interstitialRedirectModalTitle

interstitialRedirectModalMessage

interstitialRedirectModalRedirectCTA
interstitialRedirectModalDismissCTA
Skip to content

Priority Landscapes

Bristol Bay, Alaska

The world’s most important wild salmon nursery is in danger, and we may be facing our last chance to save it.

An underwater image of salmon swimming through water.
Wild Sockeye Spawning sockeye salmon fill healthy streams every summer in the Bristol Bay headwaters. © Jason Satoshi Ching

Alaska’s Bristol Bay is a place of forests, mountains and tundra—and water. Especially water.

Pristine and often breathtakingly clear, these waters sustain the planet’s healthiest runs of wild salmon. This watershed feeds abundant wildlife, a historic commercial fishery, local and Indigenous communities and people across the planet.

An aerial view of bristol bay's forests and clear waters with salmon in the water.
Bristol Bay Salmon Guardians collect important baseline data about water levels on a river that support the globally significant wild sockeye salmon fishery in Bristol Bay. © Jason Ching

Program Overview

Alaska’s Bristol Bay is the world’s most important wild salmon nursery. Cold freshwater streams course down rugged mountains, through lush forests and across mossy tundra, creating a natural climate refuge that produces half the world’s wild sockeye salmon.

Yet this globally important salmon run is in danger. We may be facing our last, best chance to save it. The Nature Conservancy joins with our partners in Bristol Bay to preserve critical habitat, build a sustainable local economy, nurture a way of life that dates back millennia and prepare the next generation to lead their communities.

Bristol Bay Salmon Facts

  • Green icon of fish.

    54M

    In 2023, 54.5 million wild salmon migrated to Alaska’s Bristol Bay.

  • Green icon of animal paw prints.

    30

    A hungry brown bear can eat 30 wild salmon in a day.

    Watch bears catch salmon
  • Green icon of three human figures.

    3

    The 40,000-plus-square-mile Bristol Bay region is home to three distinct Indigenous cultures with strong ties to salmon: Central Yup’ik, Alutiiq/Sugpiaq and Dena’ina.

  • Green icon of money.

    $2.2B

    Sustainable commercial wild salmon fishery valued at $2.2 billion annually.

    See how it adds up

Video

America’s Salmon Stronghold at Risk

America’s Salmon Stronghold at Risk (3:39) This is a place of water, home to half the world’s wild sockeye salmon. Every summer, tens of millions of salmon return to these waters, creating a huge pulse of life. Yet the future of this migration won't be secure without community-supported, permanent habitat protections.

Stories in Bristol Bay

Aerial view of the Alaskan landscape of Bristol Bay and mountains.

What You Should Know About Alaska's Bristol Bay

A commercial salmon fishing vessel at work with seagulls on the water.

Salty Slang from Bristol Bay’s Commercial Fishing Fleet

4 people in waders stand beside boat pulled onto rocky

Preserving the Last Salmon Run

By Dustin Solberg

TNC Bristol Bay program director Rayn Aaberg stands outside.

Meet TNC's Bristol Bay Program Director, Rayn Aaberg

Aerial view of Alaska's Bristol Bay.

Bristol Bay Science

VIEW MORE ITEMS

Add a Podcast to Your Queue

In partnership with Mountain & Prairie, we're bringing you exclusive conservation stories, updates, advice and more from TNC leaders and host Ed Roberson.

Support our work

Everything runs on wild salmon in Alaska’s Bristol Bay, and your efforts make a difference. In our connected world, even from afar, we can achieve so much when we work together.

Donate today