Overview
Importance of Bristol Bay Salmon
Project Lead: Marcus Hartley, Melissa Errend
Northern Economics developed a detailed assessment of the importance of the Bristol Salmon Fishery to the Bristol Bay Region, which is defined to include the Bristol Bay Borough, the Lake and Peninsula Borough, and the Dillingham Census Area. This is the third iteration of this assessment completed for the Bristol Bay Economic Development Corporation, one of six Western Alaska Community Development Quota Organizations. The original project was completed in 2009 with a complete update in 2012. The most recent project was completed in 2022. All three of the projects provide detailed information regarding participation in the Drift Gillnet and Set Gillnet Salmon Fisheries with an extensive review of local ownership, non-local Alaska ownership, and non-Alaska ownership of vessels and limited entry permits. In addition to fishery participation, the reports summarize population trends, school enrollments, and the costs of living in the region. The 2022 project added a new feature to the profiles—interactive web-based applications that allow users to examine trends in the salmon fisheries, other fisheries, and vessel characteristics.