The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) announced on February 28, that it is identifying options to protect the world’s largest sockeye salmon fishery in Bristol Bay, Alaska, from the potentially destructive impacts of the proposed Pebble Mine. Pebble Mine has the potential to be one of the largest open pit metal mines ever developed and could threaten a salmon resource rare in its quality and productivity and one of the world’s last prolific wild salmon resources. The EPA is initiating this process through provisions in the Clean Water Act based on extensive scientific study to identify what impact the proposed Pebble Mine would have on Bristol Bay.
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| Scott Hed, Sportsmen’s Alliance for Alaska An aerial view of Alaska’s renowned Bristol Bay watershed. |
“Extensive scientific study has given us ample reason to believe that the Pebble Mine would likely have significant and irreversible negative impacts on the Bristol Bay watershed and its abundant salmon fisheries,” said EPA Administrator Gina McCarthy. “It’s why EPA is taking this step forward in our effort to ensure protection for the world’s most productive salmon fishery from the risks it faces from what could be one of the largest open pit mines on earth. This process is not something the Agency does very often, but Bristol Bay is an extraordinary and unique resource.”
Bristol Bay produces nearly 50 percent of the world’s wild sockeye salmon with runs averaging 37.5 million fish each year and has the world’s largest sockeye salmon fishery and one of the largest king salmon runs. Bristol Bay is also home to many other important recreational species such as Arctic Char, Arctic grayling, rainbow trout, lake trout, Dolly Varden, northern pike and whitefish. Collectively, sportfishing in the Bristol Bay region contributes more than $60 million in economic activity annually. This productive fishery is primarily because the Bay’s freshwater salmon habitat is largely untouched by development.
“As a trade association the American Sportfishing Association (ASA) realizes this is a rare decision by the EPA,” said ASA Vice President Gordon Robertson. “Balancing business needs and the welfare of our nation’s fishery and water resources frequently represents a challenge and the EPA’s decision on Pebble Mine is no exception.”
Robertson further said, “Because of the significant fishery resources and recreational fishing’s economic benefit to the Bristol Bay area, collectively through ASA, and individually as companies and organizations, the recreational fishing industry has urged the EPA to consider this decision.”
Robertson concluded, “The EPA received more than 850,000 requests from businesses, conservation organizations, elected officials and individual anglers asking the EPA to take action to conserve Bristol Bay’s unique position as one of our nation’s most productive salmon fisheries.”
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The American Sportfishing Association (ASA) is the sportfishing industry’s trade association committed to representing the interests of the entire sportfishing community. We give the industry a unified voice, speaking out on behalf of sportfishing and boating industries, state and federal natural resource agencies, conservation organizations, angler advocacy groups and outdoor journalists when emerging laws and policies could significantly affect sportfishing business or sportfishing itself. ASA invests in long-term ventures to ensure the industry will remain strong and prosperous, as well as safeguard and promote the enduring social, economic and conservation values of sportfishing in America. ASA also gives America’s 60 million anglers a voice in policy decisions that affect their ability to sustainably fish on our nation’s waterways through KeepAmericaFishing™, our angler advocacy campaign. America’s anglers generate over $48 billion in retail sales with a $115 billion impact on the nation’s economy creating employment for more than 828,000 people.