"Dude Perfect" Squad Highlights Pebble Mine Risks

Dude Perfect’s Tyler Toney, Coby Cotton, and lodge owner/guide Brian Kraft drinking pristine water from Lake Iliamna (image credit: Dude Perfect).

The uber-popular youtube squad spent time fishing in Bristol Bay and highlighted the Pebble Mine issue in their latest video, Alaska Bucket List (see 24:00 mark). Dude Perfect’s youtube channel has nearly 57 million subscribers and the Alaska video has been viewed over 8 million times since being posted on November 22. In addition, the group also posted a supplemental Alaska video (6:40 mark) that dives deeper into the need to protect Bristol Bay, which has been viewed over 1 million times.

BBRSDA would like to thank Brian Kraft, owner of the Alaska Sportsman Lodge, who hosted the Dude Perfect group. Mr. Kraft not only helped them share the incredible experience of salmon fishing with millions of viewers, but explained why Bristol Bay needs to be protected by drinking water from Lake Iliamna, visiting the proposed Pebble Mine site, and showcasing the area’s abundant, salmon-dependent eco-system. Also, on behalf of the world’s largest commercial salmon fishing fleet, we’d like to thank the entire Dude Perfect production team for sharing the wonder of Bristol Bay with their audience.

“By coming out here, it just reminds me that we get to see this now the way it is, but obviously we want to protect it so that we could bring our kids back one day, or our kids could bring their kids back one day and it would still look like this,” says Coby Cotton.

While BBRSDA didn’t have any part in the Dude Perfect episode, we are excited to be staunch allies with the region’s sportfishing sector. Together, we work tirelessly to spread the message of just how special Bristol Bay is and take every available opportunity to educate anglers and consumers about the importance of protecting the world’s greatest wild salmon resource.