Featured Press Release
SalmonState condemns Wild Fish Conservancy’s fatally flawed approach to environmentalism and judge’s decision on Alaska’s troll fishery
JUNEAU, ALASKA—SalmonState condemns, in the strongest possible terms, the Wild Fish Conservancy’s misguided, destructive lawsuit against commercial salmon trollers in Southeast Alaska — and Seattle-based federal district judge Richard Jones’ decision today upholding a magistrate’s recommended order that would close the fleet’s winter and summer Chinook salmon fishery.
EPA protects Bristol Bay, Alaska from toxic Pebble Mine
ANCHORAGE, AK— SalmonState today cheered the issuance of a series of safeguards by the Environmental Protection Agency that will protect the headwaters of salmon-rich Bristol Bay, Alaska and prevent the construction and operation of the proposed Pebble open pit mine.
Fishermen and conservation groups call on Alaska's leaders to stand up to misguided Pacific Northwest lawsuit attacking Alaskan fishing families
Juneau, AK - Alaska fishermen and conservation groups called a recent Washington federal court ruling that is requiring more review of the impacts of Chinook salmon harvest by Alaska trollers on endangered Puget Sound killer whales a “dangerous distraction,” and “scapegoating at its worst.” The August 8th ruling in the suit, filed by the Washington-based Wild Fish Conservancy, will likely mean more environmental analysis of the impacts of Southeast Alaska’s highly regulated hook and line fishing for Chinook salmon, leading to more uncertainty for small-boat fishermen throughout the region.
NPFMC, State and Federal decision makers fail to act, as some Alaska salmon runs at reach an all time low
JUNEAU, AK: This week in Sitka, Alaska, the North Pacific Fisheries Management Council failed to take action on Chinook and chum salmon bycatch, despite the pleas of a broad array of Alaskans and overwhelming evidence from state and federal scientists that some runs are on the verge of collapse.
SalmonState welcomes the Alaska Salmon Research Task Force Act as a first step towards addressing devastating salmon declines
JUNEAU—On December 17, U.S. Senators Dan Sullivan and Lisa Murkowski introduced the Alaska Salmon Research Task Force Act which, if passed, would form a panel of salmon stakeholders and experts to assess current salmon research and develop recommendations to guide future salmon research and management.
SalmonState on CODEL’s roundtable: These actions will help wild salmon
JUNEAU—Alaska’s Congressional delegation will host a salmon roundtable tomorrow, Wednesday, Dec. 8 and Thursday, December 9, beginning at 12:30 p.m. AKST both days.
SalmonState praises Biden Administration for prioritizing sustainable uses of the Tongass National Forest by reinstating Roadless protections
JUNEAU, AK — Tonight, SalmonState commends the Biden Administration for its decision to reinstate protections for road-free areas of the America’s largest and wildest national forest. The Roadless Area Conservation rule, in place for two decades, was rolled back by the Trump Administration. That move proved wildly unpopular within the region and across the nation.
SalmonState: After court ruling, it’s even more clear EPA must stop Pebble Mine now
ANCHORAGE—Today, a U.S. District Court ruling paves the way for the Environmental Protection Agency to complete its Clean Water Act process aimed at protecting Bristol Bay from the massive, open pit Pebble Mine and associated industrial development. In essence, the court has made clear that the EPA has the ability to issue 404(c) protections under the Clean Water Act. For the past two decades, Tribes, fishermen, Alaskans and Americans across the country have been fighting the threat of the proposed Pebble Mine: a massive open pit gold, copper and molybdenum mine proposed for Bristol Bay’s headwaters.
New MSA Reauthorization bill gives Alaska’s fishing communities and fishermen tools they need
ANCHORAGE— SalmonState applauds the introduction of Sustaining America’s Fisheries for the Future Act, which reauthorizes the Magnuson-Stevens Act (MSA) — the bill governing fishing in federal waters. Vitally, the act updates the MSA to include challenges like climate change adaptation and bycatch reduction, and to ensure community participation and Tribal representation. It was introduced by Representative Jared Huffman (D-CA) and Representative Ed Case (D-HI). The MSA has not been updated since 2006.
Bristol Bay is breaking records. It’s time to ensure it can break them for years to come.
ANCHORAGE—63,220,985 sockeye have returned to Bristol Bay’s lakes, rivers and streams this season as of July 20, breaking a record set only in 2018.
With today’s move into the 21st century, the Tongass timber wars are over
JUNEAU—Today’s U.S. Forest Service announcement ending industrial-scale old growth logging, moving toward restoring Roadless Rule protections, and prioritizing the sustainable uses of the Tongass National Forest is a long-overdue move to shift management of America’s largest national forest into the 21st century.
