Explore Alaska’s Amazing Bristol Bay

Hundreds of years ago, the Pacific Northwest once pulsed and surged with the annual migration of salmon. These salmon supported the growth and flourishing of nations, landscapes, and wildlife for thousands of years. They brought nutrients from the ocean to feed the land and its creatures, growing the mighty forests that powered the explosion in the region's population. The same trees we value today for their ability to clean the air and capture excess carbon. Unfortunately, today most of these once great fisheries are on life support. Dams, urbanization, overfishing, and global warming have placed immense pressure on salmon populations. Billions of dollars are spent each year to keep these fisheries alive. But there are still places that remind us of that earlier time. Alaska's Bristol Bay is the world's last best wild salmon fishery, where tens of millions of wild salmon return each year to feed families and cultures. It's home to nearly half the wild sockeye salmon consumed worldwide. Alongside the certified sustainable commercial salmon fishery, indigenous Alaskans catch, fillet, and dry salmon much as they have for thousands of years. This ritual of love, nourishment, and preparedness is a means of transmitting culture between generations and an important way to offset the high cost of living in rural Alaska. In this remote region, salmon is much more than food in the freezer. It's the foundation of the economy. The ability to fish represents bikes for the kids, heating oil for the stove, and a new motor for the boat. At a time when so many species around the globe are in crisis, the Nature Conservancy in Alaska offers the simple yet profound opportunity to support wild salmon and the life that depends on them while we still can. TNC Alaska is working with tribal, state, and federal governments to ensure this world-class fishery remains healthy for generations to come. We are supporting the leadership and stewardship of the region's First People who bring thousands of years of experience to the management of the land and water on which salmon depend. And we have contributed foundational science to document the importance of the dizzying network of rivers, streams, and lakes where salmon spawn. Bristol Bay is a reminder of our abundant past and a ray of hope in an uncertain future. Join us in honoring this precious system and all it represents by supporting the Nature Conservancy in Alaska.