Economic Value of Bristol Bay Fisheries Estimated at $4.1-$5.4 Billion Annually
Commercial fisheries in Southwest Alaska’s Bristol Bay, with its highly productive marine ecosystems and bountiful fisheries, generate economic activity equivalent to $4.1billion to $5.4 billion annually, the World Wildlife Fund says.The details are contained in a report prepared for the environmental organization by Ecotrust, in Portland, Oregon, and released in late December.Study authors said that the health of Bristol Bay fisheries is not only economically important to the region, but to the nation and the world as a whole, because participants in that fishery and the retailers from whom consumers purchase these wild seafood products come from all over the world.The Bristol Bay marine ecosystem is well known as the largest sockeye salmon run in the world. It also produces chum salmon, ...