SalmonState applauds Alaska Legislature’s rejection of Pebble Employee for key fisheries post
JUNEAU—SalmonState applauds the Alaska Legislature’s overwhelming 41-18 vote to reject Abe Williams’ appointment to the Alaska Board of Fisheries. Williams, who was nominated by Governor Dunleavy, is a long-time employee of the Pebble Limited Partnership, which made him absolutely the wrong choice for a seat on the board that is traditionally held by someone from the Bristol Bay region.
Alaska’s Bristol Bay and Tongass are ideal beginnings for 30×30
JUNEAU— SalmonState is excited to see the release of the Biden Administration’s initial report on the potential of the 30x30 initiative — a bold and necessary effort to protect 30% of America’s lands and waters by 2030. While there are multiple ways to reach these goals, two landscapes in Alaska offer a critical mass of support for 30x30-scale protections: Bristol Bay and the Tongass National Forest. Protecting Bristol Bay and the Tongass will provide huge positive impact now and light the way for successful efforts elsewhere.
Alaskans ask Biden Administration to Move Quickly to Protect Critical Alaskan Salmon Watersheds, Make 30×30 a ‘Reality’
Juneau, AK – Yesterday, President Biden released his plan to address climate change, including a ‘30×30’ provision that calls for conservation of 30 percent of our lands and oceans by 2030. “Coming on the heels of an alarming report from the State of Washington showing salmon on the brink of extinction with climate change being a major factor, we need to take bold steps right now if we are going to have a fighting chance to preserve the healthy wild salmon runs many of us take for granted,” said SalmonState executive director Tim Bristol.
State of Washington Report Predicts the Extinction of Wild Pacific Salmon
Juneau, AK: On January 20th, Washington State’s Recreation and Conservation Office and the Governor’s Salmon Recovery Office released a sobering report warning that Washington’s wild salmon populations are “teetering on the brink of extinction” with the majority of their runs in threatened or endangered status. In the report, habitat loss and climate change are identified as major challenges facing wild salmon and the authors call for Washington to choose a path to recovery that “recognizes salmon and other natural resources as vital to the state’s economy, growth, and prosperity.” The State’s conclusions sent shock waves across news outlets, including the New York Times and US News and World Report.
Statement on impending final Pebble environmental assessment
ANCHORAGE— On July 24, the world will know for sure what the Final Environmental Impact Statement (FEIS) for the Pebble Mine, proposed for the headwaters of Bristol Bay, will say — but the Army Corps has deferred to the D.C. based lobbyists and executives behind the proposed Pebble Mine throughout its evaluatory process. The most recent evidence is the Corp’s assertion that the northern transportation route for the mine was determined to be “practicable” simply because the Pebble Partnership said it was practicable, despite staunch opposition and letters from Pedro Bay Corporation, Igiugig Village Council, and the Bristol Bay Native Corporation. They are landowners along the route, have asserted there is no possibility Pebble will receive permission to access their lands, and have told the Army Corps that the route should not be considered practicable. Why is the Army Corps considering Pebble’s definition of “practicable” more important than that of landowners who are staunch opponents of the mine and have been for years?
Executive Order Threatens Future of America’s Fisheries and Fishing Families
On Thursday May 7, the White House issued an Executive Order “Promoting American Seafood and Economic Growth,” which the Trump Administration claims to protect America’s seafood supply chain. Despite its intentions, the Executive Order is raising concerns amongst Alaska and the nation’s fishing and conservation communities due to its emphasis on increasing farmed fish production in U.S. waters.
Alaska fishermen and conservation groups urge Washington organization to address real issues facing Northwest Chinook and orcas
Juneau, AK – SalmonState, Alaska Trollers Association and Alaska Longline Fishermen’s Association are joined by sport and charter fishermen to condemn the Wild Fish Conservancy’s recent misguided decision to attack Alaskan fishing families, rather than the underlying cause of the Southern Resident orca population’s decline: the decades of destruction of the Pacific Northwest’s freshwater habitat vital to Chinook salmon, an important food source for Southern Resident orcas.
SalmonState considering all options as EPA continues to suppress science
ANCHORAGE, AK—SalmonState and its co-plaintiffs are considering all available options after a procedural ruling of dismissal in the lawsuit against the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA).
“This ruling does not in any way change the fact that a mine of the size, type and location of Pebble will have a negative impact on the renewable resources of Bristol Bay and will not meet the standards laid out in the Clean Water Act,” said SalmonState Executive Director Tim Bristol.
Alaska Commercial Fishermen Survey Launches: Online Survey Responses Due May 1
JUNEAU, AK – Seafood directly employs more workers than any other private sector industry in Alaska, and is the foundation of many rural communities (McDowell 2020). To ensure fishermen’s voices are heard in the response to and mitigation of COVID-19 related impacts, today SalmonState is kicking off an online fisherman’s survey. The organization is seeking to hear directly from Alaska’s commercial fishermen about the challenges and opportunities faced by independent fishermen, families, and communities. The survey seeks input and guidance from fishermen as the seafood industry adapts to COVID-19 in the 2020 season.