Bristol Bay, AK

Bristol Bay, AK
Bristol Bay Fly Fishing and Guide Academy Equipping Locals with Job Earning Skill Sets 

The Bristol Bay Fly Fishing and Guide Academy began its third year this spring with the enrollment of thirteen young area residents. The Academy was designed to provide alternative career paths to mining jobs for local residents. In the past, seasonal angling jobs have typically been given to guides from the Lower 48, but now Bristol Bay locals are being equipped with skills to pursue careers in the sport fishing world – and lodges are increasingly interested in hiring their guides locally. For Nelli Williams, TU’s Academy organizer, the bottom line is, “healthy salmon runs mean more local jobs.”