Bristol Bay

From Freepedia

Bristol Bay is the eastern-most arm of the Bering Sea, at 57° to 59° North 157° to 162° West. It is located between the southwest part of the Alaska mainland to its north, and the Alaska Peninsula to its south and east. Bristol Bay is 400 KM (250 miles) long and 290 KM, (180) miles wide at its mouth. A number of rivers flow into the bay, including the Cinder, Igushik, Kvichak, Meshik, Nushagak, Naknek, Togiak, and Ugashik.

Upper reaches of Bristol Bay experience some of the highest tides in the world. One such reach, the Nushagak Bay near Dillingham and another near Naknek in Kvichak Bay have tidal extremes in excess of 30 feet (9.9 meters), ranking them - and the area - as eighth highest in the world. This, coupled with the extreme number of shoals, sandbars and shallows, makes navigation troublesome, especially during the area's frequently strong winds.

Bristol Bay is shallowest part of the Bering Sea and is therefore one of the most dangerous areas for large vessels. This is one reason why the Bristol Bay commercial fishing fleet is limited to 32-foot (10 meters) overall keel length. Most of the area is not well documented by nautical charts and navigational aids are sparse.

Industry

Bristol Bay is home to the world's largest sockeye salmon fishery as well as strong runs of chum salmon, silver salmon and king salmon, each occuring seasonally.

Major industries are commercial fishing and the associated canneries, sport fishing, hunting and tourism. The number of commercial lodges, hunting- and fishing-resorts and visitors to the nearby Katmai National Park and Preserve has grown exponentially in recent years. The area has also experienced significant interest in oil and mineral development, most notably with the proposed Pebble Mine on the south shore of Lake Iliamna, and auctioning of leases to tracts in the southern Bristol Bay area known as the North Aleutians Basin, an area which has been closed to offshore oil and gas development since a moratorium in 1998.

Demographics

The three largest communities of the Bristol Bay area are Dillingham, King Salmon, and Naknek. Smaller communities, called villages, which dot the coastline and rivers of Bristol Bay include: Egegik (pronounced IG-eg-ick), Ekuk (pronounced EÉ-kok), Igiugig (pronounced EÉ-ġee-YAW-gig), Manokotak (pronounced man-a-KOE-tak), New Stuyahok (pronounced STEW-ya-hock), Newhalen, Nondalton, Pilot Point, Port Heiden, and Ugashik (pronounced yew-GASH-ik).