Notsuke Bay 野付湾 | |
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Coordinates | 43°35′38″N 145°12′24″E / 43.593981°N 145.206601°E |
River sources | Togawa (戸川) [1] |
Ocean/sea sources | Sea of Okhotsk |
Basin countries | Japan |
Surface area | 5,700 hectares (14,000 acres) [2] |
Max. depth | 4.3 m (14 ft) [1] |
Settlements | Betsukai |
Official name | Notsuke-hanto and Notsuke-wan |
Designated | 8 November 2005 |
Reference no. | 1552 [3] |
Notsuke Bay (野付湾, Notsuke-wan) is a shallow bay in eastern Hokkaido, Japan, separated from Nemuro Bay and the Sea of Okhotsk by the curving Notsuke Peninsula. [4] The bay mouth has a width of some 4.3 kilometres (2.7 mi) and a maximum depth of 4 metres (13 ft); [2] most of the area of the bay has a depth of less than 1 metre (3 ft 3 in), making it unsuitable for the use of boats with engines. [2] One of the largest seagrass beds in the country, the expanse of eelgrass and kelp makes it an important habitat for marine life, notably Hokkai shrimp ( ホッカイエビ) (Pandalus latirostris), which are harvested in the summer and autumn by utase-bune ( 打瀬船), with their three-cornered sails. [2] [5] Together with Notsuke Peninsula, by which it is largely enclosed, Notsuke Bay has been designated a Ramsar Site, [6] as a wetland of international importance, a Special Wildlife Protection Area, [2] and an Important Bird Area, [7] and forms part of Notsuke-Fūren Prefectural Natural Park. [8] Water fowl include the grey-tailed tattler, redshank, whooper swan, brent goose, wigeon, scaup, and common goldeneye. [2]