In general, ice floating on the sea is called "drift ice". This ice is called "sea ice". In fact, most of the drift ice in the Sea of Okhotsk is, to be exact, this "sea ice".
The seawater, which is blown by severe cold air on the northernmost coast of the Sea of Okhotsk, cools down to -1.8 degrees Celsius and turns into small needles and plate-like ice near the sea surface. This is the birth of ice crystals. This gradually increases and eventually covers the sea surface. They collide with each other and join together to grow into lotus leaf-like ice.

The lotus ice, which is formed around November, is carried by the strong northwesterly monsoon and the East Karafuto Current, and slowly moves southward through the Sea of Okhotsk while growing further. It reaches the coast of Okhotsk in Hokkaido from late January to early February.
The salt content in this drift ice is around 0.5%, less than 1/6 of seawater. The drift ice grows as ice crystals stick together one after another, but only the hard-to-freeze salt is left behind. You can see this clearly when you look at drift ice under a microscope.
In the Sea of Okhotsk, when drift ice comes, the fishing industry temporarily stops. However, under the ice floes, a large amount and variety of plankton are active. Clione is one of them. In fact, the reflux system fish are also rushing in large numbers, chasing the plankton. It can be said that nature protects the abundant seafood resources of the Sea of Okhotsk.