Bristol Bay Sockeye Harvest in High Gear

Proposed Pebble mine threatens Alaska's – and the world's – richest wild sockeye fishery

The 2009 Bristol Bay commercial salmon harvest is in full swing and fishing nets are filling up. According to the Alaska Department of Fish and Game, Bristol Bay fishers were hauling in roughly 1.83 million fish a day as of Sunday, June 28th, and had already harvested nearly 8.25 million since the season began.

But each fish caught is yet another reminder of what Alaskans have to lose should the proposed Pebble Mine and the broader mining district north of Lake Iliamna be permitted and developed.

The Pebble Limited Partnership, comprised of the mine’s two main developers – London-based Anglo American and Vancouver-based Northern Dynasty Minerals – proposes excavating a mammoth open-pit gold, copper and molybdenum mine in the headwaters of Bristol Bay, which supports the most productive wild sockeye fishery on Earth.

"The Bristol Bay watershed is no place for North America's largest open-pit gold mine," said Bristol Bay fisherman Everett Thompson in a recent op-ed. "Bristol Bay wild salmon provide for thousands of people, both residents and non-residents. The whole area benefits from this reliable and sustainable resource, renewing and nourishing not only us but every living thing in the region. This has been a healthy cycle for thousands of years and will continue to be healthy and provide for all – if we take care of it."

Over its lifespan, the mine would produce billions of tons of waste. Developers intend that it should be stored "forever" behind gigantic earthen dams in one of the planet's most active seismic zones. Operating the mine would consume more water each year than Municipality of Anchorage. Draining that water from nearby rivers, streams and subsurface sources would negatively affect the water table.

All of this would directly threatening spawning grounds for sockeye salmon and other species of fish, and have a devastating impact on other wildlife, including bear, moose, caribou and wolves.

At a time when wild salmon runs in the Lower 48 and Canada are dwindling or at risk of extinction, Bristol Bay supports one of the last strongholds for sockeye as well as a vibrant fishing industry. The significance to Alaska's broader economy of this extraordinarily productive and renewable commercial fishery cannot be over-stated. It generates some $320 million a year in revenue and employs more than 12,500 people in harvesting and processing jobs. If well managed, there is no reason Bristol Bay shouldn't provide such bounty into the far distant future.

That's why commercial, subsistence and sport anglers are united in opposing the mine, and in supporting the bay's world-class fishery.

Here's a current look at the harvest as of June 28, according to figures from the In-Season Daily Run Summary available at the Alaska Department of Fish and Game's Bristol Bay webpage.

Approximately 1.93 million sockeye salmon had been harvested in the Nushagak District, which was higher than average this far into the season. Meanwhile, the Egegik District had produced a harvest of nearly 4.66 million sockeye.

In the Ugashik District, the harvest was just over 208,600 sockeye. Escapement appears slow, and because the pre-season forecast was small, Fish and Game is taking a cautious approach, and further commercial opportunity will depend on abundance.

In the Naknek/Kvichak District, Fish and Game reports escapement for both the Naknek and Kvichak Rivers was approximately three days ahead of schedule as of June 26. The overall fishing effort was down, however, as only about 300 boats were fishing the Naknek Section, about 100 fewer than last year. However, as of June 28, the district harvest was just under 1.45 million fish.

In the Togiak District, some 5,448 sockeye had been harvested by June 28. That fell below five and 10 year averages, likely due to the reduced harvest effort.

Cumulatively, the total Bristol Bay run was approximately 9.65 million sockeye by June 28. That included the 8.25 million sockeyes caught, an escapement estimated at 1.33 million and an in-river estimate of 75,000.

For more information, read the Alsaka Natives Visit Nevada Gold Minds article and the Nevada Mine Fact Sheet.