Bear Lake is located on Alaska's Kenai Peninsula near the community of Seward, Alaska and has been the site of salmon enhancement activities since 1962.  Initial enhancement activities, conducted by the Alaska Department of Fish and Game (ADF&G) Sport Fish Division, focused on coho salmon (Oncorhynchus kisutch) and the control of predator and competitor species.

In 1988, the Alaska Board of Fisheries revised the management plan for Bear Lake.  The revision allowed for the enhancement of sockeye salmon (O. nerka). 

The revised Bear Lake management plan developed in 1988 was soon followed by a cooperative agreement between ADF&G, Sport fish Division, ADF&G Fisheries Rehabilitation, Enhancement and Development (FRED) Division, and the Cook Inlet Aquaculture Association (CIAA).  The cooperative agreement, which became effective in August 1989, allowed CIAA to operate and maintain the Bear Lake coho salmon enhancement project and to begin sockeye enhancement activities in the lake.  The agreement also provided CIAA with the responsibility of operating and maintaining the Bear Creek weir site. 

 Current enhancement activities at Bear Lake now target both sockeye and coho salmon with control of predator and competitor species.  The objectives are to create a commercial sockeye fishery and to maintain the coho sport fishery enhancement program.  To accomplish the objectives CIAA monitors the number of marked fish resulting from fry, pre-smolt, and smolt releases in sockeye and coho adult migrations and evaluate the success of enhancement through the recovery of marked fish.