This Earth Month, We Show Up for Bristol Bay

There are certain places in the world that feel improbable in their beauty and abundance. Bristol Bay, Alaska, is one of them.

Each summer, like cosmic clockwork, millions of sockeye salmon return to the rivers where they were born, moving through a vast watershed that remains one of the last fully intact ecosystems of its kind. It’s the largest wild salmon run on Earth — a living system that feeds communities, supports livelihoods, and sustains a way of life that has existed for generations. 

But like so many wild places, it is vulnerable to human development that puts its wild cycles at risk. For more than two decades, Bristol Bay has faced the ongoing threat of the proposed Pebble Mine — a massive mining project at the headwaters of the world’s most productive wild salmon watershed. It’s difficult to overstate what’s at stake: the health of the rivers, the future of wild salmon, and the entire ecosystem that depends on both. 

This is where I’d like to introduce Commercial Fishermen for Bristol Bay (CFBB). CFBB is a national coalition of fisher people who have dedicated themselves to protecting the watershed — not just as a resource, but as a living system that supports countless livelihoods and upholds a vibrant, pristine ecosystem. “At CFBB, we’re working to make sure those stories continue for generations to come, and that everyone who benefits from this fishery has a role in protecting it,” said Nels Ure, Deputy Director of CFBB.

CFBB works to ensure the long-term sustainability of the world’s largest sockeye salmon fishery through habitat protection, education and advocacy. From the boatyards of Bristol Bay, to Washington D.C., they ensure that fishermen are engaged in the processes that could impact salmon habitats.

My husband, Arron Kallenberg (WAC founder + CEO), has deep multigenerational ties to Bristol Bay, and advocacy for wild salmon has long been part of his family’s legacy. A few years ago, that commitment led Wild Alaskan Company to help support research exploring whether large-scale mining could disrupt salmon migration. Wild salmon rely in part on the Earth’s magnetic fields to return to their natal streams — raising an important question: could removing vast mineral deposits interfere with that natural navigation? It’s a question that underscores just how interconnected this ecosystem is — and why CFBB’s mission resonates so deeply with our team.

Last summer, WAC supported CFBB in raising awareness of their work, mission, and efforts through storytelling — CFBB knows the stories of the Bristol Bay community, and we recognize that those stories are an integral part of ours. I encourage you to explore that work here.

As a member of Wild Alaskan Company, know that each WAC box you receive helps to support the livelihoods of fishers, the resilience of fishing communities, and ultimately protects wild places like Bristol Bay (and beyond!) in Alaska. And for that, we have so much gratitude for you. I hope you take a moment to visit CFBB’s website to learn more about their important work. And if you feel called to further help fund long-term protection efforts for Bristol Bay, I humbly invite you to make a donation to CFBB here. 

Live Wild,

Monica

Pictured above: A brown bear at Brooks Falls in Bristol Bay (in Katmai National Park), situated comfortably amid the 2025 salmon run — a sea of wild sockeye moving back up their natal streams to spawn and die to continue the infinite, inexplicable cycles of the planet.