Broughton Archipelago
The Broughton Archipelago is a group of islands on the northeastern flank of the Queen Charlotte Strait on the coast of British Columbia, Canada. The largest islands in the group, which includes numerous smaller islets, are Broughton Island, North Broughton Island, Eden Island, Bonwick Island and Baker Island. The islands are all located within the Regional District of Mount Waddington; however, nearly all lands in the area are owned by the Provincial Crown and most settlements in the area, with the exclusion of floating settlements, are either Indian Reserves of bands of the Musgamagw Tsawataineuk Tribal Council or fish farms under the jurisdiction of the federal Department of Fisheries and Oceans.
The archipelago is the traditional territory of the Kwicksutaineuk-ah-kwa-mish and Tsawataineuk subgroups of the Kwakwaka'wakw peoples and is the focus of controversy over commercial fish-farming by Norwegian aquaculture companies. One of the most prominent studies carried out to assess the relationship between fish farms and sea lice infestations on wild species was carried out in this archipelago in the spring of 2002.
Broughton Archipelago was named in 1792 by George Vancouver in honor of William Robert Broughton, the captain of the expedition's second ship, HMS Chatham.
