Bristol Bay, Alaska

NH_080715_Nushagakaerials-1_ED_HIRES_SELECTS-800x531.jpg

Each summer, millions of sockeye salmon return to six major rivers in Bristol Bay after a few years in the North Pacific to spawn the next generation in the very location from which they were born a few years earlier. They expend all of their energy into this journey and die after they spawn to provide essential nutrients to the ecosystem.

  • Bristol Bay is the last fully intact salmon fishery in the world! The salmon thrive here because of the prestine spawning habitat that has not been interfered with by human development. Biologists manage each river individually to ensure that millions of salmon make it up the river to spawn.

  • Sockeye in salt water are bright silver with green backs. When they reach the freshwater to spawn, their flesh begins to decompose and they turn bright red with green heads and the males develop hook jaws and sharp teeth.

  • The annual migration is essential to maintain the natural balance in the region. Many species of plants and animals rely on the nutrient rich salmon for survival. The ecosystem is delicate, but is absolutely thriving today!

BBRSDA_POS-Map-Revised-2019_final.jpg