Site description (2001 baseline):
The marine waters extending out of the bay in a 5 km radius from Reef Island into Hecate Strait are included in the IBA, as are the waters of the bay area that surround the islands. These marine waters provide important seasonal feeding and staging areas for marine birds, in particular the nationally threatened Marbled Murrelet.
Cassin's Auklets, Pelagic Cormorants and Bald Eagles nest in small numbers on the bay islands, and Peregrine Falcons (ssp pealei) can also be found in the region.
A constant threat facing the seabird colonies in Laskeek Bay is the spread of introduced predators such as raccoons, which are abundant on the larger islands of the archipelago such as Moresby and Louise Islands. From nearby Louise Island, raccoons spread onto the Limestone Islands, and their predation of the nesting Ancient Murrelet colony caused population declines.
Since 1990, the volunteer group Laskeek Bay Conservation Society, based in the Queen Charlotte Islands, has operated a field research station at East Limestone Island. This society conducts a long-term monitoring, research and interpretation programme in the Laskeek Bay area. A raccoon control programme has begun, along with annual monitoring of the impact of both introduced raccoons and red squirrels on island wildlife. Recently Reef Island has been the site of an experimental removal of deer (introduced to the Queen Charlotte Islands) to investigate the impact they have had on the vegetation of offshore islands in the archipelago.
Additional threats to the breeding seabirds in this bay are from potential oil spills, and possible disturbance from other boaters and other visitors to nearby Gwaii Haanas National Park Reserve.
Recommended citation
BirdLife International (2024) Important Bird Area factsheet: Laskeek Bay (Canada). Downloaded from
https://datazone.birdlife.org/site/factsheet/laskeek-bay-iba-canada on 23/12/2024.