The Samarga (russian: Самарга) is the northernmost river in the
Primorsky Krai territory in the far eastern part of Russia. It is long, and has a drainage basin of ,
making it the largest coastal river in the northern
Sikhote-Alin
The Sikhote-Alin (russian: Сихотэ́-Али́нь, , , ) is a mountain range in Primorsky and Khabarovsk Krais, Russia, extending about to the northeast of the Russian Pacific seaport of Vladivostok. The highest summits are Tordoki Yani at ...
mountain range. It flows into the
Sea of Japan
The Sea of Japan is the marginal sea between the Japanese archipelago, Sakhalin, the Korean Peninsula, and the mainland of the Russian Far East. The Japanese archipelago separates the sea from the Pacific Ocean. Like the Mediterranean Sea, it h ...
. The river system is a unique and relatively untouched centre of biodiversity in the Eastern Sikhote–Alin mountains because it is in a remote and mountainous region.
Location
The river is located in the northeast Primorsky territory of Russia. The northern and western boundaries of the river's watershed form the border between Primorsky territory and
Khabarovsk
Khabarovsk ( rus, Хабaровск, a=Хабаровск.ogg, r=Habárovsk, p=xɐˈbarəfsk) is the largest types of inhabited localities in Russia, city and the administrative centre of Khabarovsk Krai, Russia,Law #109 located from the China ...
territory. It confluences into the Sea of Japan at Samarga, a small town on the coast of the sea. In the
estuary
An estuary is a partially enclosed coastal body of brackish water with one or more rivers or streams flowing into it, and with a free connection to the open sea. Estuaries form a transition zone between river environments and maritime environment ...
on the sea side, there is a kind of blind creek named the "Samrga duct" which extends for about .
Tributaries and watershed
Numerous small tributaries form a dense and extensive network in the watershed of the river.
The major left-hand tributaries of the Samarga, facing downstream, are: the Perepadnaya ( long), the Dagdy (), the Moi (), the Isimi (), and the Agzu ().
[Semenchenko, p.2] The Sobu, Zova, Dzolu, Kalashnikov, Takhalo, and Kipreinyi, among others, are minor tributaries.
The major right-hand tributaries are: the Pukhi ( long), the Kuksi (), and the Bolshaya Sokhatka ().
The Bugu, Zaami, and Unty are minor tributaries.
The Samarga’s average discharge is between per second. Its catchment area is around .
[Medvedeva & Semenchenko, p.141] The length of the watershed boundary is . Floods are common in the summer and autumn.
Fish
The Samarga watershed is so far the only place in the Primorsky territory with very high fish biodiversity and high natural fish productivity. The diversity of habitats provides for a wide variety of fish species.
A wide variety of fish, nearly 20 species –such as
pink salmon,
masu salmon
The masu salmon (''Oncorhynchus masou''), also known as masu ( ja, マス, , trout) or in Japan, is a species of salmon belonging to the genus ''Oncorhynchus'', found in the North Pacific along Northeast/East Asian coasts from the Russian Far Eas ...
,
chum salmon
The chum salmon (''Oncorhynchus keta''), also known as dog salmon or keta salmon, is a species of anadromous salmonid fish from the genus '' Oncorhynchus'' (Pacific salmon) native to the coastal rivers of the North Pacific and the Beringian A ...
,
cherry salmon
The masu salmon (''Oncorhynchus masou''), also known as masu ( ja, マス, , trout) or in Japan, is a species of salmon belonging to the genus '' Oncorhynchus'', found in the North Pacific along Northeast/East Asian coasts from the Russian Far Ea ...
,
Dolly Varden,
white-spotted char, and
grayling salmon – are abundant in the river and its tributaries. The river basin is also home to the largest population of a rare salmonid species –
Sakhalin taimen. The Anadromous salmon (pink, masu, chum, and the less abundant
coho) comprise a substantial part of the river biomass. The
pink salmon stock is the largest, comprising 10% of the total population of
pink salmon of the Russian mainland Sea of Japan coast.
Masu salmon
The masu salmon (''Oncorhynchus masou''), also known as masu ( ja, マス, , trout) or in Japan, is a species of salmon belonging to the genus ''Oncorhynchus'', found in the North Pacific along Northeast/East Asian coasts from the Russian Far Eas ...
stocks rank second after pinks, and char are fairly abundant.
