Kamchatka River

Where is it located

The Kamchatka River is the largest waterway of the peninsula bearing the same name. Its Itelmen name, Uikoal, can be translated as ‘Big River’. It flows into the Pacific Ocean and is 758 kilometres long. Its source is in the mountains, from where the water flows downhill to form Lake Kamchatka. Merging with the Pravaya River, it becomes a single stream with it. In the mountainous part of its course, the Kamchatka forms many rapids and rolls, and here its course is quite turbulent and noisy.

The mouth of the Kamchatka River on the Kamchatka Peninsula

In the middle section it becomes flat, with a more phlegmatic character. This section is the longest. However, here the channel is not characterised by calm predictability, in some places it is very sinuous. The single stream splits into branches, covering wider areas. Approaching the ocean, the river skirts the Kliuchevskoi massif, flows to the east, crosses the Kumroch ridge and at the very mouth becomes delta-shaped, dividing into many channels. They are separated by spits, mainly consisting of sand and pebbles.

As it flows into the Pacific Ocean, the Kamchatka forms a channel that connects it to Lake Nerpichye, the largest lake on the peninsula. The river has islands all along its path. There are many of them, but they are small in size, mostly sandy and have no vegetation except for grass and some willow trees. On the plain territory, the river flows for more than 30 kilometres through the Bolshiye Shchyoki Gorge, forming steep rocky banks of breathtaking beauty. This scenery is due to the fact that the river crosses the spurs of the Kamchatka Range.

The Kamchatka basin includes more than seven thousand small rivers. These tributaries are the spawning grounds for fish, mainly salmonids. The largest tributaries are the Yelovka, Shchapina, and Kozyrevka. The river is fed from groundwater, precipitation and snow. Snow and underground (sedimentary) feeding is about 35% (each), about 28% of water comes from glaciers. The Kamchatka freezes in winter, with ice formation beginning in November and ice drift in May.

The seismic activity of the region and volcanism have a great influence on the character of the river and the processes that take place in it. When eruptions occur, glaciers melt and debris flows rush downwards, entering the river. The worst mudslide in the last 100 years was the one that occurred after the eruption of No Name Volcano in 1956. Flows of mud and rocks travelled far down one of Kamchatka's tributaries.

Fish spawning on the Kamchatka River

Kamchatka flows in both mountainous and flat terrain, its course is accompanied by coniferous and floodplain forests and shrubs. Of coniferous species, mainly Ayana spruce and larch are widespread. In the upper and near middle reaches of the river, besides conifers, poplar, alder, willow, etc. grow. The lower reaches are more swampy and shrubs and grasses predominate along the banks.

The area around the river is rich in fauna. There are many birds, among which you can see gulls, cormorants, partridges and other species. The coastal forests are inhabited by moose, deer, wolves, muskrat and other animals. Kamchatka bear is the master of these places. During the spawning season in the tributaries of Kamchatka, the bear population increases many times over.

The main treasure of the river is its fish stocks. Salmon and other fish spawn here. This remarkable event takes place in late summer, attracting many bears to the shores. Freshwater valuable fish live here permanently. Some of them, such as silver crucian carp and Amur carp, have been specially introduced into these waters and have taken root, give birth to offspring and are an object of fishing. The river basin is home to lamprey, sterlet, Pacific herring, char, Kamchatka grayling, flounder, etc.

Fishing takes place both on an industrial scale and on an individual basis. Amateur fishermen specially come to Kamchatka to catch fish with pleasure, which you will not find in such abundance in other places. Late June - early July is the most favourable period for catching chinook salmon. Nerka is perfectly caught at the turn of July and August. The whole of August is chum salmon, and from the end of August almost till November - coho salmon.

Use of the reservoir

In addition to fishing, people actively use the river for other purposes. As the largest waterway of the peninsula, closer to the mouth it is used for navigation: the depth reaches 5 m, so the conditions are favourable. The river is also of great importance for tourism. In addition to the beauties that people come to admire, it gives an opportunity to make tourist water trips. The starting point of the route is Ust-Kamchatsk or the village of Klyuchi.

People have settled around the river since ancient times. Archaeologists find traces of ancient settlements. Russian Cossacks who arrived here in the XVII century reported that there were many yurts in the Kamchatka River valley, which were the dwellings of local peoples. The Cossacks themselves built wooden stockades, almost all of them later grew into towns and settlements. The fact that people settled in these places is largely due to the fertility of the soil, which allowed them to engage in agriculture.

The Kamchatka River, fast in its flow, then majestically calm, full of fish, surrounded by unique landscapes, is one of the jewels of the peninsula, which also has a practical value.