The Sea of Okhotsk
Okhotsk, Sea of, an arm of the Pacific Ocean off the eastern coast of Siberia. It is almost entirely surrounded by Russian territory, including Kamchatka Peninsula and the Kuril Islands. The Japanese island of Hokkaido borders the extreme southern end. The sea covers nearly 590,000 square miles (1,528,000 km2) and is more than 10,000 feet (3,000 m) deep. Between the Sea of Okhotsk and the Sea of Japan, to the southwest, lies the island of Sakhalin. Tatar and La Perouse straits connect the two seas. The Amur River empties into the Sea of Okhotsk by way of the Tatar Strait. Commercial fishing is carried on in the sea.