Bamfield Marine Sciences Centre

Barkley Sound

Predominant features of the shoreline in the Sound are rocky headlands, islands and reefs, with abundant caves, tide pools, blow holes and surge channels. The area is geologically diverse, with sedimentary, metamorphic and igneous rocks ranging in age from Pennsylvanian (200 million years), to Quaternary (present). The majority of the rock is part of the early Mesozoic or late Paleozoic West Coast Crystalline Complex.

Barkley Sound consists of three main channels, seaward extensions of a group of narrow fjord inlets at the northeast end of the sound. The largest of these, Alberni Inlet, continues seaward as Trevor Channel, with a sill extending across the mouth of Barkley Sound. The three prominent shallow banks near Barkley Sound, Amphitrite, La Perouse and Swiftsure, as well as the adjacent deep basins, are a result of the strong glacial influence on this area.

The nearby islands of the Deer and Broken Groups provide an array of shorelines. Beds of giant kelp, rocky pinnacles, reefs, walls and shell sand slopes support a diverse and abundant assemblage of subtidal organisms. The area has approximately 15 small islands with nesting seabirds. Gray whales, Steller's and California sea lions and harbour seals are common in the area. There are also occasional sightings of harbour porpoises, elephant seals and killer whales.

Not only is Barkley Sound excellent for the study of the marine environment, it is also a suitable place to study freshwater biology, maritime terrestrial botany and zoology, geology, oceanography and archaeology.