Tourism growth in the Bristol Bay area is directly attributable to the vast amount of acreage set aside for recreational purposes. The area has hundreds of miles of rivers usable in the Togiak, the Nushagak, the Mulchatna, the Kvichak, the Naknek, the Branch, and the Egegik Rivers. According to a recent recreational study completed by the Lake and Peninsula Borough, the U. S. Park Service has determined that the Katmai National Park had 40,000 to 46,000 visitors from 1989 to 1992. The Lake Clark National Park had increased from 4,000 to more than 21,000 visitors since 1989. Opportunities Commercial fishing and subsistence are the primary economic activities in the Bristol Bay region.
Smaller communities have few other employment alternatives.
A number of Bristol Bay residents are investing in the sport fishing and tourism industry. Interest in development of tourism is growing as evidenced by the number of participants attending workshops periodically held throughout the region. This population includes students who have had no college training, those returning to college work after a substantial hiatus, those holding baccalaureates but seeking refresher work, and those actively seeking a graduate degree. Most Bristol Bay Campus students go to school part-time because they have jobs, are parents, or because they have community responsibilities. Forty-three percent of our students are between the ages of 31 and 40, but there are many younger and many older.