Parry made his next effort through
Hudson Strait and Fury and Hecla Strait, but was again blocked by ice.
The East-and West-Greenland currents were convenient, carrying ships across the Atlantic at the rate of ten to fourteen kilometres a day around the southern tip of Greenland and thence to the entrance of
Hudson Strait. Sailors also took advantage of the wind.
ORCA WHALE sightings in Hudson Bay have increased steadily since the 1960s because of receding sea ice in the
Hudson Strait. While the melting trend has broader implications, the initial concern is for narwhals, and beluga and bowhead whales, which are already threatened.
In July they entered what is now the
Hudson Strait, which Martin Frobisher had discovered in 1578, and sailed on into Hudson Bay, which Hudson thought must be the Pacific.
Our detachment area was huge, reaching as far as
Hudson Strait and many miles inland.
In the summer of 1610, Hudson guided his ship Discovery to Canada, navigating the body of water now known as the
Hudson Strait and entering Hudson Bay.
Bell, R., 1885, Observations on the geology, mineralogy, zoology and botany of the Labrador Coast,
Hudson Strait and Bay: Geological Survey of Canada, Report of Progress, 1882-84.
It may also flow through a maze of Canadian islands and out
Hudson Strait.
Initial efforts to find a passageway focused on the eastern approach, through
Hudson Strait or over Baffin Island, but all these proved was that the passage was illusive, the waterways clogged with ice, and the prospects for northern navigation daunting.
Beluga whales are uncommon in summer along the northern part of the eastern coast of Hudson Bay and the southern coast of
Hudson Strait (Finley et al., 1982; Smith and Hammill, 1986); therefore the survey did not include these areas.