The Bering Sea
Located in what is known as the Aleutian Basin, the Bering Sea is located in the Pacific Ocean. The Bering Sea covers 775,000 square miles and has Alaska to the east and northeast, Siberia to the west, the Alaska Peninsula to the south. The Bering Sea is bordered by the Bering Straight to the north, which is what separates the Bering Sea from the Arctic Ocean. In addition, the Bering Sea is kept separate from the Gulf of Alaska due to the Alaska Peninsula and the Aleutian Islands.
The Bering Sea home of Many Islands
The Bering Sea is home to many islands. The islands located in the Bering Sea include Pribilof Islands, Bering Island, St. Lawrence Island, Diomede Islands, King Island, St. Matthew Island, and Karaginsky Island. In addition, the Bering Sea has many different submarine canyons, 16 of them in fact. The Bering Sea is home to the largest submarine canyon in the world, which is the Zhemchug canyon.
The Bering Sea Wildlife
The Bering Sea is home to many different types of wildlife. In fact, many state that the Bering Sea has some of the most diverse and interesting wildlife of any body of water. Some of the species that the Bering Sea is home to are the bowhead whale, the blue whale, fin whale, sie whale, humpback whale, the sperm whale, and a very rare species, the Northern right whale. Of course, the Bering Sea is also known to provide a home to walrus, sea lions, fur seals, beluga whales, orcas, and polar bears.
The Bering Sea Sea Birds
In addition, there are more than 30 different species of sea birds that live in and around the Bering Sea, with 20 million birds breeding near the Bering Sea each year. There are many different types of fish that are native to the Bering Sea as well, including salmon, walleye Pollock, red king crab, pacific cod, yellowfin sole, and sablefish. The Bering Sea reportedly has 419 known species of fish in the Bering Sea waters.
The Bering Sea Industry
The Bering Sea is known for its fisheries. Many fisheries, such as King Crab, find that the Bering Sea is a profitable place to do business. There are many fisheries that work out of the Bering Sea exclusively, and many have begun to worry about the Bering Sea and its eco system. The affects of over fishing and global warming are something that many people are watching the Bering Sea for very closely. With rising water temperatures and continued fishing in the Bering Sea, the Bering Sea ecosystem is definitely being threatened.
A lot of the problem is that the ecological system, or food web, of the Bering Sea is not very well understood. Bering Sea fisheries need to be certain that they are not over fishing in the Bering Sea so that they can keep providing consumers with the Bering Sea variety as well as ensure their longevity in the Bering Sea fishery business.
The Bering Sea Tourism
The Bering Sea is a great place to travel as tourists can see many different types of wildlife, some that are unique to the Bering Sea. For fisheries, the Bering Sea is a dream come true because of the wide variety of fish that can be caught, and for endangered species the Bering Sea has been a haven. All 775,000 square miles of deep water basin in the Pacific Ocean is unique in many different ways.
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