A final tally isn’t available yet, but the majority of opinion offered to the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency on its draft Bristol Bay watershed assessment rests firmly on the side of the fish, rather than copper, gold and molybdenum.
A citizens group that sought greater protection for salmon habitat in advance of development of a coal mining venture says the state of Alaska is putting fisheries at risk by not providing that additional protection.
As the Copper River harvest begins to wind down, commercial harvesters from Cook Inlet to Chignik, Kodiak and Bristol Bay are starting to deliver, with the catch as of June 19 at 5,116,000 salmon of all species delivered.
Five Senate Democrats representing West Coast states told President Barack Obama on June 10 that his administration should consider the impact on the West Coast fishing industry before permitting a large-scale mine in Alaska’s Bristol Bay region.