Numerous rivers flow into the bay.
Thomas James, an Englishman who explored much of it in 1631. Rupert House, the first post established there by the Hudson's Bay Company. Other important posts on James Bay are Fort Albany, Fort George, and Eastmain. The shores of the bay and some of its islands are wildlife reserves. The James Bay Project, a colossal hydroelectric development on the E coast of James Bay, evoked a tremendous response from environmentalists and Cree who claimed that the project was disrupting the lives of the native population and destroying the region.