The Site includes a sandy-shell spit and a shallow bay of the Azov Sea, and features shallow lakes, dunes and silt islands. Its saltmarshes and meadows, swampy areas and thickets of reeds and rushes provide habitats for numerous endemic and nationally rare plants and relic fish species. The bay reaches a maximum depth of five metres; its bottom is overgrown with Zostera marina and other aquatic plants, which provide abundant feeding resources for fish and birds. The Site is important for several thousand wintering ducks and geese, and it supports up to 5,000 individuals of the smew (Mergellus albellus). Three species of critically endangered sturgeons depend on the Site as feeding ground. The bay is regularly covered by ice; however climate change is causing a significant shortening of these periods, leading to a change in the composition of bird species. Threats include invasive species and the lowering of water levels in the inner reservoir. The reason for the latter is unknown, and consistent monitoring is needed. Human activities include conservation education, recreation and fishing. In 2021 the Site was delineated more accurately, and extended to include the entire bay area, increasing the total area by 9,280 hectares.