the more popular rivers are:
*[[Albany River]] (Ontario)
*[[Moose River (Ontario)|Moose River]] (Ontario)
*[[Missinaibi River]] (Ontario)—recognised as a [[Canadian Heritage Rivers System|Canadian Heritage River]]
*[[Broadback River]] (Quebec)
*[[Rupert River]] (Quebec)—diverted in 2009 for hydroelectric development and no longer a popular destination

Two less-travelled rivers are the Groundhog River and the [[Harricana River|Harricana]]. The Groundhog is less travelled in modern times due to a series of seven dams that are about a day or two up-river from the Moose. Canoeists can contact the dam company and arrange to be portaged around the dams on company trucks, but they must make arrangements specific to the hour, and they cannot be late. The Groundhog flows into the [[Mattagami River|Mattagami]]. The Mattagami then flows into the Moose; it is at the meeting of the Missinaibi and Mattagami rivers that the Moose river begins, marked by an island known as Portage Island. This point is about two or three days travel by canoe to Moosonee. Though the Missinaibi and the Groundhog are both fairly high in the summer, the Moose is often quite low. Depending on the tides, groups have had to walk long stretches of the river. Rapids on the Groundhog tend to be bigger and more technical than those on the Missinaibi, but the campsites are few and poor, because the volume of travel is so much less.

The Harricana River is wild, powerful, dangerous river that flows into James Bay {{convert|40|mi|km|abbr=}} east of [[Moosonee, Ontario|Moosonee]] after two infamous sections of river known as 1-mile and 7-mile island. Consistent whitewater and waterfalls make these sections of river extremely dangerous. Anyone wishing to take this route must allow about two days to cross the bay, an extremely dangerous proposition if the tides and the weather are unfavourable.

The most common access point for paddlers to this area is Moosonee, at the southern end of James Bay. A campsite at [[Tidewater Provincial Park]] provides large campgrounds with firepits and outhouses on an island across the river from the town. Water taxis will ferry people back and forth for about [[Canadian dollar|C$]]20 each. Many of these rivers finish near Moosonee, and paddlers can take the [[Ontario Northland Railway|Polar Bear Express]] train south to [[Cochrane, Ontario|Cochrane]] at the end of a trip. This train regularly features a 'canoe car' enabling paddlers to travel with their canoes.

[[Waskaganish, Quebec|Waskaganish]], [[Quebec]], is a town farther to the north and east on James Bay. It is accessible via the [[James Bay Road]], and is the most common end point for trips on the Broadback, Pontax, and Rupert rivers (the town itself is situated at the mouth of the Rupert).

==References==
{{reflist}}

==Further reading==
{{refbegin}}
* Dignard, N. ''Habitats of the Northeast Coast of James Bay''. [Canada]: Environment Canada, Canada Wildlife Service, 1991. {{ISBN|0-662-18947-7}}
* Francis, Daniel, and Toby Elaine Morantz. ''Partners in Furs A History of the Fur Trade in Eastern James Bay, 1600-1870''. Kingston: McGill-Queen's University Press, 1983. {{ISBN|0-7735-0385-4}}
* Kenyon, Walter Andrew. ''The History of James Bay, 1610-1686 A Study in Historical Archaeology''. Archaeology monograph, 10. Toronto, Ontario, Canada: [[Royal Ontario Museum]], 1986. {{ISBN|0-88854-316-6}}
* McCutcheon, Sean. ''Electric Rivers The Story of the James Bay Project''. Montréal: Black Rose Books, 1991. {{ISBN|1-895431-18-2}}
* Niezen, Ronald. ''Defending the Land Sovereignty and Forest Life in James Bay Cree Society''. Cultural Survival studies in ethnicity and change. Boston: Allyn and Bacon, 1998. {{ISBN|0-205-27580-X}}
* Reed, Austin. ''Goose use of the coastal habitats of northeastern James Bay''. Ottawa, Ont: Canadian Wildlife Service, 1996. {{ISBN|0-662-25033-8}}
* Salisbury, Richard Frank. ''A Homeland for the Cree Regional Development in James Bay, 1971-1981''. Kingston: McGill-Queen's University Press, 1986. {{ISBN|0-7735-0550-4}}
* Siy, Alexandra. ''The Eeyou People of Eastern James Bay''. New York: Dillon Press, 1993. {{ISBN|0-87518-549-5}}
{{refend}}

==External links==
{{Commons category}}
* "[http://jamesbayroad.com James Bay Road website]" Extensive and detailed information on the James Bay region of Quebec, as well as the James Bay and Trans-Taiga Roads.
* "[http://rupertriver.com The Rupert River website]" Read about and see this endangered river soon to be diverted by Hydro-Québec.
* "[https://web.archive.org/web/20060218162940/http://www.canadiangeographic.ca/magazine/nd05/indepth/default.asp Dammed river]" special feature on James Bay from [[Canadian Geographic]].
*[http://www.cbc.ca/archives/categories/society/native-issues/james-bay-project-and-the-cree/high-hopes-for-the-james-bay-project.html CBC Digital Archives - James Bay Project and the Cree]

{{List of seas}}
{{Marginal seas of the Atlantic Ocean}}
{{Bays of Nunavut}}

{{Authority control}}

[[Category:James Bay| ]]
[[Category:Landforms of Nord-du-Québec]]
[[Category:Bays of Ontario]]
[[Category:Bays of Qikiqtaaluk Region]]
[[Category:Bays of Quebec]]
[[Category:Bays of the Atlantic Ocean]]
[[Category:Landforms of Cochrane District]]
[[Category:Bays of the Arctic Ocean]]