Western Kamchatka Research Articles

Results of quantitative count of not numerous species of pacific salmon at the fish enumeration facility in the headwaters of the Ozernaya River (Western Kamchatka)

Results of investigations of spawning run and quantitative assessment of Pacific salmon (pink salmon, chum salmon, coho salmon and chinook salmon) obtained during counting the sockeye salmon at fish enumeration facility in the headwaters of the Ozernaya River. It is revealed that abundance of various Pacific salmon species except sockeye salmon reaches significant values in some years in Kurile Lake. The presented data supplement knowledge about biology and reproductive ecology of pink salmon, chum salmon, coho salmon and chinook salmon.

Hidden in plain sight: migration routes of the elusive Anadyr bar‐tailed godwit revealed by satellite tracking

Satellite and GPS tracking technology continues to reveal new migration patterns of birds which enables comparative studies of migration strategies and distributional information useful in conservation. Bar‐tailed godwits in the East Asian–Australasian Flyway Limosa lapponica baueri and L. l. menzbieri are known for their long non‐stop flights, however these populations are in steep decline. A third subspecies in this flyway, L. l. anadyrensis, breeds in the Anadyr River basin, Chukotka, Russia, and is morphologically distinct from menzbieri and baueri based on comparison of museum specimens collected from breeding areas. However, the non‐breeding distribution, migration route and population size of anadyrensis are entirely unknown. Among 24 female bar‐tailed godwits tracked in 2015–2018 from northwest Australia, the main non‐breeding area for menzbieri, two birds migrated further east than the rest to breed in the Anadyr River basin, i.e. they belonged to the anadyrensis subspecies. During pre‐breeding migration, all birds staged in the Yellow Sea and then flew to the breeding grounds in the eastern Russian Arctic. After breeding, these two birds migrated southwestward to stage in Russia on the Kamchatka Peninsula and on Sakhalin Island en route to the Yellow Sea. This contrasts with the other 22 tracked godwits that followed the previously described route of menzbieri, i.e. they all migrated northwards to stage in the New Siberian Islands before turning south towards the Yellow Sea, and onwards to northwest Australia. Since the Kamchatka Peninsula was not used by any of the tracked menzbieri birds, the 4500 godwits counted in the Khairusova–Belogolovaya estuary in western Kamchatka may well be anadyrensis. Comparing migration patterns across the three bar‐tailed godwits subspecies, the migration strategy of anadyrensis lies between that of menzbieri and baueri. Future investigations combining migration tracks with genomic data could reveal how differences in migration routines are evolved and maintained.

Diversity of life history traits, growth, and lipid storage in migratory variants of steelhead and rainbow trout (Oncorhynchus mykiss) in Kamchatka, Russia

Partial migration in salmonids provides access to freshwater and marine feeding environments varying in productivity. To test the hypothesis that partial migration drives differences in growth and energy storage with differential consequences for females than males, we assigned Oncorhynchus mykiss sampled on the western Kamchatka Peninsula, Russia, to one of five life history contingents based on scale patterns. Stable isotopes, obtained from a subset of fish, indicated different foraging by fish showing oceanic and coastal anadromous life histories. In younger fish, body size was largest in anadromous fish feeding on the high seas, intermediate for those feeding in coastal environments, and smallest for nonanadromous fish feeding in rivers. Older fish converged on large (oceanic) and small (coastal and freshwater) body sizes. Somatic lipid content, also collected for a subset of fish, averaged 2.5% across all life histories. Percent lipid was highest in females of ocean and males of coastal and freshwater life histories. Taken together, migratory patterns predictably influenced growth but may limit compensatory lipid storage in females, especially for the rare life histories.

ПОЛОВОЕ СОЗРЕВАНИЕ ДВУХ ВИДОВ КАМБАЛ (PLEURONECTES QUADRITUBERCULATUS И LIMANDA ASPERA) (PLEURONECTIDAE) У БЕРЕГОВ ЮГО-ВОСТОЧНОЙ КАМЧАТКИ

The paper presents the characteristics of sexual maturation of the yellowfin sole Limanda aspera and the lemon sole Pleuronectes quadrituberculatus off the coast of southeastern Kamchatka in 1959–2020. The proportion of mature fish depending on the length was analyzed on the basis of empirical and theoretical data, the dynamics of maturation of the gonads of males and females of two flounders by months was characterized. In the Pacific waters of Kamchatka, males and females of the yellowfin sole mature at a smaller size than in the eastern part of the Bering Sea and at a larger size than off the coast of Western Kamchatka. Mass maturation of lemon sole takes place first in the eastern part of the Bering Sea, then near southeastern Kamchatka, and lastly on the western Kamchatka shelf.

