Bristol Bay in Alaska is one of the richest wild fisheries remaining in the world. Approximately 46% of all wild sockeye salmon in the world are in Bristol Bay*, which spawn in the headwaters of the many rivers that drain into the Bay. Over two thousand commercial permits are fished annually in the region, supporting thousands of families. *National Geographic
Bristol Bay is home to several thousand Native Alaskan families living by what they call ‘subsistence,’ who depend on the Bay, its rivers and forests to survive. Native Alaskans are among the only native peoples in North America who are still living where they have always lived. In Bristol Bay, members of the Yup’ik people have lived along these rivers for over 10,000 years.
THE ISSUE
Now a Canadian gold and copper mining company wants to build what would be the world’s largest open-pit mine next to the headwaters of the rivers where the salmon spawn. No open-pit mine in the world has ever operated without causing serious and usually permanent environmental destruction to the surrounding area and beyond. If the Pebble Mine is built, it’s very likely the end of everything Bristol Bay is and stands for.
DON'T LET THIS
BECOME THIS
