Kamchatka River Research Articles

Экспедиционные работы в центральной части восточного вулканического пояса и в долине р. Камчатка в 2023 г.

This article provides a brief description of the expedition work conducted by the staff of the Institute of Volcanology and Seismology, FEBRAS, in the central part of the Eastern Volcanic belt of Kamchatka, and in the Kamchatka River valley in the Summer-Autumn of 2023. In order to study the conditions for the formation and discharge of thermal waters of large volcanic centers, to estimate the hydrothermal discharge of magmatic volatiles (primarily CO2), hydrochemical and gas testing was carried out on the thermal fields of the Kikhpinych and Bolshoi Semyachik volcanic massifs, and in the Uzon caldera. In parallel with geochemical sampling, aerial and infrared photography of thermal sites was carried out. To determine the degree of influence of volcanic and hydrothermal activity on the ion runoff into the Pacific Ocean, hydrochemical and hydrological works were carried out in the Kamchatka Riverv alley. A comprehensive study of unique alkaline cold springs was carried out in the Belaya River valley (Kamchatsky Peninsula). A large number of water and gas samples, sediments and mineral salts were collected for further analytical studies during the expedition works.

CHANNEL COMPONENT OF SEDIMENT YIELD: SPECIFIC FEATURES FOR THE LARGE RIVERS OF RUSSIA

Bank and riverbed erosion produce a significant part of the sediment flux, i.e. its channel component. The article deals with the quantitative assessment of the channel sediment input for more than 14 000 km of the lower reaches of the Ob, Yenisei, Lena, Kamchatka and the Selenga River net. The absolute volumes of sediments supplied by bank erosion are maximum for the lower and middle Lena River (up to 38,7 million tons per year per 100 km of the channel). They are significantly lower for the lower and middle Ob River (down to 19,9 million tons per year per 100 km of the channel), and an order of magnitude smaller (about 2 million tons per year) for the Yenisei River because of the limited conditions for the development of channel processes, and for the Selenga and Kamchatka rivers because of the smaller size of rivers. The volume of sediments of channel origin is two times smaller, than the sediment runoff, for the Yenisei River and exceeds the sediment runoff up to 9 times for other rivers. The maximum rates of bank erosion are common for meandering and branched channels with wide floodplains. Most of the bank erosion within the braided sections of channels is the deformation of islands.

Sr and Nd Isotopes in Mineral Fractions of Ferromanganese Crusts from the Northernmost Pacific

A study of the isotopic compositions of neodymium and strontium in four mineral fractions of the hydrogenous ferromanganese crusts of the northernmost Pacific has been carried out for the first time. The relationship of the 87Sr/86Sr ratio and εNd value of the residual fraction in heterochronous layers of the ferromanganese crusts have shown that the sources of detrital matter are from rock weathering by the Yukon River, the Kuskokwim River, the Anadyr River and the rivers of Kamchatka. The amount of aluminosilicate impurity does not affect the isotopic compositions of the chemogenic (loosely bound, Mn oxides or manganese, hydrous Fe oxides or ferrous) fractions. The decreased εNd value in the ferrous fraction seems to be related to the presence of rare earth element (REE) phosphate complexes in seawater. The increase in those complexes is a consequence of melt waters entering the ocean during warming periods. Our data indicate that the carbonate REE complexes are not the dominant form of the REEs in the northernmost Pacific, which leads to the fact that the neodymium isotopic compositions of the manganese and ferrous fractions of hydrogenous ferromanganese crusts are different. A decrease in εNd value in the ferrous fraction may be a marker of a local increase in the surface water bioproductivity. Our data also show that the increase of the REE in the ferrous fraction relative to the manganese fraction does not reflect the participation of hydrothermal matter in the formation of mixed hydrogenous–hydrothermal crusts but is a consequence of an increase in the REE phosphate complexes.

