View source for Strait of Juan de Fuca

{{Short description|Strait between Vancouver Island and the Olympic Peninsula}}
{{Infobox body of water
| name               = Strait of Juan de Fuca
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| image              = Strait of Juan de Fuca by Sentinel-2, 2018-09-28 (small version).jpg
| image_size         = 260px
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| caption            = [[Sentinel-2]] image of the Strait of Juan de Fuca
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| location           = [[British Columbia]] and [[Washington (state)|Washington]]
| coords             = {{coord|48|13|30|N|123|33|30|W|type:waterbody_scale:1000000|display=inline,title}}
| type               = [[Strait]]
| part_of            = [[Salish Sea]]
| inflow             =
| outflow            =
| catchment          =
| basin_countries    = [[Canada]] and [[United States]]
| length             = {{convert|96|mi|nmi km|abbr=on}}
| width              = {{convert|12|to|25|mi|nmi km|abbr=on}}
| depth              = {{convert|100|m|ft|abbr=on}}<!-- Based on upper and lower average values of 140m and 60m --><ref>{{Cite web|title=Nautical Charts Online - View details of Chart 18400, Strait of Georgia and Strait of Juan de Fuca|url=https://www.nauticalchartsonline.com/chart/zoom?chart=18400|access-date=2020-09-27|website=www.nauticalchartsonline.com}}</ref>
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| pushpin_map             = Strait of Juan de Fuca#Washington#North America
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The '''Strait of Juan de Fuca''' (officially named '''Juan de Fuca Strait''' in Canada)<ref name="bcgnis">{{Cite bcgnis|id=25888|title=Juan de Fuca Strait}}</ref> is a body of water about {{convert|96|mi|nmi km}} long<ref name=gnis>{{gnis|1526614|Strait of Juan de Fuca}}</ref> that is the [[Salish Sea]]'s main outlet to the [[Pacific Ocean]]. The [[Canada–United States border|international boundary]] between [[Canada]] and the [[United States]] runs down the centre of the Strait.

It was named in 1787 by the maritime fur trader [[Charles William Barkley]], captain of ''[[Imperial Eagle (ship)|Imperial Eagle]]'', for [[Juan de Fuca]], the Greek navigator who sailed in a Spanish expedition in 1592 to seek the fabled [[Strait of Anián]]. Barkley was the first recorded person to find the strait, unless Juan de Fuca's story was true.

Samuel Bawlf posited in 2003 that "Fuca's story was nothing more than a fabrication designed to extract money from the English government". The story would have been based on [[Francis Drake]]'s 1579 exploration of the [[Northwest Passage]] at its western end. Drake would therefore have been more than likely the first European to ever sight the entry of the strait but would also have been the first to sail through when heading west after rounding [[Vancouver Island]], sailing through the [[Strait of Georgia]] and sighting the entry to [[Puget Sound]]. Much of Bawlf's provocative thesis was based on the geographical information that started to leak following Drake's return to England and to show up in subsequent maps such as [[Abraham Ortelius|Ortelius]]'s. Fuca's story would have originated from a pilot named Morera, part of Drake's expedition, who miraculously returned on his own before getting arrested by the Spanish.<ref>{{cite book | title=The Secret Voyage of Sir Francis Drake, 1577-1580, Chapter Postscript | last=Bawlf | first=R. Samuel | publisher=Douglas & McIntyre | year =2003 | isbn = 978-1-55054-977-5}}</ref>

