Alaska Peninsula: where fishing is king.

• Author: Barbour, Tracy
• Position: REGIONAL REVIEW

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The Alaska Peninsula is home to some the most copious natural resources and wildlife in the state. The peninsula stretches about 500 miles to the southwest from Alaska's mainland down to the Aleutian Islands, and separates the Pacific Ocean from Bristol Bay--the world-famous, easternmost arm of the Bering Sea. A number of rivers flow into the bay, including the Kvichak, Cinder, Egegik, Igushik, Meshik, Ushagak, Naknek, Togiak and Ugashik. These rivers support the largest run of sockeye salmon in the world, along with an abundance of king, silver, chum and pink salmon, and rainbow trout, Arctic char, grayling, northern pike, trout and Dolly Varden.

The Bristol Bay watersheds include several large pristine lakes, such as Lake Becherof and Lake Iliamna--one of only two lakes in the world supporting a resident population of freshwater seals. The area is also home to caribou, moose, bear and walrus, as well as small game such as beaver, porcupine, otter, fox and various waterfowl.

In terms of its landscape, the northern side of the Alaska Peninsula is flat and marshy, mainly due to years of erosion. The southern side is rugged and mountainous. A major mountain range--the Meutian Range--runs along the entire length of the peninsula. This highly active volcanic group of mountains extends from Chakachamna Lake, which is about 80 miles southwest of Anchorage, to Unimak Island, which sits at the tip of the peninsula. The peninsula is also home to Wood-Tikchick State Park, the largest state park in the country.

The Alaska Peninsula is organized as four boroughs: the Bristol Bay Borough --which was incorporated as the State's first borough in 1962--the Lake and Peninsula Borough, Kodiak Island Borough and Aleutians East Borough. The most populated communities in the Bristol Bay and Lake and Peninsula boroughs are Dillingham, Naknek, King Salmon and Nondalton.

Dillingham, with about 2,500 residents, is the service, transportation and retail center of Bristol Bay. Naknek, the seat of the Bristol Bay Borough, has a population of around 700. It has a seasonal economy as a service center for the huge red salmon fishery in Bristol Bay. King Salmon, with a population of about 500, is an important air transportation hub for Bristol Bay. Interestingly, King Salmon--which is located in the Bristol Bay Borough--is the seat of the Lake and Peninsula Borough. Nondalton is the largest city in the Lake and Peninsula Borough. Situated on the...