Protect Bristol Bay Salmon - NOW is the Time!

Alaska’s salmon fisheries are world famous for their incredible abundance. The state is synonymous with pristine rivers, teeming with salmon, bears, and eagles. Bristol Bay has often been Alaska’s most abundant salmon producing region, but over the past 20 years the Bay’s importance grown significantly in regards to the statewide production of sockeye, coho, and Chinook. Sometimes called “money fish” by commercial fishermen, these species fetch the highest prices and are less dependent upon hatcheries for reproduction. The past five years have seen record harvests of “money fish” in Bristol Bay, where sockeye typically account for over 95 percent of the harvest. Looking ahead to 2021, this year’s Bristol Bay sockeye forecast is the third-largest ever and the biggest since 1995. Simply put, the world’s most prolific salmon producing region has never been more abundant than it has been in recent years.

Sadly, premium salmon species have become far less abundant in most other Alaska regions since 2000. There has never been a more critical moment to protect Alaska’s greatest salmon resource. Alaska fishery managers and researchers are working hard to understand why stocks are declining in other areas and rebuild them, and we all hope that happens soon, but there is a place where still salmon thrive in spectacular fashion… that place is Bristol Bay. All we must do is continue being good stewards for the resource.

This is why Senator Lisa Murkowski recently traveled to Bristol Bay and met with salmon stakeholders, consisting of local residents, tribal groups, and industry associations (including BBRSDA). The topic of discussion was achieving long-term protections for Bristol Bay salmon. BBRSDA and other organizations look forward to supporting Senator Murkowski in this effort moving forward. BBRSDA has also requested that the Environmental Protection Agency protect critical salmon habitat by initiating a 404(c) action to restrict mining in the Bristol Bay region. To learn more about how you can protect Bristol Bay, visit https://stoppebbleminenow.org/take-action/.

NOW is the time for bold action to prevent the destruction of a thriving ecological system and the extensive seafood economy it supports. Not when the hills are cut open. Not when sand fills the gravel beds. Not when chemicals or acidic mine drainage pollutes the once-pristine water and we begin to wonder, as fewer salmon come back, how to fix this once-great resource. The time is NOW.

We encourage the fleet to stay tuned for future developments, and let both their political representatives and the EPA know how much the Bay means to them, as well as to the millions of people fed and nourished by Bristol Bay salmon.