Ugashik River
Encyclopedia
The Ugashik River is a 42-mile-long (67 km) river
on the Alaska Peninsula
of the U.S. state
of Alaska
. It flows from headwaters near Lower Ugashik Lake and empties into Ugashik Bay
, an estuary of the Bering Sea
's Bristol Bay
.
The origin of the name Ugashik is somewhat obscure, although early spelling variants such as Oogashik and Ougashick suggest the name pertains to the source of the river: two waters (lakes) and it's muddy character.
The river has two major tributaries
and one minor: the King Salmon River and the Dog Salmon River
both have confluences near the river mouth at Ugashik Bay
, while the smaller Dago Creek
joins just four miles (6 km) from Smoky Point
, where Ugashik Bay and Bristol Bay
meet.
The river is navigable to a small lagoon
located just outside the outlet from Lower Ugashik Lake. A small rapids between the lake and the lagoon serves as the location of a seasonally staffed salmon
-counting weir
operated by the Alaska Department of Fish and Game
.
The river hosts several seasonal salmon runs including, during the peak summer season, part of the largest sockeye salmon
migration in the world.
River
A river is a natural watercourse, usually freshwater, flowing towards an ocean, a lake, a sea, or another river. In a few cases, a river simply flows into the ground or dries up completely before reaching another body of water. Small rivers may also be called by several other names, including...
on the Alaska Peninsula
Alaska Peninsula
The Alaska Peninsula is a peninsula extending about to the southwest from the mainland of Alaska and ending in the Aleutian Islands. The peninsula separates the Pacific Ocean from Bristol Bay, an arm of the Bering Sea....
of the U.S. state
U.S. state
A U.S. state is any one of the 50 federated states of the United States of America that share sovereignty with the federal government. Because of this shared sovereignty, an American is a citizen both of the federal entity and of his or her state of domicile. Four states use the official title of...
of Alaska
Alaska
Alaska is the largest state in the United States by area. It is situated in the northwest extremity of the North American continent, with Canada to the east, the Arctic Ocean to the north, and the Pacific Ocean to the west and south, with Russia further west across the Bering Strait...
. It flows from headwaters near Lower Ugashik Lake and empties into Ugashik Bay
Ugashik Bay
Ugashik Bay is a bay of the Bering Sea in the U.S. state of Alaska. It is an elongated, comma-shaped estuary formed where the Ugashik River empties into Bristol Bay, on the western coast of the Alaska Peninsula....
, an estuary of the Bering Sea
Bering Sea
The Bering Sea is a marginal sea of the Pacific Ocean. It comprises a deep water basin, which then rises through a narrow slope into the shallower water above the continental shelves....
's Bristol Bay
Bristol Bay
Bristol Bay is the eastern-most arm of the Bering Sea, at 57° to 59° North 157° to 162° West in Southwest Alaska. Bristol Bay is 400 km long and 290 km, wide at its mouth...
.
The origin of the name Ugashik is somewhat obscure, although early spelling variants such as Oogashik and Ougashick suggest the name pertains to the source of the river: two waters (lakes) and it's muddy character.
The river has two major tributaries
Tributary
A tributary or affluent is a stream or river that flows into a main stem river or a lake. A tributary does not flow directly into a sea or ocean...
and one minor: the King Salmon River and the Dog Salmon River
Dog Salmon River
The Dog Salmon River is a tributary of the Ugashik River, having its confluence with the Ugashik just from the head of Ugashik Bay on the central Alaska Peninsula of southwest Alaska....
both have confluences near the river mouth at Ugashik Bay
Ugashik Bay
Ugashik Bay is a bay of the Bering Sea in the U.S. state of Alaska. It is an elongated, comma-shaped estuary formed where the Ugashik River empties into Bristol Bay, on the western coast of the Alaska Peninsula....
, while the smaller Dago Creek
Dago Creek
Dago Creek is an estuary of and small feeder stream to Ugashik Bay, located on the western flats of the central Alaska Peninsula in the U.S. state of Alaska, at ....
joins just four miles (6 km) from Smoky Point
Smoky Point
Smoky Point is a point of land in the U.S. state of Alaska, located at , where Ugashik Bay joins the much larger Bristol Bay. The most easily distinguishable landmark is the United States Coast Guard lighthouse which is visible to mariners on the eastern shore of Bristol Bay and all of Ugashik...
, where Ugashik Bay and Bristol Bay
Bristol Bay
Bristol Bay is the eastern-most arm of the Bering Sea, at 57° to 59° North 157° to 162° West in Southwest Alaska. Bristol Bay is 400 km long and 290 km, wide at its mouth...
meet.
The river is navigable to a small lagoon
Lagoon
A lagoon is a body of shallow sea water or brackish water separated from the sea by some form of barrier. The EU's habitat directive defines lagoons as "expanses of shallow coastal salt water, of varying salinity or water volume, wholly or partially separated from the sea by sand banks or shingle,...
located just outside the outlet from Lower Ugashik Lake. A small rapids between the lake and the lagoon serves as the location of a seasonally staffed salmon
Salmon
Salmon is the common name for several species of fish in the family Salmonidae. Several other fish in the same family are called trout; the difference is often said to be that salmon migrate and trout are resident, but this distinction does not strictly hold true...
-counting weir
Weir
A weir is a small overflow dam used to alter the flow characteristics of a river or stream. In most cases weirs take the form of a barrier across the river that causes water to pool behind the structure , but allows water to flow over the top...
operated by the Alaska Department of Fish and Game
Alaska Department of Fish and Game
The Alaska Department of Fish and Game is a department within the government of Alaska. The Department of Fish and Game manages Alaska's fish, game, and aquatic plant resources.-History:...
.
The river hosts several seasonal salmon runs including, during the peak summer season, part of the largest sockeye salmon
Sockeye salmon
Sockeye salmon , also called red salmon or blueback salmon in the USA, is an anadromous species of salmon found in the Northern Pacific Ocean and rivers discharging into it...
migration in the world.