Lake Onega estuary. Lake Onega and its surroundings: attractions and interesting places

No wonder Karelia dignified by the edge blue lakes... After all, there are over 60 thousand of them. It so happened that of the two largest such reservoirs - Onega and Lake Ladoga, throughout history, seem to compete with each other in their superiority. Yes, Lake Onega both in depth and in area it is twice shallower, but its waters, into which more than 1150 rivers flow (in comparison: only 35 rivers flow into Ladoga), wash 1650 islands (which is 2.5 times more than in Ladoga). Even in terms of the quality of the water, Onego plugs in the belt, so that Ladoga is already there, Baikal itself!
The shores in the northern part of the lake are elevated, densely covered with forest and quite strongly indented by bays, capes, lips, cliffs, in the southern half they are low, mostly swampy.
Mainly on Onego Storms are frequent, when the waves reach a height of over 2 meters, but there are exceptions with breezes and calm in the summer months.

History of Lake Onega

Lake Onega refers to the pool Baltic Sea and spread out in the southeastern part of Karelia, similar in shape to a kind of monster, stretching either claws or tentacles in the form of bays to the north.
In this connection, the lake was given such a name, until today it has not been established. However, there are several versions of its origin. According to the first, aniz translated from Finnish means "significant", which corresponds to the impressive size of the reservoir, because it is not for nothing that it is listed as the second largest in Europe. According to another version, from the Sami "onego" is translated as sand, i.e. "a lake with a sandy bottom". Another assumption is "low-lying plain" (a lake formed in the lowland) or the Finnish version - "sound", explained by the echo reflected from the rocks prevailing in these places.
Previously, the Finns called Onego "the steaming lake" because of the frequent and dense fogs over the reservoir.
Hollow Lake Onega formed as a result of the activity of the glacier in the place of collapses in the earth's crust, therefore great depths reaching their maximum of 130 meters.

Islands

The main part of the islands is concentrated in the northern and northeastern parts of Onega.
Zaonezhye- the largest peninsula on the lake. This area is included in the UNESCO heritage list as unique territory, the only one in all of Europe. There are many interesting objects scattered here and there on the islands and shores of Zaonezhie: villages, famous and not so famous, with old huts, churches, chapels. Among travelers, Zaonezhie is nicknamed "Russian Rome". The Kizhi chernozems are home to diverse and unique vegetation for other islands. So every 100 meters, one type of forest is replaced by another.
On one of these islands there is pearl of Onega lake and Zaonezhie, the visiting card of Karelia - a whole museum, which has concentrated the masterpieces of wooden architecture under open air, famous all over the world - Kizhi.
The history of the island began in the 10th century, when the local lands inhabited by Finnish tribes - Korela and all (from which the Vepsians and Karelians originated), gradually began to be mastered by the Novgorodians. This mixture of two nationalities left an imprint on the formation of the culture of the island (which affected the local dialect, architecture, epics).

Another specially protected part belongs to the Kizhi Museum-Reserve - the Kizhi Skerries, which are a labyrinth of numerous islands of various shapes and sizes: from large to very tiny. Some are covered with tall grass meadows, some are dense forests, some have inland lakes, others are swamps.

To the most valuable natural sites Kizhi skerries include:

Inner lakes and marshes on Klimetsky Island are a stopover and resting place for swans and geese, as well as a nesting place for a crane. Here you can see rare species of insectivorous plants.

Volkostrov Island a kilometer north of the Kizhi island. These are rocks, famous for the extraction of Volkostrovsk amethysts and overgrown with meadows, and in the center of the object there is a grassy swamp with a number of rare plants of the republic. Visited only along special routes.

Radkolje Island- a rocky island, therefore, the soil cover is very stony, and therefore it is impossible to find a forest here, except that birches and pines grow in small groups, and rare plant species for this region, as well as aboriginal plant species, are of particular interest.

