· Seabird Heaven
· Special Features
· Did You Know?
· Wild Side
· Cause for Concern
· Looking Ahead

Global 200 Snapshot

The Okhotsk Sea is one of the richest north temperate marine ecosystems in the world.  

Seabird Heaven

Imagine that you are a seabird, flying high and wide in search of the perfect home. Suddenly you spot a sparkling sea, and as you come closer, abundant schools of fish below the water's surface. You’ve found the Okhotsk Sea, where fertile waters produce huge amounts of fish and attract over three million pairs of seabirds.

Special Features

The vast Okhotsk Sea varies greatly in depth and temperature. The northern section is relatively shallow, but other areas can be up to 5,000 feet (1,500 m) deep. Currents make the water in the east much warmer than in the west, and the sea's tides can be quite strong. Areas close to Siberia are icy much of the year. These differences allow the sea to support a diverse array of fish and marine mammals.

	Tufted puffins breed only on islands and cliffs. The largest colony in the world, with more than one million nests, lives on Talan Island in the Okhotsk Sea.

Wild Side

The cliffs and islands of the Okhostsk Sea give Steller sea eagles, common and thick-billed murres, Arctic warblers, razorbills, and tufted and horned puffins the kinds of habitat they need for their nests. The waters are alive with many species of fish and crustaceans, including salmon, herring, flounder, cod, mussels, crabs, shrimp, and sea urchins. This abundant supply of food supports Dall's, finless, and harbor porpoises. Steller sea lions and northern fur seals spend much of their time on the rocky coasts but take to the sea when they get hungry.

Cause for Concern

The most serious threats to the ecoregion are industrial and domestic pollution, oil exploration, and overfishing.

Looking Ahead

Check back soon for more about the conservation of this ecoregion.