Geomorphological Processes in the Central Kamchatka Depression (the Kamchatka Peninsula, Ne Pacific) During the Last 30 Ka

The paper presents a reconstruction of geomorphological processes in the Central Kamchatka Depression (CKD) since 30 ka, including the global LGM time. Major geomorphological processes of this period included the evolution of volcanic edifices accompanied by steady tectonic submergence. Glaciers that originated from volcanic edifices were greatly affected by both climatic forcing and the eruptive history of their host volcanoes.
 The most prominent geomorphological feature of the studied time was a giant paleolake filled the CKD. The reassessed extent and timing of glaciation and volcanism provided the possible lake fill and discharge model due to the evolution of a piedmont glacier originating from the Old Shiveluch Volcano edifice. The lake discharge likely was gradual and started some 19 ka during the cold settings of LGM, and therefore did not have a climatic origin. The most possible trigger of the discharge is the change in ice supply from the highly active Shiveluch Volcano due to large sector collapses. During the Holocene, the ongoing tectonic submergence of the CKD have been preventing the complete drainage of this paleolake. Even now, an enormously wide floodplain of the Kamchatka River hosts a lacustrine system with a total area of water surface comparable to the largest lakes of the peninsula.

The Problem of the Origin, Localization and Chronology of the Tarya Late Neolithic Culture of Kamchatka

Purpose. This article presents one of the most brilliant ancient culture of Kamchatka – Tarya culture of the late Neolithic period. The author discusses the culture’s localization and chronology, lists the most important sites, gives a description of dwellings, characterizes the economy of Tarya people, and presents the culture material complex.Results. Early complexes attributed to the Tarya culture and determined by the 3rd millennium BC are represented by three archeological sites. They are characterized by a combination of small and large stone tools, various leaf-shaped points, sharp-edged adzes and axes, the absence of bone artifacts, and above-ground dwellings. This period is poorly represented in articles and possibly heterogeneous. The most represented period of the Tarya culture, for which the largest number of dates has been established, dates back to the 2nd and even more so to the 1st millennium BC. The main occupation of the Tarya people was fishing, hunting for land animals and catching sea animals in the rookeries.Conclusion. The most ancient sites of this culture are located on the southeast coast. As a result of the contacts of the Tarya coastal population with the inhabitants of the Kamchatka River valley, a continental cultural community of hunters and fishermen arose, which combined the blade technique and tools polishing, as well as, although to a lesser extent, the tradition of using labrets. Dating the Tarya culture should probably be dated to 2nd – 1st millennium BC. The Old Itel’men culture, in which local variants are distinguished, develops on the basis of the Tarya culture from the 1st millennium AD. Northern Kamchatka was probably the place of active cultural contacts between the ancient popu[1]lation of Kamchatka, Priokhot’e and Chukotka, where the local communities having a certain originality were formed.

Assessment of the complex effects of fisheries and hydrological conditions in Kamchatsky Gulf on formation of Pacific salmon spawning stocks in Kamchatka River

The paper represents results of longterm analysis of the state of the Pacific salmon stocks in Kamchatka River. It is admitted, that high-level effects of fisheries resulted in degradation of the spawning stock (stock abundance) of major local salmon stock units in the basin of Kamchatka River. Commercial importance and previous reproduction potential of all Pacific salmon species has been lost in the mediate and upper parts of the river. This situation was especially noticable in 2018–2020.In view of the trend in the dynamics of salmon stocks in the Kamchatka scientists of KamchatNIRO suggested additional measures of fishery regulation in the Kamchatsky Gulf and Kamchatka River basin. A target strategy of management of fishing Pacific salmon in Kamchatka River was developed as a result, including a complex of limitations to start fishing (catches), a system of stop-fishing days and periods of full stop fishing to provide escapement for spawning.Moreover, regular annual biological monitoring of Pacific salmon of Kamchatka River, provided by KamchatNIRO, was noticeably strengthened with additional hydroacoustic counting and control fishing at the fishery plot № 832. Hydrological-hydroacoustic surveys in Kamchatka Gulf began in 2018 also were to improve the regional scientific monitoring.Results of the surveys 2019–2021 allowed to evaluate current effects of hydrological regime and fishing in Kamchatka Gulf on formation of salmon spawning stocks in Kamchatka River. It has been found, that the changes of the morphodynamics of the Kamchatka River mouth in 2021 resulted in wider area of freshwater effects in Kamchatka Gulf. That was a trigger of redistribution of prespawning salmon aggregations on their migration routs to the river mouth, what eased press of fishing in the area of plots of marine fixed gill nets. In this way the spawning escapement of Pacific salmon into the basin of Kamchatka River this year increased.

