Tuck Inlet is a fjord with a depth of 260 feet (80 m) and a shallow sill of 34 feet (10.5 m) at its entrance that forms part of Prince Rupert Harbour, roughly 91 miles (147 km) southeast of Ketchikan, on the waterfront of Prince Rupert, British Columbia. Like many fjord basins, the inlet’s shallow sill restricts exchange between its deep main basin and the open ocean, limiting tidal mixing and producing a stratified water column, with lighter, fresher water near the surface overlying denser, saltier water below. Prince Rupert Harbour is an immense industrial port operated by the Prince Rupert Port Authority, made up of a complex of deepwater basins and channel waterways separated by shallow sills.

The Port of Prince Rupert was built following completion of the Grand Trunk Pacific Railway in 1914. Its development was promoted as an alternative to the Port of Vancouver, which was served by rival railroads, including the Canadian Pacific and Canadian Northern railways. In 1919 the Grand Trunk Pacific went bankrupt; the federal government nationalized it and merged it into Canadian National Railways. The port was expanded during World War II to support Canadian and American military operations in the Pacific theater, notably in the Alaska Territory.

In 2011 British Columbia exported more than 5 million cubic meters of logs to China, Japan, South Korea, and the United States. These exports account for a small share of the province’s total harvest but a large share of its coastal harvest, where most export-bound logs originate. Over the past decade China has become the largest foreign buyer of British Columbia logs. Despite strong foreign demand, log exports remain restricted by provincial and federal governments. To export logs from the coastal region, a producer generally needs a federal permit, or both federal and provincial permits, depending on jurisdiction. Before receiving a permit, a harvested log must first be offered to domestic buyers on the Vancouver Log Market. The province also bars export of certain species, such as red cedar. Read more here and here. Explore more of Tuck Inlet and Prince Rupert Harbour here: