| Designations | |
|---|---|
| Official name | Chignecto |
| Designated | 16 October 1985 |
| Reference no. | 320[1] |

Chignecto Bay (French:Baie de Chignectou) is aninlet of theBay of Fundy located between theCanadian provinces ofNew Brunswick andNova Scotia and separated from the waters of theNorthumberland Strait by theIsthmus of Chignecto. It is a unit within the greaterGulf of Maine Watershed. Chignecto Bay forms the northeastern part of the Bay of Fundy which splits atCape Chignecto and is delineated on the New Brunswick side byMartin Head. Chignecto Bay is aRamsar site.
Chignecto bay was also the site of anunsuccessful railway and canal project of the 1880s and 1890s that would have intersected the landmass, thereby providing a transit passage betweenNew England andPrince Edward Island. After several investigations into the feasibility of a new canal project, including most importantly by the Chignecto Canal Commission, the proposed Chignecto Canal was deemed commercially and economically unjustifiable and the project was abandoned.[2] Some of the physical remnants of the 1880s project still continue to dot the landscape of Chignecto Bay today.
At its head, Chignecto Bay itself subdivides into two basins, separated by Cape Maringouin:
Many small named bays line the Bay's coast includingSalisbury Bay at the mouths of theUpper Salmon River andCleveland Brook, site of theVillage of Alma, NB.
Chignecto Bay is a northern extension of arift valley that forms much of the Bay of Fundy.
Chignecto is derived from theMi'kmaq language, but its exact etymology is unclear. It may be fromSigunikt 'foot cloth', possibly alluding to aMi'kmaq legend.[3] Or it may be fromSiknikt, 'drainage place';[citation needed] the latter (asSiknikt orSignigt, in longer formSikniktewa'kik orSignigtewa'gi) is today the name of theMi'kma'ki district in which the bay is located.
The head ofCumberland Basin is an important migrating area for manyshorebirds. A large portion of it is protected as a wildlife sanctuary known as theChignecto National Wildlife Area. It includes the 10.2 km2John Lusby National Wildlife Area, which is recognized as aRamsar Wetland of International Importance since October 1985.