Bristol Bay.

• Author: Richardson, Jeffrey

BRISTOL BAY

IT IS ALMOST A ROMANTIC name, completely, synonymous with an unequaled world-class harvest of sockeye salmon. It conjures images of fishery splendor, fabulous fortunes and the brief summer frenzy of man meeting nature. In broad economic terms, there isn't much else to say about the bay. That is simplistic, of course, but close enough to the truth to effectively underscore the overwhelming significance of the sockeye fishery as the foundation of the region's economy.

On the other hand, fisheries management decisions, economic trends and political forces originating far outside the region's boundaries have brought changes to the fishery, made it more intense, more competitive, more complex. The result, among other things, is a push for more localized political autonomy and greater economic diversity, including greater diversity in fisheries.

A long-standing concern is the flow of capital from the region due to the competitive strength and stance of outside economic interests. High per-capita earnings statistics for the region, largely attributable to the fishery, fail to account for the capital-loss factor and the high costs of fishing. Notes Neal Fried, state labor economist: "A lot of the economic benefits of the region do not accrue to the people of the region."

The Bristol Bay region is the area generally corresponding to boundaries of Bristol Bay Native Corp., the Native regional corporation for the area. More precisely from a geographic standpoint, the region consists of the 23 communities fronting the lakes and streams that drain into the Bristol Bay itself. It also includes five communities--Chignik Lake, Chignik Lagoon, Chignik Bay, Ivanoff Bay and Perryville--that perch on the Pacific side of the Alaska Peninsula's westward thrust.

Bristol Bay communities range from small towns with less than 100 people, such as Pedro Bay and Igiugig, to large centers like Togiak, popluation 654; New Stuyahok, 364; and Dillingham, 2,232. The small, long-stnading Bristol Bay Borough encompasses Naknek, South Naknek and the U.S. Air Force and recreational enclave at King Salmon.

Subsistence is important to the region's economy. Debbie Tennyson of the Department of Community and Regional Affairs in Dillingham points out, "It contributes so much to the personal economy of families."

Despite a far-flung geography and ethnic diversity that includes Yupik, Aleut and Athabascan traditions, the region's economy, both subsistence and commercial, runs in close synchronization with the sockeye's seasonal clock. "Certainly the distinctive feature is the fishing industry, which drives our economy. This is where the big bucks are," says Judy Nelson, president of Choggiung, Ltd., the village corporation for Dillingham.

Henry Mitchell, executive director of the Bering Sea Fishermen's Association and a member of the North Pacific Fisheries Management Council, estimates the salmon fishery constitutes about 75 percent of the area's income. "It's of enormous...