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ePaper created 2016-04-04, 21:01:23 | version 1.33.0
April 2016 • COAST • www.coast-magazine.com • 21 Kvichak R. Naknek R. Egegik R. Ugashik R. Iliamna Lake Nushagak R. B A Y W I L D L I F E The watershed provides habitat for more than 29 fish, 190 bird, and 40 land mammal species. S T E L L E R ’ S E I D E R B A L D E A G L E P A C I F I C W A L R U S M O O S E F R E S H W A T E R S E A L B E L U G A W H A L E N O R T H P A C I F I C R I G H T W H A L E D I L L I N G H A M N A K N E K I G I U G I G E G E G I K R A I N B O W T R O U T A L A S K A Six Mile Lake N O N D A L T O N J U V E N I L E O U T G O I N G M I G R A T I O N These hungry fresh water predators grow enormous on salmon eggs, alevin, and fry —making the bay a top destination for anglers from around the world. A salmon-rich diet helps coastal bears grow to epic proportions, dwarfing their inland cousins. Grizzlies and other Bristol Bay brown bears grow to 1,500 pounds. Belugas in bay waters feast on vast schools of outbound salmon smolts and returning adults. Echolocation helps them find prey, even in murky river mouths. The copepod and krill-rich waters at the mouth of Bristol Bay are designated as critical habitat for this rarest of all large whale species. Moose traverse the watershed’s tundra and forest like clockwork; the woody browse and wetland plants they prefer grow lush in salmon-enriched soil. Bald eagles are opportunistic, gorging on salmon, waterfowl, and even carrion— sustenance the bay’s clean water and abundant wildlife provide in spades. These pinnipeds dive deep to feed at the bottom of the Chukchi and Bering seas. In spring and summer, thousands of males rest on four rocky beaches in Bristol Bay. Lake Iliamna is the year-round home to a small breeding colony of harbor seals. Worldwide, there are only a handful of seal populations adapted to dwelling in lakes. Bristol Bay’s southern lagoons teem with small fish and saltwater invertebrates that fuel eiders through the winter and help them bulk up for breeding season. B R O W N B E A R 1 1 7 3 9 5 2 8 4 6 2 7 8 9 3 5 6 4