НОВЫЕ ДАННЫЕ ПО ВУЛКАНОГЕННО-ОСАДОЧНОМУ КОМПЛЕКСУ НЕОГЕНА ИЧИНСКОЙ ВПАДИНЫ: РАЗРЕЗ ТЫРКАЧИН (ЗАПАДНАЯ КАМЧАТКА)

In the 90-m river bank of the middle reaches of the Icha River, thick strata of volcano-sedimentary deposits represented by pyroclastic rocks and siliceous tuffites with layers of diatomites were studied. Representative diatom assemblages assigned to the Middle Miocene Denticulopsis hyalina Zone (14.9–13.1 Ma) indicate relatively deep-water conditions of the marine basin. Comparison with the data on diatom assemblages from reference sections of Western Kamchatka indicates that the deposits of the Tyrkachin section belong to the upper part of the Kakert Formation. The petrographic composition and lithological structure of volcanogenic formations (members 1, 2, and 4) suggest that they are the product of pyroclastic flows associated with volcanic activity in central Kamchatka. It is assumed that Members 1 and 2 were formed in subaerial conditions, as indicated by the complete absence of marine microfossils, signs of primary volcanic stratification, and the absence of layering. The sediments of Member 4 with eroded contacts and pronounced layering apparently accumulated in a subaqueous setting

Evaluating the effectiveness of fine gold extraction technologies on the example of titanomagnetite beach placers of the western coast of Kamchatka

The material on the gold content of coastal-marine deposits of the western coast of Kamchatka is analyzed and the resource potential is briefly characterized. A review of gold technological estimates obtained from the study of gold-bearing samples taken in promising areas of the coastal-marine strip, from the Bolshaya Vorovskaya River in the north to Cape Levashova in the south, is presented. Stock materials supplemented by our studies were used. Gold-bearing deposits with very fine (0.05-0.1 mm) and fine (0.1-1.0 mm) gold amounting to 94.6 % were tested, as well as samples with gold up to 2 mm and more in addition to fine gold The content of freely recoverable gold reached 91.9 %. In the case of significant gold reserves in placers, prospects for their commercial development open up. experiments on the enrichment of gold-bearing coastal-marine deposits of Western Kamchatka indicate the possibility of extraction of free gold and other valuable components from them. Gravity technologies and modern equipment developed by ОАО Irgiredmet and JSC ITOMAK are the most effective for their extraction. enrichment of gold-bearing formations with simultaneous extraction of several useful components from them, which is possible with the use of fluoride technology, can also become economically advantageous.

Middle Eocene flora of the Bering Island (Komandor Islands, North-eastern Asia)

In this work, a securely dated middle Eocene plant fossil assemblage is described and illustrated. Plant fossils come from the volcanogenic-terrigenous deposits of the Tolstyi Cape Formation and Buyan Formation exposed in the east and south-east parts of the Bering Island, Komandor Islands (Commander Islands) group. They belong to conifers (four species) and dicotyledonous angiosperms (five species). A new combination Cupressinocladus napanensis (Budantsev) comb. nov. is described, a neotype and emended diagnosis for the species Dicotylophyllum beringianum (Chelebaeva et Akhmetjev) Budantsev and a later synonym for the species Macclintockia sabinae (Chelebaeva et Akhmetjev) Chelebaeva are proposed. The flora is shown to be most similar to the diverse late Eocene flora of Western Kamchatka. This, in turn, allows us to suppose that the Kamchatkan flora might be middle to late Eocene in age. It reflects coniferous-broadleaved deciduous vegetation existed in a wet temperate climate of northeast Asia.

The Egg Mortality in Walleye Pollock (Gadus chalcogrammus Pallas, 1814) during Embryogenesis in Waters off the Western Kamchatka Coast

The Egg Mortality in Walleye Pollock (Gadus chalcogrammus Pallas, 1814) during Embryogenesis in Waters off the Western Kamchatka Coast

A Model-Based Study of Phytoplankton Condition Using Remote Sensing Data for the Western Kamchatka Shelf

A method for estimating the integral microalgae biomass beneath a unit surface was designed based on a mathematical model for phytoplankton vital function in the water column and subsequently tested. The model was verified based on data collected during field studies. The results of remote sensing allow extending this method to cover large territories (areas of water). The phytoplankton abundance in the waters of the western Kamchatka shelf in a cold year was compared to that in a warm year using satellite-derived data. It has been found that in the northern part of the shelf the total phytoplankton biomass in the cold year of 2016 was generally higher than that in the warm year of 2015. According to the assessments, as confirmed by data from the literature, this may be caused by the dynamics in the phytoplankton species structure.

