The Inian Islands are located in the western Icy Strait near Glacier Bay at the northern edge of the Gulf of Alaska where it enters the Inside Passage at Cross Sound. The geography of the area ensures that the tides, which surge through the narrow channels, also stir up rich nutrients to the surface, drawing such marine mammals as majestic humpbacked whales and playful sea otters to feed in the long summer days. Named by William Dall, one of Alaska's scientific explorers in the 19th century, the Inian islands were designated by Congress as part of the Pleasant/Lemusurier/Inian Islands Wilderness Area, now totaling more than 23,000 acres of protected area, in 1990.