Grand Codroy Estuary
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Grand Codroy Estuary | |
|---|---|
Estuary | |
  Grand Codroy Estuary Location of Grand Codroy Estuary in Newfoundland | |
| Coordinates: 47°50′45″N 59°18′48″W / 47.84583°N 59.31333°W | |
| Country |  Canada |
| Province |  Newfoundland and Labrador |
| Time zone | UTC-3:30 (Newfoundland Time) |
| • Summer (DST) | UTC-2:30 (Newfoundland Daylight) |
| Area code | 709 |
| Designated | 27 May 1987 |
| Reference no. | 364[1] |
The Grand Codroy Estuary is a 925 hectare wetland on the southwestern coast of the island of Newfoundland in Canada, approximately 30 km north of Port aux Basques. It is "[one] of the most productive of Newfoundland's few estuarine wetland sites",[2] and is "the province's most important wetland".[3] It is a Wetland of International Importance under the Ramsar Convention, receiving this designation on May 27, 1987.[3] To the south is a globally significant Important Bird Area.[4]
As a result of the provincial Order in Council named the Hunting Prohibition Order, hunting has not been permitted on the estuary since 1974.[3]
The estuary consists of adjoining marine and intertidal habitats with an elevation no more than one metre. Four islands are located within the estuary,[2] and the intertidal sandbars give way to mudflats "supporting rich growths of Zostera".[2] The site is surrounded by cultivated grasslands.
The marine area is shallow, at most two metres deep in intertidal areas, and somewhat deeper in the river channel.[3]
It is bounded by privately owned land, the Codroy Valley Provincial Park, and the Gulf of Saint Lawrence. Nearby are the Grand Codroy and Little Codroy rivers, which are popular fishing destinations.