Lelikovo Island long overgrown with grass up to the waist, a few houses with tiny windows. And at the very beginning of the 19th century, there were over 280 inhabitants and 90 households. The bulk of the population was made up of Novgorodians who fled from the oppression of their boyars. Their main occupation was arable farming. Therefore, there are no forests here, since the trees were cleaned out to create arable land.
The church in the name of the Holy Forerunner was built by a local merchant Kleer. The entire object fell into disrepair, the iconostasis was completely plundered. And even if the church is not a masterpiece, it is a heritage from our ancestors. Here, to this day, a hundred-year-old two-story stone house has survived, in which the founder of the shrine lived.

Near the village of Podjelniki there is sacred grove... Ancient spruces are concentrated around the local chapel, the maximum diameter of the trunks of which reaches a meter.
The wooden chapel of Praskeva Pyatnitsa and Varlaam Khutynsky (1750) is inoperative, the iconostasis has not survived. Represents two rectangular log cabins, set to each other end-to-end. The wider one is the entrance hall with a porch, narrower is the chapel itself. A six-sided bell tower rises above the entryway. The belfry tent is supported by a pillar support and ends with onion domes. Both log cabins are covered with a gable roof. On south side the chapel has a bench for rest, where you will have the opportunity to breathe in the aroma of freshly cut hay and wild rosemary, to see cloudberries and cranberries ripen in a swamp nearby.

Thermokarst sinkholes in the central part of Kizhi Island (100 meters west of the village of Yamka) illustrate a complete picture of how the landscape was formed. When the glacier melted, rivers with melt water formed in its thickness. The sand and gravel absorbed blocks of ice, which later melted and formed caves, the vaults of which were so fragile that they collapsed and formed craters.

Deer island

12 km east of the island of Kizhi with an area of ​​just over 1 square km, it is an archaeological monument of the republic, since limestone deposits formed by the remains of sponges, mosses, corals and blue-green algae more than 2 billion years old have been preserved here. In the 17th century, limestone was mined on the island, during which a burial ground with bones was discovered ancient man, presumably, considered an ancestor, standing at the origins of the formation of the Sami people, as well as numerous hunting and fishing tools, ornaments.

The village of Suisar, Prionezhsky district (50 km from Petrozavodsk), founded in the 16th century, has retained the original historical layout and the remains of a relict spruce grove. But the local old smithy was transported to the island of Kizhi and is now presented as an exhibit. Nowadays Suisar is an integral anchorage of the yacht regatta, which is held annually in Lake Onega

"Osudareva's road"

The exact location of the path was not recorded in historical sources. It stretched through swampy forests, from the village of Nyukhcha in the White Sea to Povenets in Lake Onega, with the aim of secretly leaving the troops of Peter I to the Swedish fortress Noteburg, in order to conquer and return to Russia the banks of the Neva and access to the Baltic coast at the beginning of the 18th century. The road is 260 km long. was laid out in 14 days and overcame on foot by battalions in 8 days, which is a complete paradox in history.

A couple of kilometers from the Village of Pegrema, Medvezhyegorsk District, surrounded by a pine forest - the complex of the same name is located, which was so carefully hidden by nature in dense grass, was opened for everyone to see thanks to the fire: boulders in the form of human figures, animal figures "Duck", "Frog "that served as idols for worshiping the souls of the dead, circles-amulets made of boulders laid out by a snail. The graves of an ancient man were discovered on the territory of the monument

Klimetsky Island is the largest on the way to Kizhi Island (7 km from the reserve) with a length of 30 km. These places became famous by local storytellers in various legends and epics. In addition, Klimetsky gained special fame, perhaps, as the most mysterious, shrouded in many inexplicable stories: vibration of the earth under his feet, oppressive buzzing, causing terrible headaches, disappearances of people in one place and appearance in a completely different place, memory gaps and much more.

