The lands and waters of Bristol Bay produce more wild salmon than anywhere else on Earth and that fuels a sustainable commercial salmon fishery valued at $1.5 billion annually.”īristol Bay has also been in the news for another reason: the proposed Pebble Mine, a gigantic mining operation that would be located in the headwaters in the ecosystem. Salmon is the basis of millennia-old Indigenous traditions. “Everything runs on wild salmon in Alaska’s Bristol Bay. As The Nature Conservancy in Alaska puts it: The annual spawning runs of these fish influence an entire region: the wildlife and the people and even the land. © Bridget Besaw / TNC The Salmon Ecosystemīristol Bay is home to half the world’s sockeye salmon. Aerial views of the Bristol Bay watershed in southwest Alaska, near the location of the proposed Pebble Mine. In fact, researchers studying rainbow trout have found that these fish can help reveal just how complex and intertwined this system is. But here in Bristol Bay, rainbows still hold surprises. If you’re an angler, it can feel like you know all you need to know about rainbows. The rainbow trout is one of the most familiar gamefish worldwide, stocked far and wide and in great numbers. Big, bulky rainbow trout, gorging on lipids. Among the most frequent catches are rainbow trout. I’ve had the great fortune to drift egg patterns on salmon rivers, connecting to the feeding frenzy under the surface. For those of us inclined to carry fishing rods, this presents one of the greatest outdoor experiences on the planet. Just downstream, predatory fish gulp the salmon eggs and chunks of decomposing salmon flesh that float downstream. The red sockeye salmon are quite visible, finning in the depths. You might not notice, but there’s a feast underwater, too. In places, you’ll see lines of salmon carcasses lining the bank, each with a large chomp mark out of its side.īald eagles and gulls sit on dead salmon wherever you look, and even a furtive red fox might sneak in to grab a snack. The grizzly bears are most conspicuous, strolling along the river. It’s the sockeye salmon spawn in Bristol Bay, and creatures large and small are taking advantage of the bounty.
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