Bolshoy Shantar Island
Bolshoy Shantar () is the main island of the Shantar Islands in the Sea of Okhotsk, Russia; its area is and it measures about . It has a large brackish lake (Lake Bol'shoe) on its north side which is connected to the sea through a narrow passage. Yakshin Bay indents the southwest side of the island. Administratively this island belongs to the Khabarovsk Krai of the Russian Federation. History. The Shantar Islands were explored by Russian surveyors between 1711 and 1725. Bolshoy Shantar was frequented by American whaleships between 1852 and 1907. They hunted bowhead whales, particularly in the  passages that separate Bolshoy Shantar from Feklistova and Prokofyeva. They also went ashore to obtain wood and water and hunt bears and foxes. Two whaleships were wrecked on the island. On 18 October 1858, the bark "Rajah" (250 tons), of New Bedford, was wrecked on the north side of the island during a strong gale. Captain Ansel N. Stewart, the first officer, and 11 other men perished; the second mate and the twelve other crew members were saved four days later by the ship "Condor" (349 tons), of New Bedford, Captain Samuel H. Whiteside. Five men, including the captain, were  buried on the island. Items from the wreck were found on the island as late as 1865. On 30 August 1907, the schooner "Carrie and Annie" (90 tons), of San Francisco, was wrecked on the island during a gale. The crew remained stranded on Bolshoy Shantar until 11 September, when the Russian transport "Nitzun" rescued them. Flora and fauna. There are spruce forests on the island and smelts ("Hypomesus japonicus") and ("H. olidus") are found in Lake Bol'shoe. In the spring and summer Steller's sea eagle and Aleutian tern nest on the island; long-billed murrelet also appear to  breed here. Popular culture. This island is mentioned in the 2008 video game "Grand Theft Auto IV" as the location of the headquarters of a fictional peer-to-peer programme called Shitster (a spoof of Napster).