Colville Delta is a
river delta in northern Alaska that flows into
Harrison Bay. The delta is so flat that it has been said that it is indiscernible where the river ends and the ocean begins. The powerful outflow of the
Colville River creates a shallow region that is rich with nutrients, making it ecologically significant for wildlife.
Geography
The Colville River, approximately 350 miles (560 km) long, flows from the
De Long Mountains until it reaches the Alaska Native community of
Nuiqsut, where it forms a broad delta.
Fauna
The waters of the Colville delta, along with the waters of
Harrison Bay, make an ideal refuge for
long-tailed ducks,
king eiders,
red-throated loons,
Arctic terns,
surf scoters,
brant geese, and
glaucous gulls.[1] In summer and fall, migrating red-throated and yellow-billed loons and king and spectacled eiders stop in to rest and feed.[2] Nearshore
forage fish are important in Arctic food webs, linking energy from smaller prey items to larger predators like birds and marine mammals.[3] Harrison Bay is important habitat for forage fish, such as Arctic cod and capelin.[4]
In addition to the many birds, wintering polar bears hunt and feed on ice seals in the shore-fast ice, along open leads, or at openings in pack ice.[5] Pregnant polar bears frequently build winter dens in and around the area[5][6][7]
The Colville River used to host a small commercial fishery for
Arctic ciscoes, and though the fishery is closed,[4] the river delta is still potential habitat for
Salmonidae fishes like
broad whitefish[8] and nearshore forage fishes like
Arctic cod and
capelin.
References
^Smith, M., N. J. Walker, I. J. Stenhouse, C. M. Free, M. Kirchhoff, O. Romanenko, S. Senner, N. Warnock,
and V. Mendenhall, ["A new map of Important Bird Areas in Alaska"], 16th Alaska Bird Conference, Juneau, AK, 2014. Retrieved 15-09-2016.