Sportsmen Go to Washington to Defend Alaska's Bristol Bay

Sportsmen from across the country are going to Washington, D.C. next week, to argue in defense of Alaska's Bristol Bay, one of the world’s great salmon fisheries.

It is threatened by Pebble Mine, a proposed gold and coppering mining operation.

Scott Hed of the Sportsman’s Alliance for Alaska says this:

“This is not just Alaska’s issue.  It is not just a commercial fishing or sportfishing issue.  This is about America’s last great wild fishery.   

“If we falter here, we will have laid down our rods at the feet of a multi-national corporation.  We will have turned an industry with a long history of destroying fisheries loose in a place that provides 40 percent of the wild salmon the world eats. 

“As fishermen we will have abandoned one of the last places that is hatchery-free, with runs averaging 40 million salmon a year. 

“If you fish and have not heard of Pebble, you may have been under a rock.  It is a proposal for the largest hard rock gold and copper mine in North America, bringing with it all the pollution risk and water consumption that comes with mining at this scale.

“It would sit at the headwaters of the largest salmon fishery in the world, a place where you can catch five types of salmon, rainbows, Dollies, char, northern pike, lake trout and grayling.  Its sport fishing industry brings in $100 million a year; its commercial fisheries are worth $400 million each year. Together they provide jobs for more than 12,000 people.”

Go here to read Sportsmen fly to DC to tell President and Congress no to Pebble Mine.

Diseases Threaten Salmon Fisheries

Lots of concern about the salmon fisheries in Alaska these days, much of it focused on what the proposed --- and strongly opposed --- Pebble Mine could do. (Click on the Protect Bristol Bay button at left to learn more about the Pebble Mine threat.)

More recently, though, scientists in British Columbia reported finding two juvenile sockeye salmon with infectious salmon anemia (ISA).

The Bellingham Herald says:

“The virus, which doesn't affect humans, has caused losses at fish farms in Chile and other areas, and could have devastating impacts on wild salmon in the region and other species that depend on them, the researchers said.”

And an opinion piece in the Anchorage Press adds:

"As annoying as any kind of media saturation can be, the hubbub about the future of fish is earned. Because here's the thing: ISA turning up in West Coast waters is, potentially, a big deal. A really, really big deal.

"ISA is such a big deal that it kills 70 percent of the farmed fish it affects. And while the effects of ISA on wild salmon are still poorly understood-some research, according to the (New York) Times, has shown wild populations to be more resistant than farmed fish-it feels pretty logical to assume that if a virus can kill such a staggering percentage of fish in captivity, it can probably kill a healthy chunk of fish in the wild.

"Plus, ISA has a high potential to mutate, meaning that even if it isn't posing a serious threat to wild salmon today, it could, and in the not-so-far-off future."

If that isn’t enough, here’s an article entitled What the hell is turning pink salmon yellow in the Fraser River?

Advocates Go on the Road to Help Save Bristol Bay Fisheries

The mission to save Bristol Bay, Alaska, from a proposed gold and copper mine is going on the road, according to Trout Unlimited.

Here’s what TU says:

Alaska natives, commercial fishermen, sportsmen and seafood processors are heading south on the Save Bristol Bay Road Show to raise awareness and build support for protecting Bristol Bay Alaska, which is threatened by the proposed Pebble gold and copper mine.

The mine, potentially three times as large as the largest current mine in North America,  would threaten the headwaters of Bristol Bay, putting thousands of fishing  jobs at risk, along with a native way of life that has existed for centuries. The real gold in Bristol Bay is the world’s largest sockeye salmon fishery, a sustainable resource that returns year after year.

In six cities, commercial fishermen, Alaska natives, sportsmen, and seafood processors will highlight the economic risks posed by the mine. The Road Show also will feature a screening of the award-winning documentary, “Red Gold,” delicious Bristol Bay sockeye prepared by local chefs, and locally produced beers.

 Here are dates and locations for the Road Show:

Seattle: Monday, October 17, Leif Erikson Lodge, 7 p.m.               

Portland: Wednesday, October 19, Bagdad Theater, 7 p.m.

Corvallis: Friday, October 21, The Arts Center, 7 p.m.

San Francisco: Monday, October 24, Temple Nightclub, 7 p.m.

Santa Fe: Tuesday, October 25, Center For Contemporary Arts Cinematheque, 7 p.m.

Denver: Thursday, October 27, Oriental Theater, 7 p.m.

For information, please visit the Road Show website.

Learn more about the Pebble Mine threat by clicking on the Protect Bristol Bay button on left margin of this page.

Prime Salmon Fisheries Restored in Alaska

An important salmon river and one of its tributaries in Alaska’s Tongass National Forest have been restored to their near-original condition. They were degraded for decades for clear-cutting that caused erosion and blocked fish passage.

“The Harris River and Fubar Creek restoration is a model for the type of work we need to see more of on the Tongass National Forest. Projects such as these create local jobs, involve residents in collaborative resource management, and improve fish habitat for anglers, commercial fishermen and subsistence folks alike,” said Tim Bristol, director of Trout Unlimited, Alaska Program.  See the full story here. 

The Tongass produces approximately 70 percent of all salmon harvested from national forests, roughly 28 percent of Alaska’s overall salmon catch and about 30 percent of the salmon caught on the West Coast of the United States.

Mine Owners Try to Silence Defenders of Alaska Fishery

Owners of the proposed Pebble Mine near Bristol Bay, Alaska, are trying to take away the power of local people to oppose the project that would threaten one of the world’s best salmon and rainbow trout fisheries.

As reported by the Anchorage Daily News, the Pebble Partnership is suing to block an initiative designed to give citizens a voice in decisions about large-scale development. Since the Pebble Mine was not named in a petition for the initiative, why are the owners trying to block it?

 Here is what Shannyn Moore says in the opinion piece:

“Because no matter how much money Pebble spends on slick advertising and no matter how many times they repeat their mind-numbing mantra of ‘wait and see,’ the fact is, mine backers know that many residents oppose their development.

“No amount of spun-sugar can mask the bitter fact that if developed, Pebble would become the largest open pit mine in North America. It would require the construction of dams higher than Seattle's Space Needle. It would wreak havoc on the area's hydrological cycles. It would use more power and water than Anchorage every day. And it would generate millions of gallons of dilute sulfuric acid, all in a place with lots of earthquakes and volcanic activity.”

Learn more about this issue and how you can help defend one of the world's last great salmon fisheries by clicking on the "Protect Bristol Bay" button on the left side of the page.