The Sea of Okhotsk is one of the most productive ocean regions in the world. However, the in situ bio-optical properties, which are crucial for satellite ocean-color of the productivity, remain uncertain in this region because little data have been available. We conducted an in situ observation and evaluated the bio-optical properties in terms of chlorophyll a (ChI a) concentration, spectral remote sensing reflectance (R-rs), and the light absorption coefficients of phytoplankton (a(j)), non-algal particles (a(NAP)), and chromophoric dissolved organic matter (a(CDOM)) in the summer of 2006. The data covered a wide range of Chl a levels in surface waters from 0.3 to 8.5 mg m(-3). At 443 nm, a(CDOM) dominated (64% on average) the total non-water absorption (a(t-w)) in this study area. Based on the in situ R-rs data, surface Chl a concentrations that were estimated using the sea-viewing wide field-of-view sensor (SeaWiFS) OC4v6 and the moderate-resolution imaging spectroradiometer (MOD'S) OC3M algorithms were significantly higher than the in situ data by more than 160% and 260%, respectively. In particular, the largest overestimation occurred in the region where a(CDOM) at 443 nm accounted for more than 80% of a(t-w) near the mouth of the Amur River. However, except the CDOM-rich stations, the performance of the OC4v6 and OC3M algorithms became better (i.e., their mean normalized biases were reduced to 50% and 66%, respectively). We conclude that the operational global algorithms were applicable to the summer season in the Sea of Okhotsk except the CDOM-rich region, in which new approaches for ocean-color algorithms (i.e., local algorithms) would be required. (C) 2014 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.