While the U.S. Geological Survey Geographic Names Information System says John Meares named the strait in 1788,<ref>{{gnis|1526614|Strait of Juan de Fuca}}</ref> most sources say it was Barkley in 1787, for example: the BC Geographical Names Information System;<ref>{{Cite bcgnis|id=25888 |title=Juan de Fuca Strait}}</ref> Washington Secretary of State;<ref>[http://www.secstate.wa.gov/History/timeline_detail.aspx?s=1540&e=9 Existence of the Strait of Juan de Fuca confirmed by Captain Charles Barkley], Washington Secretary of State</ref> ''Historical Atlas of the Pacific Northwest: Maps of exploration and Discovery'';<ref>{{cite book |last= Hayes |first= Derek |title= Historical Atlas of the Pacific Northwest: Maps of exploration and Discovery |year= 1999 |publisher= Sasquatch Books |isbn= 1-57061-215-3|pages= 16}} online at [https://books.google.com/books?id=sl57oHrVXGoC Google Books]</ref> and ''The Nootka Connection: Europe and the Northwest Coast 1790–1795''.<ref>{{cite book |last= Pethick |first= Derek |title= The Nootka Connection: Europe and the Northwest Coast 1790–1795 |url= https://archive.org/details/nootkaconnection0000peth |url-access= registration |year= 1980 |publisher= Douglas & McIntyre |location= Vancouver |isbn= 0-88894-279-6 |pages= [https://archive.org/details/nootkaconnection0000peth/page/24 24]}}</ref> It is well established that Meares tried to take credit for much of Barkley's work. The strait was explored in detail between 1789 and 1791 by [[Manuel Quimper]], [[José María Narváez]], [[Juan Carrasco (explorer)|Juan Carrasco]], [[Gonzalo López de Haro]], and [[Francisco de Eliza]].

==Definition==
The [[United States Geological Survey]] defines the Strait of Juan de Fuca as a [[Channel (geography)|channel]]. It extends east from the Pacific Ocean between [[Vancouver Island]], British Columbia, and the [[Olympic Peninsula]], Washington, to [[Haro Strait]], San Juan Channel, [[Rosario Strait]], and [[Puget Sound]]. The Pacific Ocean boundary is formed by a line between [[Cape Flattery (Washington)|Cape Flattery]] and [[Tatoosh Island]], Washington, and Carmanah Point (Vancouver Island), British Columbia. Its northern boundary follows the shoreline of Vancouver Island from Carmanah Point to Gonzales Point, then follows a continuous line east to Seabird Point ([[Discovery Island (British Columbia)|Discovery Island]]), British Columbia, Cattle Point ([[San Juan Island]]), Washington, [[Iceberg Point]] ([[Lopez Island]]), Point Colville (Lopez Island), and then to Rosario Head ([[Fidalgo Island]]). The eastern boundary runs south from Rosario Head across [[Deception Pass]] to [[Whidbey Island]], then along the western coast of Whidbey Island to [[Point Partridge]], then across [[Admiralty Inlet]] to [[Point Wilson]] ([[Quimper Peninsula]]). The northern coast of the [[Olympic Peninsula]] forms the southern boundary of the strait.<ref name=gnis/> In the eastern entrance to the Strait, the Race Rocks Archipelago is in the high current zone halfway between Port Angeles, Washington, and Victoria, BC.

==Climate==
[[Image:Strait of San Juan de Fuca sunset.jpg|thumb|right|Sunset over the strait]]
Like the rest of the Salish Sea and surrounding regions, the climate of the Strait is disputed, with the [[Köppen climate classification|Köppen system]] classifying it as [[Mediterranean climate|Mediterranean]], but most regional climatologists preferring [[oceanic climate|oceanic]]. While the climate is mostly oceanic in nature, the dry summers result in the Mediterranean classification in the Köppen system. Rainfall ranges from over {{convert|100|in|cm}} ([[temperate rainforest]]) conditions at the west end to as little as {{convert|16|in|mm}} at the east end, near [[Sequim]].<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://wrcc.dri.edu:443/cgi-bin/cliMAIN.pl?wa7544|title=SEQUIM 2 E, WASHINGTON - Climate Summary|website=wrcc.dri.edu}}</ref>

Because it is exposed to the generally westerly winds and waves of the Pacific, seas and weather in Juan de Fuca Strait are, on average, rougher than in the more protected waters inland, thereby resulting in a number of [[Small-craft advisory|small-craft advisories]], [[gale warning]]s, and [[storm warning]]s.