On the same island you can see the ruins and in some places preserved frescoes of the Klimetsky Monastery (16th century). According to legend, the Novgorod merchant Klim was caught by a storm during the next trade route, and having prayed for salvation, he promised the Almighty to build a monastery in this place. Soon, deserts appeared on the island. After this incident, Klim spent the rest of his life in seclusion in the holy monastery. Despite the dilapidated building, the atmosphere here is peaceful.

International memorial cemetery Sandarmokh, Medvezhyegorsk district, highway A119 to Povenets, 12 km. from Medvezhyegorsk.
The place in the 30s of the 20th century was used as a shooting and burial place for victims of Stalinist repressions (there are about 7 thousand people of 60 nationalities). These were mainly prisoners of the White Sea-Baltic Canal and the Solovetsky camps.
There is a book in the nearby chapel that lists the names of the people who were shot. Birds do not sing here, there are no traces of animals. Now steles and crosses are installed here.

Places of petroglyphs - Eastern shores Lake Onega is mainly represented by rocky capes that preserve the monuments of the stone chronicle - petroglyphs, represented by signs, drawings of animals, birds and transmitting the consciousness of those people who lived here in the millennium BC. Until now, the meaning of many has not been unraveled by scientists.

Cape Besov nose is the richest in petroglyphs. Of this abundance, the most famous drawing in the form of a demon is more than 2 meters in length. A lighthouse that is no longer active rises on the cape. The rocky island "Besikha" stretches 200 meters to the east of the cape, which forms a pair of the cape. It is worth noting that the Besov nose is listed as a landmark in the Onega regatta.

Cape Peri Nos is located a kilometer north of Besov Cape. Of all the petroglyphs located in the Onega complex, half are located on this cape. Some of the petroglyphs are located at the bottom of the lake. The edges of the cape are heavily indented with seven promontories of various sizes with rock carvings near the water, between which bays and bays are concentrated.

West bank

Shoksha- an old Vepsian village 60 km. from Petrozavodsk. The history of the village began from the moment the raspberry quartzite was mined and processed there. This is the only deposit of the royal and time-tested stone. Used in the decoration of the Kazan Cathedral, the Mausoleum, Winter Palace, and also delivered to France for the tombstone of Napoleon.
16 km from Shoksha you will see the ruins of one of the oldest in Karelia, the Annunciation Monastery of Yashezersky (the village of Sheltozero, surrounded by forest lambushki lakes), already mentioned in sources during the reign of Ivan the Terrible. The monastery was founded by a student of Alexander Svirsky - Iona. Now the monastery is being restored.

Kolgostrov is one of large islands Lake Onega, with an area of ​​about 7 sq. Km. Interesting object on the rock "Kolokol" is located in the southwestern part of the island - a "ringing stone" in the form of a boulder, when hitting the upper part of which with a small cobblestone, the stone emits a melodic sound, reminiscent of the ringing of a church bell.

Where to stay

Rest away from civilization on the shores of the picturesque Onega Lake can be not only serene, but also comfortable accommodation, each option of which is equipped with all the amenities of modern life. From the variety offered, any guest will find accommodation to their liking and taste.
At the recreation center "Zaonego.Ru" there are cottages with high level comfort (7 km. from the object), a house with amenities in the area of ​​the Kizhi skerries. Services: hunting (1000 rubles / person / day), fishing (500 rubles / 8 hours), boat trips (from 700 rubles / day), excursions (from 2000 rubles), sauna, barbecue.
The tourist base "Senoval" (village Garnitsy, 7 km. From Kizhi), guest houses with a bathhouse, kitchen, smokehouse and barbecue, shop 3 km. The cost of living is from 2800 rubles per day.
Tourist base "Big Dipper" (М18, 27th km. From Medvezhyegorsk), guest complex for 2 people. - from 1800, VIP-cottage - from 3000, a cottage for a fisherman for 6 people - from 4200 rubles / day.

