Alaska Department of Fish and Game
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Commercial Fisheries Overview
Bristol Bay Management Area
The Bristol Bay Management Area includes all coastal and inland waters east of a line from Cape Newenham to Cape Menshikof. The area includes 9 major river systems: Naknek, Kvichak, Alagnak, Egegik, Ugashik, Wood, Nushagak, Igushik, and Togiak. Numerous freshwater nursery lakes and shallow estuaries combine to make Bristol Bay the largest commercial sockeye salmon fishery in the world. Sockeye salmon are by far the most abundant salmon species that return to Bristol Bay each year, but Chinook, chum, coho, and (in even years) pink salmon returns are important to the fishery as well. The Bristol Bay area is divided into 5 management districts (Naknek-Kvichak, Egegik, Ugashik, Nushagak, and Togiak), corresponding to the major river drainages. The management objective for each river is to achieve spawning escapement goals for the major salmon species while harvesting fish in excess of the goals through the drift and set gillnet fisheries. Additionally, Togiak District provides spawning grounds for the largest commercial Pacific herring fishery in Alaska.