== Ferries ==

An international vehicle ferry, the {{MV|Coho}}, crosses the Strait from [[Port Angeles, Washington]], to [[Victoria, British Columbia]], several times each day. It began operating in 1959, replacing an earlier ferry, and remains privately owned;<ref>{{cite news |last=Watts |first=Richard |date=December 30, 2016 |title=At 57, dependable Coho sails on |url=https://www.timescolonist.com/business/at-57-dependable-coho-sails-on-4644820 |work=Times Colonist |accessdate=March 2, 2022}}</ref> the ''Coho'' carried 475,000 passengers and 130,000 vehicles in 2018.<ref>{{cite news |last=Duffy |first=Andrew |date=June 21, 2019 |title=Coho starts summer schedule, 4 sailings a day |url=https://www.timescolonist.com/business/coho-starts-summer-schedule-4-sailings-a-day-4673752 |work=Times Colonist |accessdate=March 2, 2022}}</ref> A passenger-only ferry on the same route, named the [[Victoria Express]], operated from 1990 to 2011.<ref>{{cite news |last=Duffy |first=Andrew A. |date=March 4, 2011 |title=City loses Express ferry service |page=B1 |work=Times Colonist |url=https://www.newspapers.com/clip/96825552/city-loses-express-ferry-service/ |via=[[Newspapers.com]] |accessdate=March 2, 2022}}</ref> Victoria is also the terminus of the [[Victoria Clipper]], a passenger-only ferry from [[Seattle]]. Sidney, located northeast of Victoria, is served by a seasonal extension the [[Washington State Ferries]] system's route serving the [[San Juan Islands]] and [[Anacortes, Washington]].<ref>{{cite news |last=Jackson |first=Kristin |date=February 11, 2012 |title=How to travel between Seattle, Victoria and Vancouver, B.C. |url=https://www.seattletimes.com/life/travel/how-to-travel-between-seattle-victoria-and-vancouver-bc/ |work=The Seattle Times |accessdate=March 2, 2022}}</ref>

==Boundary dispute==
[[File:The Olympian Range, from Esquimalt (HS85-10-11325).jpg|thumb|right|The [[Olympic Mountains]] of [[Washington (state)|Washington]] as seen from the entrance to [[Esquimalt Harbour]], 1900, photo: [[John Wallace Jones]]]]This strait remains the subject of a maritime boundary dispute between Canada and the United States. The dispute is only over the seaward boundary extending {{convert|200|nmi|km}} west from the mouth of the strait. The maritime boundary within the strait is not in dispute. Both governments have proposed a boundary based on the [[Equidistance principle|principle of equidistance]], but with different basepoint selections, resulting in small differences in the line. Resolution of the issue should be simple, but has been hindered because it might influence [[:Category:Canada–United States border disputes|other unresolved]] maritime boundary issues between Canada and the United States.<ref>{{cite book |last= Charney |first= Jonathan I. |author2=David A. Colson |author3=Robert W. Smith  |title= International maritime boundaries |year= 2005 |publisher= Martinus Nijhoff |isbn= 978-90-04-14461-3 |url= https://books.google.com/books?id=RN0GnOcw0McC&pg=PA3403 |page= 3403}}</ref> In addition, the government of British Columbia has rejected both equidistant proposals, instead arguing that the Juan de Fuca [[submarine canyon]] is the appropriate "geomorphic and physiogeographic boundary".<ref>[http://www.cwilson.com/pubs/energy/alaska.pdf The Alaska Boundary Dispute: History and International Law] {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20081218165011/http://www.cwilson.com/pubs/energy/alaska.pdf |date=2008-12-18 }}, by Tony Fogarassy, page 3; citing Office of the Premier, Province of British Columbia, ''Submission of the Province of British Columbia on West Coast Maritime Boundaries Between Canada and the United States'' (1977). A map of the Juan de Fuca Canyon is available at [http://oceanexplorer.noaa.gov/explorations/06olympic/background/coralhab/media/coral_map_600.html Map of Known Deep Corals in and around the Olympic Coast National Marine Sanctuary], NOAA Ocean Explorer</ref> The proposed equidistant boundary currently marks the northern boundary of the [[Olympic Coast National Marine Sanctuary]]. British Columbia's position is based on the [[Natural prolongation principle|principle of natural prolongation]] which developed in [[international law]]. It poses a dilemma for the federal government of Canada. If Canada holds that the principle of natural prolongation applies to the Juan de Fuca Canyon on its [[Pacific Ocean]] coast, the assertion could undermine Canada's argument in the [[Machias Seal Island#Gulf of Maine boundary|''Gulf of Maine'' boundary dispute]]. In this [[Atlantic Ocean]] context, Canada favours an outcome based on the principle of equidistance.<ref>{{cite book |last= McRae |first= Donald Malcolm |author2=Gordon Ross Munro  |title= Canadian Oceans Policy: National Strategies and the New Law of the Sea |year= 1989 |publisher= UBC Press |isbn= 978-0-7748-0346-5 |url= https://books.google.com/books?id=IFVH8zKQAzkC&pg=PA151 |pages= 151–152}}</ref><ref>{{cite book |last= Johnston |first= Douglas M. |author2=Mark J. Valencia  |title= Pacific Ocean Boundary Problems: Status and Solutions |year= 1991 |publisher= Martinus Nijhoff |isbn= 978-0-7923-0862-1 |url= https://books.google.com/books?id=zOoADxl4YToC&pg=PA102 |page= 102}}</ref>

