Protecting Bristol Bay

On Dec. 16, 2014, the people and seafood industry of Bristol Bay, Alaska, won the protection they had been seeking for decades for their local fisheries. President Barack Obama removed Bristol Bay from future oil and gas development through the Outer Continental Shelf Lands Act. Bounded by the Aleutian Islands to the south and opening into the Bering Sea to the west, the protected area stretches over 52,000 square miles, roughly the size of Florida.

Bristol Bay is at the heart of one of the most productive fishing grounds in the country. The world’s largest wild sockeye salmon run funnels into the bay and its nearby rivers every year. Millions of seabirds and 25 species of marine mammals depend on the rich marine life of Bristol Bay. The region’s thriving commercial fishing industry, tribes, subsistence fishers, and conservation groups, including Pew, have worked together for years to win protection for this global example of sustainable fishing.

VIDEO
1x1placeholder

Protecting America's Fish Basket

Watch video
Quick View

Protecting America's Fish Basket

The Bristol Bay region is an incredibly valuable ecosystem that supplies nearly 50 percent of the U.S.'s wild-caught seafood and supports thousands of fisheries jobs.

Watch video
Photo Gallery
1x1placeholder

Bristol Bay

View photos
Quick View

Bristol Bay

Learn more about one of the richest U.S. marine ecosystems, its diverse wildlife, and its world-class commercial and subsistence fisheries.

View photos

Additional Resources

America’s Overdose Crisis
America’s Overdose Crisis

America’s Overdose Crisis

Sign up for our five-email course explaining the overdose crisis in America, the state of treatment access, and ways to improve care

Sign up
Quick View

America’s Overdose Crisis

Sign up for our five-email course explaining the overdose crisis in America, the state of treatment access, and ways to improve care

Sign up
Press Releases & Statements

Pew se réjouit de la protection de la baie de Bristol en Alaska

Quick View
Press Releases & Statements

The Pew Charitable Trusts se réjouit de la décision prise ce jour par l’administration Obama de protéger la baie de Bristol en Alaska, l’une des zones de pêche les plus productives des États-Unis. En tant que membre de la Fish Basket Coalition basée en Alaska, Pew a travaillé avec les habitants de la baie de Bristol et le secteur de la pêche afin d’obtenir la protection des pêcheries locales dans cette zone capitale pour le pays.

Composite image of modern city network communication concept

Learn the Basics of Broadband from Our Limited Series

Sign up for our four-week email course on Broadband Basics

Quick View

How does broadband internet reach our homes, phones, and tablets? What kind of infrastructure connects us all together? What are the major barriers to broadband access for American communities?