Fishing

V Lake Onega there are about 50 species of fish, among them: pike, perch, bream, pike perch, catfish, burbot, sterlet and even salmon and trout. This diversity is due to the complexity of the bottom topography due to alternating depressions and increases in depths, which creates favorable conditions for its expansion.
The most common fishing method that even a beginner can master is trolling (using a boat under a motor), in which a downrigger can also be used to catch deep-sea fish. Spinning fishing is also used - throwing bait into the water, which then begins to slowly pull up, imitating movement to the shore.

Fishing pier, Kvartsitny village (70 km. From Petrozavodsk). Services: boats, echo sounders, barbecue, smokehouse. Renting a boat for 4-5 people for 8 hours will cost about 10 thousand rubles, including the cost of fuel and fishing gear.

Country club "Silver Onega". Services: licenses for catching salmon - 500 rubles, instructor, tackle, storage of the catch - 50 rubles / piece / day. A boat for 3 people for 5 hours will be 12,000, a catamaran for 6 people for the same time - 15,000 rubles.

White nights in Karelia are considered one of the attractions of this region, and in comparison with St. Petersburg, here they are longer, starting from May holidays, and ending in August. This phenomenon is of particular interest to lovers of picturesque landscapes, when all nature is filled with magical colors. At this time of day, it is quite light, almost like during the day. It was during this period that lovers extreme species recreation annually collects on the rally "White Nights".

Discover your corner in Lake Onega! Enjoy the silence of the Karelian nature and the beauty of local landscapes, get unforgettable experience from a great holiday!

Mighty and majestic, with long coastlines and many tributaries, Lake Onega is located in Karelia.

The lake is located in the European part of Russia and is considered the second largest freshwater reservoir, after Ladoga. Most of the lake went to the Republic of Karelia, about 80% of the entire reservoir was located there, and the remaining 20% ​​went to the Leningrad and Vologda regions. Lake Onega belongs to the Baltic Sea basin of the Atlantic Ocean.

Characteristics of Lake Onega

Lake area

The reservoir has a length coastline 1542 kilometers, total area 9720 km². The maximum depth is 127 meters, although the average depth for the lake is about 30 meters.

The length from south to north is 245 kilometers, and the greatest width of the coastal zone is 92 meters.

(Map and scheme of Lake Onega)

Lake water temperature

The water temperature in Lake Onega during warm periods of the year (starting from May) varies from +5 to +13 degrees. In August, if the summer turned out to be extremely successful and warm, then in shallow water the water temperature will be about +17 degrees. However, above +22, the water in Lake Onega has not yet heated up.

During cold periods of the year, starting from September, the lake cools down. After a hot summer, the temperature slowly drops, in October and November it reaches +2 degrees. And with the onset of frost, it decreases to 0 or -2.

(Air temperature on Lake Onega in winter and summer)

The air temperature here does not warm up above +30 degrees, even if the weather is sunny for a long time. The highest temperature mark recorded on the territory of the lake is +35 degrees. The warmest period is July, then the air warms up to +17 degrees.

During the winter months average temperature air varies from -7 to -13 degrees. The absolute minimum recorded in this area was -42 degrees.

Svir river

Connected by a water thread, 224 km long, the Svir River two large lakes Onega with Ladoga. The river begins its movement from the Onega and changes in the channel from 100 m in the narrowest places and up to 12 km in the width of the Ivinsky flood, then the river flows in the lowlands occupied in the past by glaciers and flows into Lake Ladoga. In the Ivinsky flood, the river passes through the created Verkhnesvirsky reservoir, with an area of ​​183 square kilometers with a dam of a hydroelectric power station. The river contains 30 islands, in the same place in the Leningrad region along the banks of the river is the Nizhne-Svirsky reserve.

The nature of Lake Onega

Low shores are characteristic of Lake Onega. Therefore, there are areas in the coastal zone that are completely swampy. However, such conditions do not interfere with the development of flora and fauna, which is abundant both in the reservoir itself and around it.

