The island has no year-round human inhabitants. The surface of Akimiski is flat and slopes gradually to the north. Most of the vegetation that covers the island consists of lichen, moss, sedges, and dwarf black spruce. The island is a coastal wetland that includes mudflats, tidal marshes, and tidal mudflats. Freshwater streams that flow into southwestern James Bay carry sediments and abundant nutrients that help to sustain the productive waterfowl habitat around Akimiski Island.
The Akimiski Island Group includes Akimiski, Gasket, and Gullery islands; Albert Shoal; and the Akimiski Strait Isles.
The coastal waters and wetlands of Akimiski Island (and James Bay in general) are important feeding grounds for many varieties of migratory birds.[5] Notable species include:[3]
Because James Bay and Hudson Bay are funnel-shaped, migrating birds from the Arctic concentrate in this area. During fall migration, an abundance of birds with both adults and young are present. In the springtime, the birds tend to reside in the southern areas of James Bay until the northern section thaws.
Hill, Michael Robert John. Factors Influencing Pre- and Post-Fledging Growth and Survival of Canada Goose Goslings on Akimiski Island, Nunavut. Ottawa: National Library of Canada = Bibliothèque nationale du Canada, 2000. ISBN0-612-42527-4
Martini, I. P.; Glooschenko, W. A. (1984). "Emergent coasts of Akimiski Island, James Bay, Northwestern Territories, Canada: geology, geomorphology, and vegetation". Sedimentary Geology. 37 (4): 229–250. Bibcode:1984SedG...37..229M. doi:10.1016/0037-0738(84)90016-2.
NASA Photo : "STS085-713-070 Akimiski Island, Northwest Territory, Canada August 1997 Akimiski Island, a 2000-square-mile (5180 square kilometers) uninhabited island, is the largest island in James Bay (a southeasterly extension of Hudson Bay)."