Bristol Bay

Large inlet of the Bering Sea in southwest Alaska. It is bordered by the Ahklun Mountains and the Nushagak Peninsula, to the north, and the Alaska Peninsula, to the south. The name is also applied to the empty, lake-strewn area of Alaska on the north shore of the bay. Approximately 320 km/200 mi wide at its mouth, the shallow bay is a major centre for salmon fishing and canning. The Kvichak, Nushagak, and Togiak rivers empty into Bristol Bay. The bay was explored and named by the English navigator James Cook in 1778.