Least of all on the territory of Onega, the highest form of vegetation is widespread; it can be found only in protected secluded corners in the northern part. But here reeds and reeds, growing in an even line along the coastal zone, feel good. In some places, you can find water lilies, sedges, pondweed, egg capsules, horsetails. Also, the coastal areas are rich in dense taiga forests.

The fauna located on the territory of the Onega reservoir does not suffer from the conditions either. In total, more than 350 different forms and species live on its territory. Starting from the simplest forms, aquatic insects, crustaceans, molluscs and sea sponges, and ending with seals.

If we talk about feathered friends, then waterfowl nest on the lake - geese, seagulls, ducks and swans. Species such as cranes, eagle owls, short-eared owls, herbalists, toadstools, terns, and shepherds are often encountered on migration.

Fish of Lake Onega: 1) Lake salmon; 2) Trout; 3) Palia; 4) Veggie

There are also more than 45 species of fish that belong to 13 families. The types that a fisherman may come across are: salmon, lake and river trout, catfish, eel, ruff, pike perch, dace, crucian carp, sabrefish, rudd, smelt, roach, pike, silver bream, pinched fish, sterlet, vendace, palia, whitefish, ide, perch and grayling. The most common of them are perches, bream, pike perch, smelt, pike, vendace and ruff, and the least common are whitefish, grayling, char, catfish and dace.

Cities on Lake Onega

The coastal strip of Lake Onega is densely populated, although it does not have million-plus cities on the shore. The entire coastal area is dotted with small villages and settlements. Most of the villages are located in the southern and western parts of the lake.

The largest of the populations are the cities: Petrozavodsk, Medvezhyegorsk, Vytegra and Kondopoga, and if we take into account the urban settlement, the list can be supplemented by the villages of Povenets, Voznesenie, Shalsky and Pindushi.

If you are traveling through the territory of the Onega reservoir, be sure to visit Petrozavodsk. The capital of the Republic of Karelia has a large number of architectural monuments, for example, the building of the old male provincial gymnasium or the ensemble of the Round Square. Do not forget to also visit the Kizhi island, its main attraction is the historical, architectural and ethnographic museum-reserve.

Climate and seasons of Lake Onega

(Winter rotunda on the embankment of Lake Onega, Petrozavodsk)

In general, winter on Lake Onega is mild, the air and water temperature is acceptable even for desperate bathers who want to get hardened. However, it is often too windy on the territory of the reservoir, the cold subarctic climate carries an abundance of air masses. In winter, this translates into prolonged blizzards and snowstorms, and in summer - into a storm.

When continental anticyclones come from the south and east, in the spring summer period installed dry and hot weather, and in winter - sunny and clear days.

Summer on Lake Onega is notable for its picturesque places. Almost the entire coastal strip in Karelia looks like a colorful picture come to life, and under the warm sunlight the landscape looks fabulous. However, precipitation often occurs in Onega in the summer, most of the norm (about 70%) falls precisely from May to August.

Lake Onega can be attributed to the treasures of Karelia, which attracts thousands of tourists from different cities.

Lake Onega is the second largest freshwater lake in Europe. Its other name sounds like Onego, which is no coincidence. There are several opinions about the reasons for the name. From the point of view of scientists, the reservoir got its name from the river flowing next to it. Another opinion is related to the fact that in the area where the reservoir is located, there are often fogs, which is why it got the name Onego - in translation from the ancient Finnish steaming lake. About 1000 rivers flow into Lake Onega, and only one flows out - the Svir.

Its area is approximately 9.9 thousand square meters. km. The depth varies from site to site. In the northern part, the depth is 127 m, and closer to the south it is only 20-30 m. In spring, Lake Onega is characterized by a rise in water, which lasts for 1.5-2 months. Storms are frequent. The weather is unpredictable, calm can instantly be replaced by a storm. In some parts of the lake, the water is so clear that it can be seen to a depth of 8 m. The water is of high quality.

