Athlone Island

Athlone Island
	Interactive map of Athlone Island
Geography
Location	Seaforth Channel
Coordinates	52°11′26″N 128°25′58″W / 52.19056°N 128.43278°W
Archipelago	Central Coast of British Columbia
Administration
	Canada
Province	British Columbia
Regional district	Central Coast Regional District
Land district	Range 3 Coast Land District
Demographics
Ethnic groups	Heiltsuk Nation

Athlone Island is a small coastal island in the Range 3 Coast Land District on the Central Coast of British Columbia located on the south side of Seaforth Channel west of Bella Bella, British Columbia.

The island is sparsely inhabited and heavily forested, with characteristics of the outer Great Bear Rainforest, and lies within the marine ecosystems associated with the Inside Passage.

Features

Yaaklele Lagoon: coastal lagoon located in the northwest of the island
St. John Harbour: coastal inlet adjacent to the west side of the island
Outer Central Coast Islands Conservancy: established in 2007 and designated under the Protected Areas of British Columbia Act
Mia-yaltwa Ha’lidzogm hoon National Marine Conservation Area Reserve: protected marine area, created through an agreement between the Government of Canada, the Province of British Columbia, and six First Nations: the Wuikinuxv, Nuxalk, Kitasoo Xai’xais, Heiltsuk, Gitxaała, and Gitga’at Nations

Geology

The island is notable geologically as the westernmost expression of the Anahim Volcanic Belt, a chain of volcanic features extending eastward across central British Columbia toward Nazko. It forms part of the Bella Bella and Gale Passage dike swarms, an east-trending assemblage of felsic and mafic volcanic intrusions associated with Miocene alkaline volcanism.

Oil spill

The island entered national attention on September 13, 2016, when an American articulated tug-barge Nathan E Stewart, holding approximately 200,000 litres of industrial oils including diesel, ran hard aground on Edge Reef when it missed a turn into Seaforth Channel while transiting Canadian waters on its return trip from Alaska, causing a significant oil spill and prompted renewed scrutiny of the environmental impact of shipping on the British Columbia Coast.

Etymology

The name of the island was originally adopted as Smyth Island on December 5, 1933, before being renamed to Athlone Island after the Alexander Cambridge, 1st Earl of Athlone on August 10, 1944.

References

↑ "Athlone Island". Geographical Names Data Base. Natural Resources Canada. Retrieved May 27, 2026.
↑ "Athlone Island". BC Geographical Names. Government of British Columbia – B.C. Geographical Names Office (BCGNO).
↑ "Outer Central Coast Islands Conservancy". BC Parks. Government of British Columbia. Retrieved May 27, 2026.
↑ "Central Coast of BC: Mia-yaltwa Ha'lidzogm hoon National Marine Conservation Area Reserve". Parks Canada. Government of Canada. Retrieved May 27, 2026.
↑ Souther, J. G. (1986). "The western Anahim Belt: root zone of a peralkaline magma system". Canadian Journal of Earth Sciences. 23 (6). National Research Council of Canada: 895–908. doi:10.1139/e86-091.
↑ Transportation Safety Board of Canada (May 31, 2018). Marine Investigation Report M16P0378: Grounding and Subsequent Sinking — Articulated Tug-Barge Tug Nathan E. Stewart and Tank Barge DBL 55, Seaforth Channel, 10 nm West of Bella Bella, British Columbia, 13 October 2016 (PDF) (Marine Investigation Report). Transportation Safety Board of Canada. M16P0378. Retrieved May 27, 2026.

[CGNDB-1] "Athlone Island". Geographical Names Data Base. Natural Resources Canada. Retrieved May 27, 2026.

[BCGNIS-2] "Athlone Island". BC Geographical Names. Government of British Columbia – B.C. Geographical Names Office (BCGNO).

[3] "Outer Central Coast Islands Conservancy". BC Parks. Government of British Columbia. Retrieved May 27, 2026.

[4] "Central Coast of BC: Mia-yaltwa Ha'lidzogm hoon National Marine Conservation Area Reserve". Parks Canada. Government of Canada. Retrieved May 27, 2026.

[5] Souther, J. G. (1986). "The western Anahim Belt: root zone of a peralkaline magma system". Canadian Journal of Earth Sciences. 23 (6). National Research Council of Canada: 895–908. doi:10.1139/e86-091.

[6] Transportation Safety Board of Canada (May 31, 2018). Marine Investigation Report M16P0378: Grounding and Subsequent Sinking — Articulated Tug-Barge Tug Nathan E. Stewart and Tank Barge DBL 55, Seaforth Channel, 10 nm West of Bella Bella, British Columbia, 13 October 2016 (PDF) (Marine Investigation Report). Transportation Safety Board of Canada. M16P0378. Retrieved May 27, 2026.