The production topography of the Samarga is also very interesting. The lowest part of the river – from Unty Creek to the river mouth – is a zone of
pink salmon,
chum
Chum may refer to:
Broadcasting
* CHUM Limited, a defunct Canadian media company
* CHUM Radio, now Bell Media Radio, a Canadian radio broadcasting company
* CHUM (AM), a Toronto radio station
* CHUM-FM, a Toronto radio station
* CHUM Chart, a C ...
,
rainbow smelt, and grayling salmon. The middle part of the river – from Zova Creek to Unty Creek – is an area of
pink salmon, adult
masu,
taimen,
lenok, and grayling salmon. The upper reaches of the river – upstream from Zova Creek – are home to juvenile masu,
taimen, and grayling salmon.
Ecosystem
The Samarga basin is a unique ecosystem comprising many rare species of fora and fauna, including
Japanese yew,
ginseng,
Amur tiger
The Siberian tiger or Amur tiger is a population of the tiger subspecies ''Panthera tigris tigris'' native to the Russian Far East, Northeast China and possibly North Korea. It once ranged throughout the Korean Peninsula, but currently inhabit ...
,
Himalayan bear
The Himalayan black bear (''Ursus thibetanus laniger'') is a subspecies of the Asian black bear found in the Himalayas of India, Bhutan, Nepal, China, and Pakistan.
Description
It is distinguished from '' U. t. thibetanus'' by its longer, thic ...
,
Amur mountain goral,
Gould’s merganser, and
Blakiston's fish owl.
Rare plant species listed as
endangered
An endangered species is a species that is very likely to become extinct in the near future, either worldwide or in a particular political jurisdiction. Endangered species may be at risk due to factors such as habitat loss, poaching and inva ...
found in the Samarga watershed include: Japanese yew (''Taxus cuspidata'' Siebold et Zucc. ex Endl.),
woodland peony (''Peonia obovata'' Maxim),
ladyslippers (''Cypripedium macranthon'' Sw., ''C. calceolus'' L., ''C. guttatum'' Sw.),
two-rowed and
candlestick lilies (''Lilium distichum'' Nakai, ''L. pensylvanicum'' Ker-Gawl),
Palibin’s edelweiss (''Leontopodium palibinianum'' Beauv), and
false juniper (''Microbiota decussata'' Kom), among others.
Resources and economy
The Samarga basin is very rich in
timber
Lumber is wood that has been processed into dimensional lumber, including beams and planks or boards, a stage in the process of wood production. Lumber is mainly used for construction framing, as well as finishing (floors, wall panels, wi ...
, metals, and hunting and fishing resources, but because it is in an extremely remote and mountainous region, with harsh climatic conditions, the accessibility and extraction of the natural resources in this river system is very poor.
There are currently four small towns in the area: Yedinka, Peretychikha, Samarga and Agzu in the watersheds of the Yedinka and Samarga. According to the 2001 Census, the total population in the riverine watersheds is about 800 people, representing various ethnic groups. Out of this number, 140 belong to the
Udege people
Udege (russian: Удэгейцы; ude, удиэ or , or Udihe, Udekhe, and Udeghe correspondingly) are a native people of the Primorsky Krai and Khabarovsk Krai regions in Russia. They live along the tributaries of the Ussuri, Amur, Khunga ...
, an indigenous ethnic group. The present-day Udege population of the basin lives primarily in one village –
Agzu
Agzu (russian: Агзу́) is a village ('' selo'') in Terneysky District of Primorsky Krai, Russia
Russia (, , ), or the Russian Federation, is a List of transcontinental countries, transcontinental country spanning Eastern Europe and ...
– while the residents of the remaining three towns are largely of
Slavic origin. Almost the entire people of the river system is actively involved in fishing –
pink salmon and Dolly Vardena only.
References
Notes
Bibliography
*
*{{cite web, first1=Anatolii, last1=Semenchenko, title=Samarga River Watershed Rapid Assessment Short Report, publisher=Wild Salmon Center, url=http://www.forestlegacy.org.s57429.gridserver.com/programs/russian_far_east/RapidAssessments/SamargaRapidAssessment.pdf
Rivers of Primorsky Krai
Drainage basins of the Sea of Japan