Onega Lake is especially popular among fishermen. Which is not at all surprising, because it is famous for its fish wealth. It is home to various fish, including valuable commercial fish such as trout and salmon. In total, 47 species of fish live in the reservoir. In addition, in the mouths of some tributaries of Lake Onega, there is a bivalve mollusk, which forms pearls the size of a pea. In search of a precious ball, pearl divers come to the reservoir, but finding a pearl is not a small effort.

Lake Onega is very surprising in its shape, structure of the banks, complex bottom topography, water quality, picturesque bays, mesmerizing sunsets and dawns. Sunsets and sunrises are especially mesmerizing. Basically, the shores are sandy, but there are also rocky and even marshy shores. There are a lot of islands in the middle of the lake, in total there are about 1,500 islands, among which there are wild ones, covered with dense forests, some of the islands are inhabited by people.

02.09.2017

Lake Onega is the most beautiful reservoir in the North-West of Russia with crystal clear fresh water. Untouched nature coasts and small islets, as well as historical and cultural monuments(rock paintings, a wooden cathedral and others) - the perfect combination for an interesting and memorable vacation. What kind Interesting Facts is it worth knowing before going to Lake Onega?

1. There are a lot of islands on the lake - about 1650, and they are concentrated mainly in the northern part of the water area.
2. The largest Onega island is Bolshoi Klimetsky with several settlements, a school, and the ruins of a monastery. The area of ​​the Big Klimetsky Island is 147 km².
3. The calmest and most favorable season for tourism on the lake is summer, although strong storms occur at any time of the year, the waves rise up to 4-5 meters and cause the death of even experienced fishermen and tourists.
4. The approach of a storm on the lake is determined by several signs, for example, by plummeting pressure or rapid movement of clouds, although the wind is weak near the ground.
5. "Galician ruffs" and "Shelonik" are local names for winds. The first is squally, blowing from the southeast, creating waves with "lambs" on the tops. The second blows strongly from the southwest and is very dangerous for small ships.
6. For the safety of merchant ships sailing across the lake, back in the 19th century. along south coast a bypass channel was built, where one could not be afraid of a storm.
7. The sites of ancient people discovered on the Bolshoy and Maly Lelikovsky islands indicate that the shores of the lake were inhabited as early as the 4th-3rd millennia BC.
8. About the same time (IV-III thousand years BC), the petroglyphs are dated, which in groups cover the rocks at the capes of Besov Nos, Peri Nos, Kladovets and some others. In total, more than a thousand images of people, animals, birds have been found. The most famous trinity is the demon, the otter and the burbot.
9. The village of Pegrema on the Zaonezh Peninsula is considered the place where the ancient sanctuary because at the end of the 20th century about 100 bizarre boulders were found there, depicting various animals and people, including, for example, a human skull.
10. The famous museum of wooden architecture on the island of Kizhi includes exhibits brought from different islands of the lake and from all over Karelia, and on Kizhi itself by 1966 (the formation of the reserve) there were only two churches and a bell tower.
11. In total, there are 552 man-made monuments on the shores of the lake and on the islands, dating back to different periods of human history.
12. In 1938-1952, a hydroelectric power station was built on the Svir River flowing out of the lake. It has its own river reservoir (Verkhnesvirskoe), but Lake Onega itself is also considered a natural reservoir, its flow is regulated.
13. Shungite is a rock that is used in metallurgy, construction, for water filtration and even in alternative medicine. The largest deposits in Russia are on the Zaonezhsky peninsula and along the northern shore of the lake.
14. On the shores of Lake Onega, 24 lighthouses were built. Most of them no longer work (Anzhepsky, Andomsky, Besov Nos, Dry Nos, Vasilisin, Monac, etc.), but some still serve for navigation purposes (for example, Garnitsky in the harbor of Petrozavodsk)
15. The multi-day sailing regatta has been annually held in the water area of ​​the lake since 1972. This is the main sporting event in Karelia with international status. The start and finish of the race are in Petrozavodsk.

