Portage Inlet
Portage Inlet is a shallow basin connected to Victoria Harbour by the narrow Gorge Waterway. Fresh water flows into the inlet through Craigflower and Colquitz creeks, two important salmon streams. The shallow waters of the inlet contain intertidal mud flats, extensive eelgrass beds, native oysters, and support herring spawning. The inlet is also one of the most important bird habitat areas in the CRD. Residents value the scenic waterfront property and recreational value of the inlet.
Did you Know?
- 6000 years ago, Portage Inlet consisted of a peat swamp surrounded by forest.
- In the early 1900s, the shores of Portage Inlet were a popular camping destination for nature-seeking Victoria residents.
- Portage Inlet is one of the most important bird habitat areas in the CRD.
- Under the water in Portage Inlet are 70 hectares of eelgrass, a plant of huge importance to fish and other marine creatures.
- Hundreds of salmon spawn in Colquitz and Craigflower Creeks.
- Portage Inlet is thought to contain one of the largest populations of Native Oysters on the west coast.
Additional References & Links
Websites
Articles
- Keddie, G. Songhees Pictorial; a History of the Songhees People as seen by Outsiders, 1790-1912. Royal BC Museum, Victoria B.C, 2003.
- Archipelago Marine Research Ltd. 2000. Subtidal Survey of Physical and Biological Features of Portage Inlet and the Gorge Waterway.
- Status of the Olympia Oyster in Canada: G.E. Gillespie (PDF
) - Shepard, M.G. 1999. Victoria and Esquimalt Harbours Bird Censuses, 1997-1999. Orca Technologies International Inc.
- Sutherst, J. 2003. Lost Streams of Victoria. (map with text)
- Foster, H.D. Geomorphology and Water Resource Management: Portage Inlet, a Case Study on Vancouver Island. Reprinted from The Canadian Geographer, XVI, 2, 1972.
© Image courtesy of L. Townsend