Проект «Скопа в России»: основные результаты работы в 2019–2023 годах

Проект «Скопа в России»: основные результаты работы в 2019–2023 годах

ПРОДОЛЬНЫЕ СДВИГИ В ОСТРОВНОЙ ДУГЕ ПРИ НОРМАЛЬНОМ ПОДДВИГЕ ОКЕАНИЧЕСКОЙ ПЛИТЫ: ПРИМЕР КАМЧАТКИ

Crustal deformation in Kamchatka since the Middle Pleistocene is driven by two processes: transverse extension as a result of its eastern part displacement towards the ocean following the submerged part of the oceanic plate, and transverse shortening just north of the subduction zone as the Komandor block of the Aleutian arc gets closer to Kamchatka. The areas of differently directed movements and deformations of Kamchatka are separated by the left-lateral horizontal flexure appearing in plan as curved uplifts of the Eastern Range, the deep water trench, and consequently, the axis of the East volcanic belt. Kinematically, the flexure replaces the expected transverse left-lateral strike-slip fault between the two differently deformed parts of Kamchatka. The revealed right-lateral displacements along the longitudinal faults in the northern part of the uplift of the Eastern Range in Kamchatka result from bedding-plane slip in the flexure limb. The high alluvial terrace of the Kamchatka River, displaced landforms, and faulted layers of the soil-pyroclastic cover were dated by the tephrochronological method. Age determinations imply that the recurrence of displacements along the faults of the flexure is about once every 3-5 thousand years, and the average rate of lateral displacements during the second half of the Holocene is about 1 mm per year. Comparison of the fault movement rates and the maximum value of the accumulated lateral displacement of the Kamchatka River valley suggest that horizontal movements began no later than the second half of the Middle Pleistocene. This also means that the Kamchatka River valley already existed at that time, and its antecedent part was formed when down-cutting into the bedrock of the uplifting Eastern Range. The total amount of displacement along the faults of the flexure since the second half of the Middle Pleistocene is estimated at about 1 km. On the whole, the results suggest the possibility of lateral movements along longitudinal faults in an island arc with the oceanic plate direction being normal to it.

Активность геоморфологических процессов на склонах речных долин в условиях газогидротермальных проявлений (по разновременным снимкам и ЦМР)

In the geothermal zones of modern volcanic areas, geomorphological processes are considerably influenced by numerous gas-hydrothermal outcrops, which may dramatically change rock properties and, consequently, denudation peculiarities and rates. The activity of processes on the slopes of Kamchatka river valleys under conditions of gas-hydrothermal occurrences (Geysernaya river valley) and without them (Shumnaya river valley) has been studied and comparatively analyzed. For the most correct separation and comparison of the valley regions which differ in the conditions of development of the modern slope processes, ArcticDEM digital elevation model and a series of morphometric maps (slope steepness, exposition, elementary watersheds) built on its basis, as well as geological maps, results of thermal survey of different detail level and field observation data were used. Interpretation of high spatial resolution images (0.5–5 m) for the mid-1960s (KeyHole-4 CORONA) and modern images for the period 2016–2021 from different survey systems was carried out. As a result of decoding, quantitative assessments of slope conditions within the selected valley fragments selected on the basis of morphometry were obtained for two time slices separated by 55 years. It is established that under conditions of gas-hydrothermal manifestations development, the share of the total area of the slope’s sections affected by active processes, with other conditions being equal, is significantly higher than the same in the areas without gas-hydrotherms. For 55 years the share of the areas with slope processes activation on the background areas practically has not changed, and on the territories affected by gas-hydrothermal influence has increased by 10–17 %. The conducted studies allow us to conclude that gas-hydrothermal manifestations are the most powerful driver of modern geomorphological processes on slopes in the studied region.

On survival of the larvae of marine parasitic nematode <i>Anisakis simplex</i> sensu lato (Rudolphi, 1809) in the fresh waters

Survival of the larvae of marine parasitic nematode Anisakis simplex sensu lato (Rudolphi, 1809) in the fresh waters was monitored. In total, 37 live larvae of A. simplex s.l. were sampled from charr Salvelinus malma caught in the lower reaches of the Kamchatka River. The larvae were kept in the freshwater refreshed everyday, without food, their viability was examined daily at 9 a.m. All larvae were still alive in the 4 th day (100 %); 2.7 % were alive after 9 days in freshwater, but all of them were died after 10 days. Dependence of the number of dead larvae on the time of their exposition in the freshwater is well approximated by von Bertalanffy equation (R 2 = 0.996). Besides, viability of A. simplex s.l. larvae in the bodies of dead sockeye spawners was examined at the spawning grounds in Lake Azabachye: the larvae were alive in the body cavity of fish that died at least 3–5 days ago and remained alive at least 3 days more being placed in the freshwater. The larvae of marine nematode A. simplex s.l. are able to enter to the fresh waters with migratory fish. Following to our results, they can survive there for several days. So, measures for disinfecting against A. simplex s.l. are recommended for the freshwater fish caught in the water bodies connected with the marine environment.

