An incredibly stunning visual journey of Alaska’s Bristol Bay when the sockeye salmon return. Filmmaker and scientist Jason Ching explains more about what’s going on here:

At every stage of their lives from eggs to adults, sockeye salmon of Bristol Bay, Alaska have endured being hunted by a long list of predators including birds, fish, marine mammals, and people. Nearing the end of their long migration at a precise location where they emerged several years ago, the salmon gather to spawn but first they must escape the last chase.

One of the most compelling stories of the wild sockeye salmon of Bristol Bay, Alaska is of their sacrifice. These salmon are an incredible driver of nutrients supporting an endless list of characters across freshwater and marine environments. It is because their populations are managed, their lives respected, and their pristine ecosystems are studied and maintained that these salmon populations remain as productive as ever and able to sustain life so many including brown bears and freshwater seals of Iliamna Lake.