Featured Press Release
Pebble Mine’s supply camp destroyed by wildfire; mess on state land highlights risks and liabilities of proposed project
HOMER—On June 30, the proposed Pebble Mine’s supply camp at headwaters of Bristol Bay burned to the ground in a wildfire, leaving a charred mess of melted metal on state land. Meanwhile, July 11, Bristol Bay’s fishing fleet broke its harvest record, reaching 46,564,310 sockeye salmon harvested. The total Bristol Bay sockeye salmon run record is expected to be broken this week, but as of July 11, it was 61,043,165. The contrast between the charred mess of the proposed Pebble Mine’s helicoptered-in materials and the sustainable, record-breaking, world treasure of the Bristol Bay sockeye salmon run could not be more clear.
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.
New reports show crisis; trawlers catch and discard Yukon, Kuskokwim Chinook and chum salmon while smokehouses empty
A number of salmon runs throughout Alaska are at unprecedented lows. Catastrophic failures and fisheries closures threaten fisheries-dependent communities, food security, culture and way of life as council governing bycatch prepares to meet in Sitka
SalmonState urges swift action on EPA’s proposed protections for Bristol Bay, Alaska
HOMER— Today, as a record-breaking forecasted run of more than 70 million sockeye salmon make their way toward Bristol Bay, Alaska, the Environmental Protection Agency announced proposed protections for the region — which for more than two decades has been threatened by the ominous specter of the proposed Pebble Mine. SalmonState joins with Tribes, fishermen and Bristol Bay communities in urging the EPA to finalize these protections before the end of 2022.
Climate adaptation legislation is important, but Alaskans need carbon reductions now
HOMER, ALASKA— SalmonState thanks Senator Lisa Murkowski and Senator Chris Coons for their introduction last Thursday of the National Climate Adaptation and Resilience Strategy Act (NCARS), a bill aimed at streamlining and strengthening the federal government’s ability to adapt to climate change. But SalmonState also calls on that same leadership team, including Senator Murkowski, to also support reductions in carbon emissions, without which Alaska will continue to see increased wildfires, changing weather patterns, unreliable winter ice, and suffering salmon runs.
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 applauds the EPA for setting a deadline for permanent Clean Water Act Protections for Bristol Bay
HOMER—SalmonState applauds the EPA for setting a deadline for permanent Clean Water Act Protections for Bristol Bay.
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.
SalmonState applauds EPA for resuming path toward protections for Bristol Bay
“The Environmental Protection Agency’s announcement that it plans to cease defending the Trump administration’s backroom deal abandoning science-based protections for the world’s most productive sockeye salmon habitat, Bristol Bay, is a step in the right direction.”
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.
Today’s ruling is a win for Bristol Bay. Now, it’s time to act
JUNEAU—”Today’s ruling from the Ninth Circuit reaffirms what we already knew: EPA must make CWA 404(c) decisions based on science.
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.
SalmonState calls on Alaskan leaders to seize the opportunity offered in Biden’s American Jobs Plan
HOMER—President Joe Biden today outlined a plan that could inject major amounts of new federal money into Alaska’s economy and establish a much stronger economic future for the state. Alaska is not only at the forefront of climate change, but is positioned to lead in establishing a path forward.
EPA Administrator Regan’s confirmation a win for Bristol Bay
ANCHORAGE—SalmonState applauds the confirmation of EPA Administrator Michael S. Regan, who has assured Americans he will restore the role of science at the Environmental Protection Agency. SalmonState also thanks Senator Lisa Murkowski, who voted to confirm Regan. The confirmation is a win for Bristol Bay, the world’s greatest sockeye salmon run, which the Obama EPA was working to protect from the proposed Pebble Mine — a massive, open-pit mine and toxic waste dump planned for Bristol Bay’s headwaters.
Army Corps boots the State of Alaska out of the Pebble appeals process
ANCHORAGE- Friday’s announcement from the Army Corps that it denies the State of Alaska’s request for appeal of the Pebble mine project Clean Water Act § 404 permit denial is a win for Bristol Bay.