Life-history variation as a source of diversity for endemic white charr (Salmonidae) of the lower Kamchatka River.

Sympatric fish morphs diversifying in their feeding pattern in fresh waters typically implement alternative migratory tactics so that omnivores become migrants and specialists-residents. Charrs of the genus Salvelinus populating the lower Kamchatka River (Northeast Asia) are a rare example wherein two related sympatric morphs both implement a variety of life-history tactics in parallel. Here the authors analyse the ecological diversity in the endemic piscivorous "white" morph that exploits resources of the Kamchatka River in sympatry with the partially anadromous invertivorous "Dolly Varden" (DV) morph. Eco-morphological criteria allowed the authors to validate the morph identification. The white charr (WC) was found to subdivide into the small-sized (up to 1.6 kg) fish inhabiting the lacustrine part of the ecosystem and the large-sized (up to 3.4 kg) fish inhabiting the main river channel. The persistent spatial segregation of the sub-groups was confirmed by significant differences in the life span, muscle δ13 С signature and parasite load. According to contrasting patterns of strontium accumulation in otoliths, the riverine WC is represented by resident and semi-anadromous individuals. At the same time, the lack of microsatellite DNA differentiation and allometric nature of the morphometric discrepancy point to the intra-population source of the WC polymorphism. The authors suggest that WC diverged from DV as a result of feeding specialization on the threespine stickleback numerous in the ecosystem since the temporary flooding by marine waters in the middle Holocene. The modern stickleback division into local stocks following the ecosystem differentiation into a river, side lake and estuary resulted in the WC life-history split and ecological radiation.

Abnormalities in the ovaries of sockeye salmon spawners in the Kamchatka River in 2019

Based on histological analysis of the ovaries of sockeye salmon spawners in the Kamchatka River, numerous abnormalities leading to resorption are shown in the structure of vitellogenic oocytes. Fertility of mature female sockeye salmon decreases due to the resorption of the vitellogenic oocytes. Presence of ovaries with abnormal oocytes implies oocyte resorption in fish being a phenomenon associated with mechanism of natural regulation of final fertility. Such mechanism is required in view of changing fish body length and weight in the sockeye salmon of the Kamchatka River. Numerous abnormalities in the ovaries indicate of a decreasing reproductive capacity of spawners and commercial quality of the eggs.

Reproductive Relations of White Char and Dolly Varden, Salvelinus malma сomplex (Salmonidae), in the Lower Course of the Kamchatka River (Russia)

Reproductive Relations of White Char and Dolly Varden, Salvelinus malma сomplex (Salmonidae), in the Lower Course of the Kamchatka River (Russia)

Cell composition of blood for Salvelinus malma (Salmonidae) from the Raduga River (Kamchatka)

Hematopoiesis is a mechanism of multifunctional adaptation in vertebrates, including fish. Adaptive capabilities of populations are studied for a species of genus Salvelinus with high ecological plasticity. Char Salvelinus malma is represented in Kamchatka by the anadromous, river, brook, and several lake forms. Peripheral blood cells are investigated for this species juveniles and adults from the Raduga River in the lower Kamchatka River basin. The fish sampled in August 2013 were divided into two groups: sexually mature individuals (10 specimens) and juveniles (10 specimens). The body length (AC) of mature chars (mean ± standard deviation, range in brackets) was 338.90 ± 12.64 (304.0–380.0) mm, the body weight — 437.40 ± 57.74 (235.0–735.0) g, their sex ratio was close to 1 : 1. The length of juvenile chars was 150.50 ± 9.14 (104.0–195.0) mm, the weight — 33.90 ± 6.19 (10.1–68.8) g. Blood was sampled from the caudal vessel of alive fish immediately after catching, the blood smears were dried and fixed with May-Grunwald dye and then stained with azure-eosin. Composition of leukocytes and erythrocytes was determined on the stained blood smears. The blood cells were classified according to Ivanova (1983) and Zhiteneva et al. (1989). Statistical significance of the blood cells composition differences between fish groups was assessed using the Mann-Whitney U-test, after checking for normal distribution of characteristics (Kolmogorov-Smirnov test). The erythroid row of S. malma was represented by proliferating (erythroblasts, basophilic and polychromatophilic normoblasts), maturing (oxyphilic normoblasts) and mature erythrocytes, the leukocyte row — by blast cells, agranulocytes and granulocytes. The juveniles were characterized by intense proliferative processes (great number of immature erythrocytes, large and medium lymphocytes, presence of blast cells) and appearance of poikilocytes; the sexually mature chars were distinguished by greater number of granulocytes, mainly due to stab and segmented neutrophils (p < 0.01). Parasitological analysis showed different infestation of the juvenile and adult chars by pathogenic helminths (Anisakis simplex, Eubothrium salvelini, Neoechinorhynchus salmonis) that influenced on their blood. Broad adaptive capabilities of S. malma hematopoiesis provided by wide morphological and functional diversity of blood cells are concluded that maintains homeostasis of the species. Blood indices for char from the Raduga River can be used to form reference intervals for monitoring physiological state of this species.

