O P I N I O N
Alaska Fishermen Seek Support of
New England Peers in Pebble Mine Fight
There are plans in Alaska for a copper and gold mine at the headwaters of two of the richest salmon-supporting river systems in the world. Alaska’s marketing of salmon has been one of the most successful seafood efforts in the U.S. Bob Waldrop photo
It’s often said that no one cares more about healthy waters than a fisherman, and Alaska’s fishermen have consistently proven that statement through their abiding commitment to protecting the valuable wild Bristol Bay salmon fishery from a proposal to build the largest open pit mine on North American soil: the Pebble Mine.
Fishermen concerned about the proposed copper and gold mine say it would be located in the worst possible spot -- the headwaters of two of the richest salmon-supporting river systems in the world -- where it would put at risk a $15 billion salmon industry that supports 14,000 fishery jobs.
In January, fishermen came one step closer to protecting their valuable salmon resource when the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) released its final Bristol Bay Watershed Assessment, an extensive document that lays the groundwork for possible utilization of the agency’s Clean Water Act 404(c) authority to permanently put the watershed off-limits to industrial mining.
If built, the EPA document concludes, the Pebble Mine would cause the direct loss of up to 94 miles of salmon-supporting streams, destroy up to 5,350 acres of wetlands, ponds, lakes in the Bristol Bay region, alter stream flows in up to 33 miles of salmon-supporting streams, and require the collection and management of extensive quantities of mine waste both during mining and long after mining concludes.
Alaska fishermen are not alone in the fight to protect their watershed from these predicted impacts. Fishermen around the U.S. have declared their support for protecting Bristol Bay’s unique fishery, and have called on the EPA, President Obama, and their own states’ federal elected officials to side with the fishermen in Bristol Bay.
New England fishermen have been key to this effort. Of course, this isn’t the first time that New England fishermen have mobilized to protect fishery habitat. In the past, they have raised their voices to protect local waters from toxic pesticides that harm lobster larvae, sewage effluents that foul shellfisheries, thermal pollution that kills flounder larvae, and the specter of oil drilling on one of the world’s richest scallop and groundfish habitats: Georges Bank.
While Bristol Bay may seem far away from the Atlantic coast, there are in fact dozens of fishermen in New England who make an annual trek to Alaska to earn part of their annual income. In addition, there are New Englanders who travel to Alaska to work at boatyards, repair shops, and seafood processing operations for part of the year. When they return home, these fishermen and workers bring paychecks fueled by Alaska’s fishing economy with them. These New England dollars and livelihoods stand to lose if the Pebble Mine moves forward.
While the EPA’s assessment confirms fishermen’s worst fears about the mine’s potential impacts, it will require further policy action to allay them. That is why fishermen continue to call on the EPA to follow through and proceed with a 404(c) action under the Clean Water Act, which would institute formal protection for the Bristol Bay salmon fishery by denying a permit to any proposed large-scale mine in the area, now or in the future.
Until a 404(c) declaration is issued, the Bristol Bay watershed is exposed to risky mining development plans, and that is a risk that Bristol Bay fishermen cannot afford to take. To find out how you can help, visit the Commercial Fishermen for Bristol Bay booth at the Maine Fishermen’s Forum, or go to www.fishermenforbristolbay.org.
Sarah Schumann
Warren, Rhode Island
Sarah Schumann is a fisherman, fish worker, and fisheries advocate who divides her life between two bays: Narragansett Bay, Rhode Island, and Bristol Bay, Alaska. She is a volunteer collaborator with Commercial Fishermen for Bristol Bay, a nationwide network of fishermen and seafood companies working to protect Bristol Bay’s 14,000 fishing jobs from large-scale mining development.