Evidence of Inuit habitation in the form of house pits and bones from bowhead whales and other marine mammals is present on the north and southeast spits of the island.

There is one perennial stream on the island, which drains the plateau, including Far Lake, through the main gorge, flowing into the sea near the southeast spit.

[2] Large numbers of arctic seabirds, thick-billed murres, northern fulmars, black-legged kittiwakes, and black guillemots breed on the cliff ledges, arriving in the vicinity in May or early June and departing by mid-September.

Intermittent study since the 1970s record regular habitation by approximately 155,000 mating pairs of various species, nesting annually on cliff faces around the circumference of the island.

The island is one of the most important locations for breeding marine birds in the Canadian Arctic, having larger numbers and a greater diversity of species than any other site in the region.

Abundant plankton supports fish and crustacean populations, in turn becoming food for nearby birds and numerous species of marine mammals.