Wild Alaska Salmon Threatened by Proposed Copper Mine…
For 3 weeks beginning in June the fishermen of Bristol Bay, Alaska, head out for the annual wild salmon fishing season, not only a long-standing tradition in this area, but also the livelihood of the Bristol Bay communities. One of these fishermen is Carson who has fished this area for several years, but now wonders if he will be able to continue doing so in the future.
For years Bristol Bay has been the spawning grounds for several species of wild Pacific salmon, but is now being threatened by the Pebble Limited Partnership, a mining company seeking to obtain permits to build one of the world's largest gold and copper mines in the headwaters of Bristol Bay's most productive salmon spawning rivers, the Nushagak and the Kvichak.
According to Trout Unlimited, “The proposed Pebble Mine would develop a low-grade, sulfuric-acid generating, gold-copper-molybdenum sulfide deposit using open-pit and other methods. It also would require nearly 10 square miles of toxic tailing impoundments held behind dams as long as 4.3 miles and 740 feet high - three times larger than Three Gorges Dam, the current largest in the world. At the same time, the Bureau of Land Management wants to open a million adjacent acres to hard-rock mining in this pristine watershed, coursed by rivers, streams, creeks, rivulets, and lakes.”
TU also states “The proposed Pebble Mine and Bristol Bay Mining District may pose the greatest single threat facing Alaska's salmon-bearing rivers and the communities and fisheries that depend upon them. Given that the Bristol Bay watershed in Southwest Alaska is the world’s largest commercial sockeye salmon fishery, we have a lot to lose if we don't protect it.”
The importance of Bristol Bay was brought to light in 1972 when the Alaska Legislature created the Bristol Bay Fisheries Reserve to protect the Bristol Bay watershed, one of the largest wildlife habitats and salmon spawning and fishing areas in Alaska. Not only does the Bristol Bay salmon fishing produce a high percentage of the salmon harvested in the world, it also accounts for a major portion of jobs for the people living in the communities of Bristol Bay.
Allowing Pebble Mine to move into this area will destroy the beauty of the area, the cherished wildlife habitats, and could permanently harm Bristol Bay's profilic salmon runs, devastating the livelihood and the lives of the people living in the communities surrounding Bristol Bay.
"Seeing everything as a commodity, a piece of raw land to be developed, impoverishes our souls just as it degrades the sanctity of the land"..............Paul John Roach
Let's all do our part to save Alaska's wild salmon!
Why Wild- WhyWild is part of Trout Unlimited's Western Conservation Program with the purpose to engage the salmon marketplace in Trout Unlimited's wild salmon and steelhead conservation efforts. WhyWild educates salmon consumers, chefs, retailers, seafood processors, fishermen, and others around the country about the values of wild salmon.
Red Gold- the award-winning documentary film that captures the voices and stories of Bristol Bay, its people, and fisheries. You can buy the film, now available in DVD.
Photo Credits: Bristol Bay Watershed, Nick Hall; Salmon Twirl, Ben Knight
Bristol Bay, Alaska, head out for the annual wild salmon fishing season, not only a long-standing tradition in this area, but also the livelihood of the Bristol Bay communities. One of these fishermen is Carson who has fished this area for several years, but now wonders if he will be able to continue doing so in the future.
and other methods. It also would require nearly 10 square miles of toxic tailing impoundments held behind dams as long as 4.3 miles and 740 feet high - three times larger than Three Gorges Dam, the current largest in the world. At the same time, the Bureau of Land Management wants to open a million adjacent acres to hard-rock mining in this pristine watershed, coursed by rivers, streams, creeks, rivulets, and lakes.”
Bristol Bay Mining District may pose the greatest single threat facing Alaska's salmon-bearing rivers and the communities and fisheries that depend upon them. Given that the Bristol Bay watershed in Southwest Alaska is the world’s largest commercial sockeye salmon fishery, we have a lot to lose if we don't protect it.”
largest wildlife habitats and salmon spawning and fishing areas in Alaska. Not only does the Bristol Bay salmon fishing produce a high percentage of the salmon harvested in the world, it also accounts for a major portion of jobs for the people living in the communities of Bristol Bay.
