Stephanie Maltarich, KDLG-Dillingham
Why is Bristol Bay’s sockeye run breaking records while other areas struggle?
In the past decade, Bristol Bay has seen consistently large salmon runs and continues to break records. But some other Alaska fisheries are experiencing historically low runs, a trend that worries scientists, fishery managers and communities. What keeps Bristol Bay booming as other areas struggle?
Meet one of Bristol Bay’s salmon counters who tallied sockeye during the biggest run on record
As salmon swim upriver to return to their spawning grounds, biologists track numbers to balance conservation with commercial fishing.
A lifetime of subsistence fishing tells story of Yup’ik tradition
Each summer, Alaskans take to the rivers, bays and oceans to subsistence fish. Some head out to set nets, others may use dip nets, but the end goal is the same: to stock up on enough fresh fish to last the winter.
Bristol Bay records its largest sockeye run on record
Bristol Bay’s 2021 sockeye run is the largest on record: 63.2 million fish have returned to the bay, breaking the 2018 record of 62.9 million.