Okhotsk high High Sea

The Sea of Okhotsk lies between the Siberian mainland, Sakhalin, the Kurils and Kamchatka, forming a cold maritime world of seasonal ice and productive waters. Communities along its shores used fish, marine mammals and resources from nearby rivers and forests. Boats connected coastal places during suitable seasons, while storms and ice could interrupt movement. Navigation depended on local knowledge of currents, weather and safe landing places across distances where dependable supplies were scarce.

Russian expansion in the seventeenth century brought forts and demands for fur tribute to the wider region. In 1716 an expedition led by Kozma Sokolov sailed from Okhotsk aboard the Vostok toward Kamchatka; ice and difficult conditions delayed the journey into the following year. Okhotsk later served as a base for expeditions into the northern Pacific.