==Salish Sea==
[[File:Strait of Juan de Fuca Olympic Peninsula.jpg|thumb|left|The Strait of Juan de Fuca and the Salish Sea with the Olympic Peninsula in the background]]
{{main|Salish Sea}}
In March 2008, the [[Chemainus First Nation]] proposed renaming the strait the "[[Salish Sea]]", an idea that reportedly met with approval by British Columbia's Aboriginal Relations Minister [[Mike de Jong]], who pledged to put it before the [[Executive Council of British Columbia|BC cabinet]] for discussion. Making ''Salish Sea'' official required a formal application to the [[Geographical Names Board of Canada]].<ref>{{cite news |title=Strait of Georgia could be renamed Salish Sea |url=https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/british-columbia/strait-of-georgia-could-be-renamed-salish-sea-1.773346 |work=Canadian Press |publisher=CBC.ca |date=2008-03-09 |access-date=2008-03-10 }}</ref> A parallel American movement promoting the name had a different definition, combining of the Strait of Juan de Fuca and [[Puget Sound]] as well as the Strait of Georgia and related waters under the more general name ''Salish Sea''.<ref>Howard Macdonald Stewart, 2017. Views of the Salish Sea: One Hundred and Fifty Years of Change around the Strait of Georgia. Harbour Publishing Company Limited. pp. 13–15. {{ISBN|978-1-55017-804-3}}.</ref> This latter definition was made official in 2009 by geographic boards of Canada and the United States.

In October 2009, the Washington State Board of Geographic Names approved the Salish Sea [[Toponymy|toponym]], not to replace the names of the Strait of Georgia, Puget Sound, and Strait of Juan de Fuca, but instead as a collective term for all three.<ref name=adoption>{{cite web | date =2009-10-30 | url =http://www.dnr.wa.gov/ResearchScience/News/Pages/nr09_177.aspx | title =STATE BOARD ON GEOGRAPHIC NAMES APPROVES 'SALISH SEA' | url-status =dead | archive-url =https://web.archive.org/web/20131030002600/http://www.dnr.wa.gov/ResearchScience/News/Pages/nr09_177.aspx | archive-date =2013-10-30 }}</ref> The British Columbia Geographical Names Office passed a resolution only recommending that the name be adopted by the [[Geographical Names Board of Canada]], should its US counterpart approve the name-change.<ref name="adoption"/><ref>{{cite web| url = https://www.straight.com/article-268225/washington-state-adopts-salish-sea-name-body-water-including-strait-georgia| title = ''Washington state adopts "Salish Sea" name for body of water including Strait of Georgia'', Carlito Pablo, ''Georgia Straight'', October 30, 2009| date = 30 October 2009}}</ref><ref>{{cite news|last=Berger|first=Knute|author-link=Knute Berger|title=Smooth Sailing for the Salish Sea?|date=October 20, 2009|work=[[Crosscut.com|Crosscut]]|url=http://crosscut.com/blog/crosscut/19058/|access-date=August 13, 2011|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100105034831/http://crosscut.com/blog/crosscut/19058/ |archive-date=January 5, 2010}}</ref> The [[United States Board on Geographic Names]] approved the name on November 12, 2009.<ref>{{cite news|last=Berger|first=Knute|author-link=Knute Berger|title=U.S. approves Salish Sea name|date=November 12, 2009|work=[[Crosscut.com|Crosscut]]|url=http://crosscut.com/blog/crosscut/19183/|access-date=August 13, 2011|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100227141029/http://crosscut.com/blog/crosscut/19183/ |archive-date=February 27, 2010}}</ref>