Moreover, Lake Onega is an important transport facility. Vessels along it can pass along the Svir to Ladoga, along the White Sea-Baltic Canal - to the White Sea, and from there to Moscow, the Volga and further to the southern seas.

Lake Onega is the second largest lake in the whole of Europe. This lake is 2 times smaller than Lake Ladoga and contains three times less Veda. However, at the same time, the water in Lake Onega is of the highest quality: it is much cleaner than the Ladoga water, and even the water in Lake Baikal.

The length of Lake Onega from north to south is 248 kilometers, and from west to east - 96 kilometers. There are a large number of capes, islands, lips and bays. The total number of all islands is 1500.

The shores of the lake are mostly sandy and pebbly, but at the same time, rock outcrops can be found. The shores of the northern region of Lake Onega consist of crystalline rocks, they are indented and elevated. The bottom relief of the lake is rather simple, especially in its northern part. Almost all types of fish that are known in the reservoirs of Karelia are found in Lake Onega. More than 110 tributaries flow into this lake.

Lake Onega. general characteristics

Lake Onega is one of the largest freshwater reservoirs in Karelia, which is located in its southeastern part. The total area of ​​the water surface of Lake Onega is 10,050 km2, and the total area with the islands is 10,340 km2. The maximum width of the lake is 248 kilometers, and the maximum width is 83 kilometers. The total number of islands is 1650, with an area of ​​290 km2. The length of the entire coastline is 1,542 kilometers, and with the islands - 2,699 kilometers. The total volume of water masses is 295 km3. The height of Lake Onega above sea level is 33 m2.

The lake has an elongated oblong shape from the northwestern part to the southeastern part. Lake Onega is divided into several large bays and reaches. It is divided into 3 main parts:

1. The main part is Central Onego.
2. Northwest region - Big Onego.
3. The northeastern region, which consists of Small Onego, Kuzarandsky Onego, Pyalmsky Onego, Tolvuisky Onego, Povenetsky Onego, Bolshaya lip and a number of small bays.

Basically, sandy and rocky shores prevail here. Rocky shores are common in the northern part of the lake and in the area west coast. Sandy shores stretch from the mouth of the Vodla River to the source of the Svir River.

The area of ​​the river basin of Lake Onega is 51,540 km2. From it, about 16 km3 of water flows into the lake every year.

The water level in the lake changes every year. This is mainly due to the amount of precipitation. The constant current is expressed only in some parts of Lake Onega and is weak.

Lake Onega is one of the deepest reservoirs in Karelia (after Lake Ladoga). Its average depth is 29.4 meters, and maximum depth- 120 meters. At a depth of up to 10 meters there is about 26 percent of the entire lake area, at a depth of up to 20 meters - 42 percent, at a depth of up to 40 meters - 69 percent, and at a depth of up to 60 meters - 92 percent.

The bottom relief of Lake Onega is rather complex. This is especially true for the northern part of the lake. This lake is characterized by lowering and raising of the bottom. Landforms typical of the lake are selga, ludas, underwater ridges and thefts, pits and depressions. In addition, there are also some areas with a flat bottom in the lake. The soils of Lake Onega are very diverse. There are stony, stony-sandy, sandy and sandy-gravel soils. The flowers of the water in Lake Onega range from light yellow to yellow or orange-brown.

Lake Onega. Flora and fauna

Higher aquatic vegetation is the least widespread in Lake Onega. Its thickets can be found only in the northern part, in small bays and other places that are protected from waves.

The total extent of the thickets is about 1 percent of the length of the entire coastline. Basically, these thickets consist of reeds, and in some places you can find pondweed, reeds, water lilies, horsetails, villains, egg capsules, sedges and other types of vegetation.