Factors determining spawning run dynamics and current state of sockeye salmon <i>Oncorhynchus nerka</i> resources in the Kamchatka River

Hydrological regime and morphodynamics of the outlet part of the Kamchatka River, dynamics of mixing zone, patterns of juvenile Pacific salmon distribution and migration in the coastal waters of Kamchatsky Gulf in the zone of operating trap nets were analyzed on the results of complex field works prowided in summer period in 2018–2019; fishing and specifics of sockeye salmon spawning run in the river was described. In the course of analyzing the entire complex of available long-term data, an assessment of the likely impact of some key factors on the dynamics of anadromous migration of sockeye salmon in the Kamchatka River was made; biological statistics of spawners and current state of reproduction of this stock was demonstrated. It is found, that natural environmental factors, neither abiotic nor biotic (including fish health as population internal factor), could not cause disturbance of sockeye salmon spawning run dynamics in the Kamchatka River in recent years. Smoller body size and physiological imperfection of the spawners before the anadromous migration due to effects of high number of pink salmon in recent years are suggested to be the most likely cause of spawning run delay in late sockeye salmon morph. Regime of commercial use of the stock and general increasing pressure on the spawning stock by coastal fisheries are demonstrated to be the strongest outer factors to affect modern state of the resources and sockeye salmon population structure in the Kamchatka River, causing permanent escapement deficiency on spawning grounds in the river basin (first of all in the late morph), and also infact lead to disballance between different subpopulation groups in the composition of the stock. Recommendations in order to provide recovery and sustainable level of the Kamchatka River sockeye salmon stock are given in the perspective of more efficient commercial use of the stock next several years; highlights for further researches are outlined.

Natural toxic impact and thyroid signalling interplay orchestrates riverine adaptive divergence of salmonid fish.

Adaptive radiation in fishes has been actively investigated over the last decades. Along with numerous well-studied cases of lacustrine radiation, some examples of riverine sympatric divergence have been recently discovered. In contrast to the lakes, the riverine conditions do not provide evident stability in the ecological gradients. Consequently, external factors triggering the radiation, as well as developmental mechanisms underpinning it, remain unclear. Herein, we present the comprehensive study of external and internal drivers of the riverine adaptive divergence of the salmonid fish Salvelinus malma. In the Kamchatka River, north-east Asia, this species splits in the reproductively isolated morphs that drastically differ in ecology and morphology: the benthivorous Dolly Varden (DV) and the piscivorous stone charr (SC). To understand why and how these morphs originated, we performed a series of field and experimental work, including common-garden rearing, comparative ontogenetic, physiological and endocrinological analyses, hormonal 'engineering' of phenotypes and acute toxicological tests. We revealed that the type of spawning ground acts as the decisive factor driving the radiation of S. malma. In contrast to DV spawning in the leaf krummholz zone, SC reproduces in the zone of coniferous forest, which litter has a toxic impact on developing fishes. SC enhances resistance to the toxicants via metabolism acceleration provided by the elevated thyroid hormone expenditure. These physiological changes lead to the multiple heterochronies resulting in a specific morphology and ecology of SC. Salvelinus malma represents a notable example of how the thyroid axis contributes to the generation of diverse phenotypic outcomes underlying the riverine sympatric divergence. Our findings, along with the paleoecology data concerning spruce forest distribution during the Pleistocene, provide an opportunity to reconstruct a scenario of S. malma divergence. Taken together, obtained results with the data of the role of thyroid hormones in the ontogeny and diversification of fishes contribute a resource to consider the thyroid axis as a prime director orchestrating the phenotypic plasticity promoting evolutionary diversification under the changing environmental conditions.