==Counties and regional districts==
Counties along the Strait of Juan de Fuca:
*[[Clallam County, Washington]]
*[[Jefferson County, Washington]]
*[[Island County, Washington]]
*[[Skagit County, Washington]]
*[[San Juan County, Washington]]
*[[Whatcom County, Washington]]
Regional districts along the Strait of Juan de Fuca:
*[[Capital Regional District, British Columbia]]
*[[Cowichan Valley Regional District]]

==Fauna==
{{see also|List of Fishes of the Salish Sea}}
Certain groups of seabirds called [[common murre]] migrate north by swimming. Some Pacific Coast murres paddle north to the sheltered bays of the Strait of Juan de Fuca to feed on herring and other small fish.

[[Humpback whale]]s can be observed near the western end of the Strait of Juan de Fuca, mostly from June to November, especially in areas near [[Neah Bay]] and [[La Push]]. There is a resident (non-nomadic) population of [[killer whale]] in the Strait and surrounding waters, where they feed on spawning [[Chinook salmon]]. The migrating, so-called "transient" populations of killer whale often prey on the [[California sea lion]] and [[Steller's sea lion]], in addition to the [[gray whale]], another [[cetacean]] with both residential and nomadic groups in the Strait. As migratory gray whales swim between [[Baja California]] and [[Alaska]] each year, they will often be seen in the Strait of Juan de Fuca, feeding on small marine creatures on the seafloor, and using the Strait as a sort of "rest stop" on their long journeys. They also socialize with and encounter the local, non-migratory gray whales in the Strait; from a conservation standpoint, this is vital for the whales' ability to meet potential new mates, form new bonds, and ultimately create new bloodlines. This yearly influx of whales is best observed between March and May, at the peak of the migration times.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.myolympicpark.com/things-to-do/wildlife/olympic-coast-whales |title=Olympic coast whales |date=24 December 2020 |publisher=My Olympic Park}}</ref>

==See also==
* [[Graveyard of the Pacific]]
* [[Juan de Fuca Canyon]]
* [[List of areas disputed by the United States and Canada]]
* [[Marilyn Bell]]
* [[Oregon boundary dispute]]
* [[Race Rocks Marine Protected Area]]
* [[Pig War (1859)|Pig War]] (San Juan Islands Dispute)
* [[Swinomish Channel]]
* [[Strait of Juan de Fuca laser incident]]

==References==
{{Reflist}}

==External links==
{{commons category}}
*[http://www.racerocks.com View the Strait of Juan de Fuca by remote camera 5] from [[Race Rocks]]
*[http://www.discoveryisland.ca/ discoveryisland.ca – Discovery Island a small island in the Strait of Juan de Fuca off of Victoria BC Canada with a rich history From first nations to early settlers to present times.]<!--discoveryisland.ca gives permission that all media and text on discoveryisland.ca and other discoveryisland.ca material may released to Wikipedia according to GFDL -  http://www.discoveryisland.ca/wikipediapermission.htm-->
*[http://racerocks.ca/racerock/data/weatherlink/Current_Vantage_Pro.htm A live weather station of the Race Rocks]

{{Canada topics}}
{{British Columbia hydrography}}

{{Authority control}}

{{DEFAULTSORT:Strait Of Juan De Fuca}}
[[Category:Strait of Juan de Fuca| ]]
[[Category:Canada–United States border disputes]]
[[Category:Bodies of water of Clallam County, Washington]]
[[Category:Disputed waters]]
[[Category:Straits of Washington (state)|Juan de Fuca]]
[[Category:Southern Vancouver Island]]
[[Category:Bodies of water of Vancouver Island]]
[[Category:International straits]]
[[Category:Straits of British Columbia|Juan de Fuca]]
[[Category:Bodies of water of Jefferson County, Washington]]
[[Category:Bodies of water of Island County, Washington]]
[[Category:Straits of San Juan County, Washington]]
[[Category:Capital Regional District]]