Anchorage – Alaska commercial fishermen today applauded the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency’s announcement that they will conduct a scientific assessment of Bristol Bay watershed to better understand likely impacts of large scale extractive development on water quality. In the announcement, EPA’s Regional Administrator referred to concerns he received from fishermen, tribes, businesses and others about the Pebble Mine project affecting Alaska’s most valuable commercial salmon fishery.
“We are thrilled with EPA’s announcement today. It is just the kind of science-based and public process that has been needed for years,” said Bob Waldrop, Executive Director of the Bristol Bay Regional Seafood Development Association. “It replaces rhetoric with research and hopefully that also quantifies the importance of existing businesses that depend on renewable assets such as salmon.”
Commercial fishing groups see a proposed large-scale mineral development as posing unacceptable threats to Bristol Bay’s world-renowned sockeye salmon fishery. “All sectors of the Bristol Bay fishing industry, from fishermen to consumers rely on healthy wild salmon stocks”, said Lindsey Bloom, board member of the Alaska Independent Fishermen’s Marketing Association.
We are also proud to say that Alaska’s senators also support an open and fact-based process”, said Waldrop, whose members include all 1,875 Bristol Bay drift salmon gillnet permit holders. “EPA’s announcement is about a fact-based process. It is not a decision to do anything but develop data. Everyone will benefit from a scientific approach conducted in public”.
In 2010, along with nine federally recognized Bristol Bay tribes, commercial fishing groups including the Bristol Bay Regional Seafood Development Association, Alaska Independent Fishermens Marketing Association and United Fishermen of Alaska petitioned the EPA to use its authority under Section 404(c) of the Clean Water Act to protect Bristol Bay. On Monday, the EPA responded to this request, and noted that “Bristol Bay is an important source of wild Pacific salmon for commercial, recreational, and subsistence users. It produces hundreds of millions of dollars a year in annual fisheries revenues.”
“Alaska Natives, the commercial fishing industry, the sport fishing industry and tourism-related businesses have been asking the EPA to support Bristol Bay and take action,” said Everett Thompson a commercial fisherman from Naknek. “Today’s response is a victory for Alaskans”.