РАЗМЕРНО-ВЕСОВАЯ СТРУКТУРА И ПЛОДОВИТОСТЬ АНАДРОМНОЙ СИМЫ (ONCORHYNCHUS MASOU) НА ЗАПАДНОЙ КАМЧАТКЕ

Masu salmon Oncorhynchus masou is the most thermophilic species among the Pacific salmon, and Kamchat-ka peninsula is the northern border of its distribution. Due to small abundance, the biology of this species on the peninsula is poorly studied. Regular scientific researches of Masu salmon in Kamchatka have been con-ducted since 2009. The length-weight structures and fecundity of mature Masu salmon have been analyzed in several streams on western Kamchatka over a 10-year period (from 2009 to 2018) and present time. It has been established that the length, weight and fecundity of mature fish are different in the rivers of the peninsula. A tendency of increasing the biological characteristic of the species in recent years has been noted.

Estimation of freshwater discharge from western Kamchatka Peninsula to the Sea of Okhotsk using SWAT model

Estimation of freshwater discharge from western Kamchatka Peninsula to the Sea of Okhotsk using SWAT model

The Current Status of the Red King Crab (Paralithodes camtschaticus) Stock and Fishery off Western Kamchatka

The current status of the red king crab population off western Kamchatka is considered based on data from bottom trawl surveys and fishery statistics since 2013. Some biological parameters of this crab species are provided; its commercial stock is estimated; some features of red king crab fishery and determination of total allowable catch for the past 7 years are analyzed. The red king crab fishing was resumed in 2013 after an 8-year ban imposed due to the population decline. During this period, the stock recovered and reached values greater than those recorded before the ban: the total estimated size of red king crab population in 2017 was almost 244 million ind., which is the highest value for the recent 17 years of research; the estimated number of commercial-sized males, 110 million ind., has not been recorded from the western Kamchatka shelf for at least past 4 decades. Recently, the Severny Zapretny and Khairyuzovsky areas of the shelf zone have yielded their role of main feeding grounds for pre-recruit crabs and juveniles to the Ichinsky area located south. For the 7 years of red king crab fishery, harvest values have been steadily high. In the past 3 years, the major part of the annual catch of live crabs has been exported to China and South Korea. As the analysis of size structure show, the body size of male red king crabs has been increasing each year all over the shelf. This may be explained by the strict sorting of caught crabs aboard vessels transporting live crabs with the release of the largest individuals; another possible explanation is the relatively low recorded number of pre-recruits in the past 2 years. For the 7 years past (including 2019), the fishing mortality rate is estimated within a range of 5–16% of the crab stock actually recorded from the permitted fishery areas, which is a highly cautious approach. In the nearest future, the crab commercial stock is expected to gradually decrease, which, nevertheless, should not fall below the reference target value of biomass. The current status of the red king crab population off western Kamchatka does not raise concern, and the ongoing intense harvesting of this valuable species within the recommended catch size will not have any negative effect on its commercial stock.

Issues of the Cenozoic Stratigraphy of Western Kamchatka and the stages of evolution of the foraminifera paleocommunities

The study of the paleocommunities of foraminifera of the reference section of the Paleogene-Neogene of the Kvachin Bay in Western Kamchatka made it possible, based on the qualitative composition and quantitative ratios of the species encountered, to identify 13 layers with foraminifera corresponding to certain section intervals and to establish their successive change. Layers with foraminifera are combined into 4 complex zones. In terms of distribution, the identified zones are regional and can traced in adjacent regions. The change in paleocommunities corresponds to the process of evolutionary development of foraminifera, as well as a change in paleoenvironments. The noted changes in the composition and structure of zonal communities reflected in a certain staged development of microfauna.