Количественная оценка плановых переформирований РЕКИ Камчатки

A quantitative assessment of channel planform changes on the 600-km channel of the Kamchatka River was carried out. Possibilities of semi-automatic GIS-interpretation of satellite images were used for retrospective analysis of such an extended section of a large river. It was estimated that 37% of the left bank length and 44% of the right bank length are eroded. The amount of material coming into the channel due to riverbanks erosion significantly exceeds the sediment runoff, which determines channel type and regime of channel changes. Processes of bank erosion vary on the scale of the longitudinal profile and different channel types. Downstream according to decrease of channel slope, a decrease of bank erosion intensity is observed. The most important factor of bank erosion on the river local section is the volume of material coming from the upstream sections. A quantitative analysis and forecast of planform changes of a river section requires a differential assessment for different morphodynamic channel types, taking into account characteristics of channel processes in the upstream river sections. The bank erosion prognostic equations obtained for the meandering channel and the floodplain-channel multiple branches of the Kamchatka River are discussed.

ВИДОВОЙ СОСТАВ И РАСПРЕДЕЛЕНИЕ НЕПРОМЫСЛОВЫХ РАКООБРАЗНЫХ ШЕЛЬФА КАМЧАТСКОГО ЗАЛИВА В 2013 ГОДУ

The distribution of settlement density and biomass of non-commercial crustaceans in the shelf zone of the Kamchatka Gulf in 2013 based on the materials of 23 dredging stations was shown. 130 species of noncommercial crustaceans belonging to 5 taxonomic groups were identified. The most abundant stocks of noncommercial crustaceans were depths from 150 to 200 m. In the northern part of the Kamchatka Gulf near the Kamchatka River mouth a biocenosis has been preserved, identified earlier by A.P. Kuznetsov in his research, and according to the results of our research conducted in the central part of the Kamchatka Gulf shelf at a depth of 186 m, another biocenosis with amphipod dominance can be identified. The cold-water species of the boreal-arctic complex predominate in the shelf zone of the Kamchatka Gulf.

The assessment of the adult escapement of the Ozernaya River sockeye salmon (Oncorhynchus nerka) with the hydroacustic method

Results of in situ testing of BioSonics DT-X and Didson hydroacustic systems set on migrating path to spawning grounds of adult sockeye salmon in the Ozernaya River are presented. Two million 374 thousand fishes was recognized and counted for the whole working period of the systems, including one million 276 thousand individuals registered by BioSonics DT-X echo-sounder and 1 million 98 thousand – by Didson imaging sonar. The data on the assessment of Pacific salmon escapement in the Ozernaya River allow to make recommendations on the use of the BioSonics DT-X and Didson hydroacustic systems as a tool for assessment of Pacific salmon escapement in rivers of Kamchatka.

Trace element content in tissues of sockeye salmon from several waterbodies of the Kamchatka Peninsula

The results of the study of macro- (Ca, Mg) and micro- (Mn, Zn, Cu, Fe) elements content in the pectoral fin tissue of adult sockeye salmon Oncorhynchus nerka from the rivers Bolshaya and Kamchatka as well as from Azabachye Lake (Kamchatka Peninsula) are presented. The significant differences in the contents in samples from the three waterbodies were found. It was ascertained that the largest ash proportion (and the mass fraction of trace elements) in dry matter contained in the tissues of sockeye salmon from Kamchatka River, the smallest in the sample of Azabachye Lake. The Ca content was 98 % of the ash mass in all samples; Mg accounted for slightly less than 2 %. The proportion of the remaining elements varied within 0.1 %, and exactly in this range the differences in the microelement composition between the samples were revealed. In sockeye salmon tissues from the Kamchatka River, the content of heavy metals as well as Ca and Mg was higher than in other samples, and their percentage ratio considerably differed from the others. Obviously, the water bodies studied sufficiently distinguish in hydrochemical indices, and that is the cause of differences in bioaccumulation intensities of trace elements in fish tissues at the freshwater life stage.