The fauna of the lake is quite diverse in terms of its quality. Here you can see aquatic insects, molluscs, crustaceans, water mites, worms, bryozoans, sponges and others. In Lake Onega, there are only 350 different forms and species of bottom fauna, however, only 30 percent of them have a significant distribution in the lake itself, while the rest are quite rare.

The richest and most diverse population is the overgrown areas of the littoral zone, which make up about half of the forms and species known for this lake.

The average biomass of the lake bottom mass in summer and autumn is 11.5 kg / ha, with an average population of 5.72 million ind./ha.

Of all the bottom fauna of Lake Onega, crustaceans, including pontoporea, are the most valuable food for fish. Oligochaetes, in turn, are rarely used as food by fish. The most significant concentrations of food items are found in pits and depressions with a depth of 50 meters.

If we talk about the crustacean plankton of the lake, then it is distinguished by a significant species diversity in composition. In total, 37 species of lower crayfish live in the lake.

In the coastal shallow waters of Lake Onega, you can find various forms of planktonic crayfish. Planktonic crustaceans reach the greatest quantitative development in summer in the surface water layer.

By the abundance of crayfish, as well as by their biomass in the horizon up to 2 meters, Lake Onega is a medium-productive reservoir in the entire republic. However, some areas of this lake are unequal in terms of food resources in shallow, most warmed areas.

In addition, if we talk about the food ratio, then here the composition of crustacean plankton of Lake Onega has a number of positive features. The plankton of the lake is dominated by cladocerans, most of which are valuable food substances, which include holopediums and bosmins.

Lake Onega. Fishes

In Lake Onega, you can find almost all types of fish that are known for the reservoirs of Karelia. This lake is inhabited by sturgeon (sterlet), salmon (salmon, trout, brook trout, wood char, pit char, vendace, whitefish), chorius (grayling), smelt (smelt), pike (pike), carp (roach, dace, silver bream, sabrefish, bream, golden carp), loach (mustachioed char, pinchfish), catfish (catfish), eel (eels), perch (pike perch, perch, ruff), goby (Onega slingshot, Lapps, sculpin), stickleback (nine-spined sticklebacks, three-spined sticklebacks), cod (lake burbot and lake-river burbot). The most common minigids are river lamprey and brook lamprey.

In general, 47 species and species of fish live in Lake Onega, which belong to 13 families and 34 species. It is possible to find a chub in the lake.

17 species of fish are endowed with the greatest fishing value in the lake, namely vendace, whitefish, ruff, roach, pike, char, walleye, smelt, salmon, bream and perch, and the least - crucian carp, ide, dace, bleak and grayling. The rest of the fish species in Lake Onega are quite rare.

The main commercial fish of this lake is vendace. It is common in almost all places. The vendace feeds only on crustacean plankton. In turn, kilts is a large form of vendace. It is mainly found in the southern part of the lake. Smelt is an object of mass fishing. But at the same time, it also happens as food for fish such as pike perch, salmon, burbot and char. If we talk about whitefish, then in Lake Onega they are noted in 9 different forms. In addition, all whitefish are subdivided into 2 large groups Are lake-river whitefish and lake whitefish. Burbot is also found in Lake Onega, or rather its two forms - lake-river and lake burbot. Burbot, like vendace, is ubiquitous. Pike perch is one of the most valuable fishing objects on the lake, but its catch is quite small. However, the most widespread and abundant fish in Lake Onega is the ruff, which is found at a depth of 70 meters. Perch can be found mainly in coastal areas, as well as in shallow water open lake... Breams are found here in the region of estuaries and sources of rivers. But pike does not have a significant value in the fishing of the lake. It lives in shallow, vegetated areas. If we talk about salmon, then in Lake Onega there are several herds of this fish. Now the most numerous is the herd of Shuya salmon.

But one of the most valuable fish of the salmon family is char, which is common in the area adjacent to the deepest parts of the lake. Ide in this lake has little commercial value, but grayling can be found almost everywhere. Golden crucians are very rare in Lake Onega, in contrast to bleak and dace.