PHYTOPLANKTON in the SEA of OKHOTSK along WESTERN KAMCHATKA: WARM vs COLD YEARS

The paper discusses phytoplankton distribution on the West Kamchatka shelf of the Sea of Okhotsk by comparing phytoplankton in spring-summer-autumn seasons of warm 2015 and cold 2016. Mathematical models are used to estimate the phytoplankton abundance in the water column. A model with an adaptation function is proposed. Satellite data on a sea surface are used as initial condition for solving a system of equations in a mathematical model. Satellite measurements contain chlorophyll “a” concentration, temperature and illumination for the surface water layer. Depth illumination is calculated by differential equation. Models tested on the basis of in situ data show an adequate display of the dynamics of integrated biomass depending on external conditions. The integrated use of satellites and information in situ makes it possible to estimate the phytoplankton abundance over a large area. To compare phytoplankton distributions in warm 2015 and cold 2016, a model with an adaptation function is used. The shelf of Western Kamchatka with its warm and cold year alternations shows the dynamics of the species composition vs the year type. Species composition changes to make the phytoplankton community be better adapted to changing environmental conditions.

Current state of stock and fishery of red king crab Paralithodes camtschaticus at West Kamchatka

Current state of the red king crab population at West Kamchatka is considered on the data of bottom trawl surveys and fishery statistics since 2013. Some biological parameters of the crabs and assessments of the commercial stock are presented; recent condition of the red king crab fishery and evaluation of the total allowable catch are discussed. The red king crab fishery was resumed in 2013, after 8 years of ban caused by the population decrease. During the ban, the stock restored and exceeded the value observed before the ban: the total accounted abundance of red king crab in 2017 was about 244 . 106 ind. that was the highest level for the last two decades, with the number of commercial males estimated as 110 . 106 ind. — this amount was never observed before on the shelf of western Kamchatka, at least in four decades of surveys. Recently the northern forbidden district and Khayryuzovsky district of the shelf zone lost their role of the main areas of crabs reproduction and their juveniles feeding, in favour to the Ichinsky district located southward. Recent fishery of red king crab is fruitful and sustainable. In the last 3 years, the major part of annual catch is transported alive to ports of China and South Korea. For this purpose, the caught crabs are sorted strictly aboard fishing vessels and the largest males are released back to the sea. Possibly, year-to-year increasing of the males size on the West Kamchatka shelf is caused by this sorting and releasing; another effect of the large-sized crabs releasing is relatively low number of recruits in the last couple of years. The fishery elimination coefficient is estimated in the range 5–16 % of the total accounted stock for 2013–2019, that shows a highly precautionary approach. Gradual decreasing of the crab commercial stock is forecasted for the nearest future, though the stock will remain above the target value. Current state of the red king crab population at West Kamchatka is not considered as dangerous, and ongoing intense fishery of this valuable species within the recommended volumes will not affect this sustainable state.

Quantitative Estimation and Comparison of the Trophic Niches of the Kamchatka Flounder Atheresthes evermanni, the Pacific Halibut Hippoglossus stenolepis, and the Greenland Halibut Reinhardtius matsuurae, by the Isotope Composition of Carbon and Nitrogen of the Food Components

The width of trophic niches of the Kamchatka flounder Atheresthes evermanni, the Pacific halibut Hippoglossus stenolepis, and the Greenland halibut Reinhardtius matsuurae have been assessed quantitatively on the Western Kamchatka shelf of the Sea of ​​Okhotsk using the data of isotopic signatures of carbon (δ13C) and nitrogen (δ15N) of their prey. According to the corrected standard ellipse area, the trophic niche widths of the Kamchatka flounder, Pacific halibut, and Greenland halibut are 11.35, 9.41, and 12.36, respectively. The range of δ15N isotopic signatures (8.80–17.61) corresponds to the trophic level 2.63–5.22. According to the limits of variation of δ13C (–14.99… –22.9), the basic carbon sources for halibuts are the prey groups belonging to plankton, nekton, and nectobenthos. The maximum value of the niche overlap belongs to the Kamchatka flounder (93.25%) in the niche of the Greenland halibut; the minimum, on the contrary, belongs to the Greenland halibut (73.19%) in the niche of the Kamchatka flounder. The high degree in similarity of system-wide niche indicators calculated from the isotopic signatures of halibut/flounder prey is balanced by the differences of other parameters in specific habitats: depth, temperature, and food spectra variability in ontogenesis.

