The name of the Curonian lagoon comes from the ancient Baltic tribe of the Curonian lagoon. The bay is separated from the sea by the Curonian Spit. Most of it belongs to Russia, and in the north 415 square meters. km of water surface belongs to Lithuania.
History of occurrence
A few hundred years ago, the Curonian Lagoon was the open gulf of the Baltic and went into the land for a rather long distance. Its depth was about 20 meters. The spit that separates this gigantic lagoon from the Baltic Sea arose due to the gradual application of silt and sand by the sea current.
As a result, the East Bank increased tens of kilometers towards the bay, and sand dunes formed on the Curonian Spit itself. This barrier gradually grew, more and more separating the bay and the sea (Baltic). The Curonian lagoon was filled with fresh water brought by numerous rivers (the largest of them is the Neman). Water became less and less salty, and freshwater fish began to appear in it, while marine species, on the contrary, disappeared. Due to the large amount of sand, the depth became much less.
In its current form, the bay has been around for 4, 000 years. At that time, the braid had already gained its full length. On the shores and on the spit itself lived the people of the ancient Curonian tribe.
general description
The area of the bay belonging to Russia is 1118 sq. km Its depth is small and averages 3.7 meters. But there are troughs where the depth reaches 6 meters.
The length of the Curonian lagoon is about 100 km. It is separated from the sea by the Curonian Spit. And in the area of Klaipeda there is a small strait that connects the bay with the Baltic Sea. The water level in the bay is about 15 cm above sea level, due to which the difference in volume flows into the sea. In the Curonian lagoon itself, the water is fresh, salinity is not more than 8 ppm.
Underwater world
The Curonian Lagoon is a shallow lagoon of the Baltic Sea with low-salted, almost fresh water. The bottom has a hollow shape with slight deviations. The richness of aquatic vegetation in the lagoon is represented by numerous thickets of reeds, cattail, and reeds.
Near the coast, several species of elodea, water lilies, lilies, water moss, arrowhead, and hornwort are booming. By the way, the abundance of aquatic plants is important, since many fish lay eggs here during spawning.
Thanks to the underwater thickets, all types of fish (both fry and adults) can find food and shelter. Zooplankton is food for almost all species of fish that live in the bay: branched crustaceans, copepods, daphnia, a variety of worms, etc. Plankton and bottom organisms are also a rich forage base.
The rich forage base has led to the fact that among the inhabitants of the Curonian lagoon there are more than 50 species of fish. They are divided into 3 groups:
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Those types of fish that live in the bay constantly (residential fish). The most numerous in their group, having commercial value: pike, perch, roach, smelt.
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Fish that only spawn (migratory), such as whitefish, smelt.
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Inhabiting rivers, but sometimes entering the gulf (river fish). They are few in number and are rarely caught. This, for example, catfish, white-eye and loach.
Also in the waters of the Curonian lagoon lamprey lives (2 species at once: river and sea), as well as ordinary newt.
Curonian Spit
The narrow, long, saber-shaped sand spit along the Baltic Sea and the Curonian Lagoon is called the Curonian Spit. It stretches from the city of Zelenogradsk (Kaliningrad region) to the city of Klaipeda (Lithuania). In 2000, the Curonian Spit was included in the UNESCO World Heritage List.
Geographically, it is located in Russia and Lithuania. On the Russian part of it is located the Curonian Spit National Natural Park, the villages of Rybachy, Lesnoy and Morskoy. And since 1991, the Lithuanian side of the spit also has a national park.
The natural diversity of the described area is unique due to the unusual landscape and microclimate. There are pine forests, the trunks of growing trees there have intricate shapes (“dancing forest”), sand dunes, lichen fields, deciduous forests.
The national park has its very strict visiting rules, since the nature of the Curonian Spit is easily vulnerable. Any human influence can cause significant damage. Therefore, the passage and passage here are limited. It is forbidden to burn bonfires, and to put up tents and park cars is only possible in special places. Hiking is recommended on a sufficient number of flooring trails.
Curonian Spit as a tourist attraction
For educational tourism, the Curonian Lagoon and the sand spit along it are interesting objects. Very interesting buildings of all the villages located on the coast. They are distinguished by the traditional architecture of the Baltic states: unique wood carvings, peculiar color combinations, roofs made of tiles. For example, a settlement called Morskoye has perfectly preserved all the features traditionally inherent in the Curonian fishery.
To take a fascinating walk along the waters of the bay, just take a ticket for the boat. You can combine such a vacation with fishing. For swimming in the summer, the Curonian Lagoon is quite suitable. The water temperature in July-August (the most suitable months for a beach holiday) is 19-19.5ºС. For recreation, weather conditions are favorable from May to October.
Fishing on the Curonian lagoon
The described places also attract fishermen. Perch, pike, pikeperch are caught here all year round, warming up the hunting azar of spinningists. For lovers of fishing for float tackle, the Kaliningrad Bay, the Curonian Lagoon are the most visited reservoirs in the Kaliningrad Region. The most popular types of fish for them are bream, bream, crucian carp. From the Kaliningrad Gulf bream goes to fattening in the Baltic Sea, but in the Curonian Lagoon lives a whole year.
Perch in the bay is famous for its large size, you can catch it on fishing rods and spinning rods. The best places for fishing are the mouths of the Deyma, Matrosovka rivers and sand spits.
The main types of fish
The fish of the Curonian lagoon is very diverse, it includes both constantly living (bream, roach, pike, pike perch, perch), and seasonal ones that spawn (smelt, brown trout, whitefish). Baltic whitefish is on the bay since autumn. In winter, he feeds with smelt and smelt, gaining mass. The Curonian Bay is the place of its spawning occurring in the autumn-winter period. It is at this time that whitefish is available for fishing. Whitefish are not formed in the sea of commercial aggregations.
The main types of fish that are of interest to amateur fishers: perch, roach, pike, eel, along the coast, you can often catch quite large crucian carp.
Curonian lagoon in winter
The arrival of winter significantly reduces the number of tourists. The water in the bay cools quickly (in September its temperature is 16 ° C, by November it drops to 6-8 ° C), cold winds blow almost constantly. But the winter landscapes of the Curonian Spit are still attractive. Fans of outdoor activities and winter fishing are frequent guests on the bay with the advent of frost and the onset of ice formation.
Ice on the Curonian lagoon lasts from 2 to 5 months in the winter. Around February, there was an official ban on people entering the ice, since its thickness becomes dangerous and is only about 5 cm.
