river
A river is a natural flowing watercourse, usually freshwater, flowing towards an ocean, sea, lake or another river. In some cases, a river flows into the ground and becomes dry at the end of its course without reaching another body of wate ...
in the province of
Newfoundland and Labrador
Newfoundland and Labrador (; french: Terre-Neuve-et-Labrador; frequently abbreviated as NL) is the easternmost province of Canada, in the country's Atlantic region. The province comprises the island of Newfoundland and the continental region ...
, Canada. It flows through the
Exploits Valley
The Exploits Valley is a valley in the province of Newfoundland and Labrador in the central part of the island of Newfoundland.
Natural environment
Formed by glaciation, the Exploits River flows eastward through the valley, framed by low hills fr ...
in the central part of
Newfoundland
Newfoundland and Labrador (; french: Terre-Neuve-et-Labrador; frequently abbreviated as NL) is the easternmost province of Canada, in the country's Atlantic region. The province comprises the island of Newfoundland and the continental region ...
.
Including the Lloyds River, which discharges in Beothuk Lake, the Exploits river has a length of 246 km, making it the longest river on the island draining an area of 1,100 km2 and is the second longest in the province after the Churchill River.
The river drains
Beothuk Lake
Beothuk Lake, formerly Red Indian Lake, is located in the interior of central Newfoundland in the province of Newfoundland and Labrador, Canada. The lake drains into the Exploits River which flows through the interior of Newfoundland and exits into ...
at its source and discharges into the
Bay of Exploits
The Bay of Exploits is a large bay in the northeast of Newfoundland. It extends from the mouth of the Exploits River and opens on to Notre Dame Bay to the north. It is approximately 1,000 square kilometers (386 sq. miles) in size and contains ov ...
near the port town of
Botwood
Botwood is a town in north-central Newfoundland, Newfoundland and Labrador, Canada in Census Division 6. It is located on the west shore of the Bay of Exploits on a natural deep water harbour used by cargo ships and seaplanes throughout the town ...
.
The Exploits River provides habitat for
spawning
Spawn is the eggs and sperm released or deposited into water by aquatic animals. As a verb, ''to spawn'' refers to the process of releasing the eggs and sperm, and the act of both sexes is called spawning. Most aquatic animals, except for aquati ...
Atlantic Salmon
The Atlantic salmon (''Salmo salar'') is a species of ray-finned fish in the family Salmonidae. It is the third largest of the Salmonidae, behind Siberian taimen and Pacific Chinook salmon, growing up to a meter in length. Atlantic salmon are ...
and other species of fish. The salmon population increased dramatically when
fish ladder
A fish ladder, also known as a fishway, fish pass, fish steps, or fish cannon is a structure on or around artificial and natural barriers (such as dams, locks and waterfalls) to facilitate diadromous fishes' natural migration as well as movemen ...
s were installed, opening up sections of the river that had been previously inaccessible.
Buchans River
Buchans ( ) is a town located in the central part of the island of Newfoundland in the province of Newfoundland and Labrador. It is situated on the northwest shore of Beothuk Lake on the Buchans River.
The town is located within the statistica ...
See also
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List of rivers of Newfoundland and Labrador
This is a list of rivers of Newfoundland and Labrador, Canada, divided by watershed. Nearly all watersheds in the province ultimately drain into the Atlantic Ocean.
East Coast of Labrador
Watersheds between Eclipse River and Groswater Bay in L ...
*
Bay of Exploits
The Bay of Exploits is a large bay in the northeast of Newfoundland. It extends from the mouth of the Exploits River and opens on to Notre Dame Bay to the north. It is approximately 1,000 square kilometers (386 sq. miles) in size and contains ov ...