RELATIONSHIP OF THE GREENLAND HALIBUT STOCKS IN THE OKHOTSK SEA WITH ENVIRONMENTAL FACTORS

Dynamics of the greenland halibut biomass in the fishery districts of the Okhotsk Sea (or subzones) is considered. The biomass variation in the East-Sakhalin subzone has a significant (p < 0.05) negative correlation with the number of 3+ fish in other subzones, with the time lag of 3 years (r = –0.53) and 4 years (r = –0.49), that is interpreted as alternative distribution of the halibut recruitment from the common spawning area either to this district or other ones. From other hand, the recruits abundance in other districts is significantly and positively associated (r = 0.52, p < 0.05) with the index of zonal atmosphere transfer in January and with the index of meridional atmosphere transfer in March of the years of hatching. The recruitment dependence on the spawning stock could be explained by Beaverton-Holt equation with the residuals significantly and positively (r = 0.64, p = 0.03) related with the Arctic Oscillation index. Transport of the eggs, larvae and juveniles of greenland halibut from the spawning grounds at western Kamchatka to the western Okhotsk Sea is considered as the mechanism of its recruitment distribution between the districts in relation with atmospheric indices. The transport was simulated for 1993–2017 using the circulation model JCOPE2 as the movement of 250,000 artificial passive particles, imitating eggs and larvae, with water flows at the depth 40–50 m where their main aggregations are supposed. The particles were released in the area at western Kamchatka where the maximal concentration of spawning females occurred. Number of the particles reached the sections off eastern Sakhalin and their arrival times were computed, their pathways were tracked. The portion of particles released in December and reached northern Sakhalin within 150 days changed in significant positive correlation (r = 0.44, p < 0.05) with dynamics of the halibut stock in the East-Sakhalin subzone, with the time lag 6 years. Even closer correlation (r = 0.94, p < 0.05) could be found for the optimum income of the particles released in October or November in the general additive model of the stock. Using the model results for the recent years, the greenland halibut stock decreasing in the East-Sakhalin subzone is forecasted for the next 6 years.

ЛАМИНАРИЕВЫЕ ВОДОРОСЛИ ЗАПАДНОЙ КАМЧАТКИ

Western Kamchatka is still poorly studied in floristic and fishing aspects and there is no accurate understand-ing on the boundaries of different kelp species distribution in the area. During the 2020 field study in the coastal area located from Cape Ambon to the mouth of Utholok river, including the area proximate to Ptichiy Island, we found 5 kelp species, including Phyllariella ochotensis, Pseudolessonia laminarioides, Laminaria inclinatorhiza, Saccharina latissima, and Alaria esculenta sensu lato. The first 3 species are endemic to the mainland coast of the Sea of Okhotsk. A special search off the coast of southwestern Kamchatka for another Okhotsk endemic species, Laminaria appressirhiza, showed that it was absent. A representative of the Ber-ing Sea kelp flora Hedophyllum bongardianum does not occur on western Kamchatka north of 51°N. The morphometric characteristics of plants belonging to different age groups and morphological features typical for Western Kamchatka’s populations of these species are discussed. Additionally, the molecular phylogeny of L. appressirhiza and H. bongardianum collected from the Sea of Okhotsk are discussed. As shown, the first species belongs to the genus Laminaria. From a commercial point of view, this coastal area was estimated as unpromising for the organization of kelp collection by a traditional manual method.

Morphological and Genetic Heterogeneity of Sockeye Salmon Oncorhynchus nerka (Salmonidae) of Large Lake–River Systems in Eastern and Western Kamchatka

The morphological and genetic heterogeneity of sockeye salmon Oncorhynchus nerka (from both the mixed samples and the samples collected in different periods of its mass migration) catched in the mouths of the rivers of west (Ozernaya, Bolshaya, and Palana rivers) and east (Kamchatka River) costs of Kamchatka Peninsula has been analyzed. The stocks of the sockeye salmon inhabiting these river basins (including tributaries and lakes) are the largest in Asia. According to the assessment of the biological parameters and the allele frequencies at 45 loci of single-nucleotide polymorphism at the DNA level, no periodicity in the mass-spawning migration of the sockeye salmon in the rivers of the Kamchatka Peninsula’s western coast was revealed. The analysis of the sockeye salmon’s mixed samples collected from the western Kamchatka Peninsula rivers allowed identifying a group of fishes in the sample taken from the Bolshaya River that was ascertained to the lake form. With respect to the Ozernaya and Palana river samples, the phenotypic and genetic heterogeneity was not revealed. The heterogeneity revealed in the fish sample taken from the Kamchatka River’s mouth can point to a complex spatial-genetic structure of the sockeye salmon in the basin of this lake–river system. The differences between the samples collected during the mass migration through the river’s mainstream indicate the successive approach of fishes to the mouth by the local groups that spawn in the different parts of the river basin.

Primary Production and P/B of Phytoplankton on Western Kamchatka Shelf

Primary Production and P/B of Phytoplankton on Western Kamchatka Shelf