Aniva is a bay on Sakhalin, surrounded by steep cliffs, the most developed part of the coastal waters of this island. Its name in translation from the Ainu language means "standing surrounded by mountains", which fully corresponds to the appearance of this place. Here the Sea of Okhotsk penetrates deep into the land, and on the map the shape of the bay resembles the open mouth of a giant fish, which, according to many, looks like Sakhalin Island from above.
Location, nature, climatic conditions
The bay is located off the southern coast of Sakhalin Island and opens into the Laperouse Strait. The peninsulas surrounding it are called Tonino-Anivsky and Krillonsky. They are very popular among lovers of natural beauty.
The greatest depth in Aniva Bay is 93 meters. Its width is a little more than 100 kilometers, the length of the coastline is 90 meters. The narrowed part in the north of the bay has a separate name - Salmon Bay.
The temperature and movement of water in Aniva Bay are largely determined by the warm current called Soya. The weather here, as, indeed, throughout Sakhalin, is quite variable.
There are several rivers flowing into the bay: Lutoga, Susuya, Sigovka, Korsakovka, Tsunai and others.
The climate in Aniva Bay is characterized by experts as moderately cold. In summer, the air temperature rises to + 17 … + 19 ° C, and in the coldest months it drops to -15 … -16 ° C. The average annual rate: +3.2 C. This area is characterized by a large amount of rainfall, even in the dry season. The average annual rate is 808 mm. Their minimum number falls in March, the maximum - in August (33 and 113 mm, respectively).
Ebbs and flows in Aniva Bay (Sakhalin Oblast)
These natural phenomena are a common sight for the inhabitants of the ocean coasts. Specialists draw up their schedules taking into account the location of various settlements. Many local residents consider ebb and flow data in Aniva Bay in their plans. In the video below, you can see how the shore looks here at full low tide.
Population
This bay, in comparison with other places on Sakhalin, is densely populated. Here, in addition to other settlements, there are two cities: Korsakov and the same name - Aniva.
In the first of them a little more than 33 thousand inhabitants, in the second - about 9.5 thousand. Cities are the centers of the same regions of the Sakhalin Oblast. Aniva, being, like the whole of Sakhalin south of the 50th parallel, a part of Japan from 1905 to 1945 (46), was called Rutaka in this period. Korsakov was called Otomari. Both settlements, according to the law, are equated to areas of the Far North.
They are more than 8 thousand kilometers from the capital, and the time difference with Moscow is 8 hours.
Lighthouse in Aniva Bay
This abandoned lighthouse is the main attraction of the bay. It was erected on the cliff of Sivuchya at Cape Aniva in 1939. A lighthouse was built for three years. The architect was an engineer from Japan, Shinobu Miura. The construction cost 600 thousand yen. People worked on the lighthouse until 1990, after which it was equipped with isotope installations and operated autonomously until 2006. After removing the equipment was abandoned. Recovery was due to begin in 2015. At the moment, the lighthouse is abandoned and continues to collapse, despite the efforts of volunteers to preserve it.
Ecology
The bay is extremely rich in commercial fish and crabs. Among them are cod, flounder, herring, and elk breeds. According to scientists from universities in Tomsk and other cities in the world, the fauna of the bay can serve as an indicator of the state of nature not only of these places, but also of the entire Far Eastern region. So, recently, fish species uncharacteristic for this area began to fall into the network of fishermen in the bay, such as, for example, white, blue and whale sharks, Japanese sea pikeperch, European eel and others, usually living south, in warmer waters. At the same time, pink salmon, which is traditionally one of the main commercial species in the bay, have become much smaller in the waters. This is primarily indicative of global warming and, accordingly, a change in the food supply of fish. In addition, one of the largest plants in the world producing liquefied gas is operating in the bay. What is the impact of this object and the ports of the bay on the ichthyofauna, and whether it is, scientists have yet to find out. With the help of monitoring, it is supposed to find out which species are able to recover independently, and which ones need human help.
