No fish refuge yet for Pebble project

Alaska's Board of Fisheries has declined a proposal to recommend to the Legislature that a fish refuge be created near the Pebble project site. Instead, the Board will establish a three-person committee to review the current protections for fish and habitat in the Bristol Bay region, to assess whether additional protections are necessary. Vancouver-based Northern Dynasty, the owner of the Pebble project, praised the Board's decision.

"Proposal 121 and other efforts to establish a fish refuge in Bristol Bay are a clear and unapologetic attempt by the opponents of the Pebble mine to deny our project a fair hearing under Alaskan law," said Northern Dynasty's chief operating officer, Bruce Jenkins.

"In doing so, they would also severely restrict other resource developments and land uses in the region - including, potentially, subsistence uses.

Of course, we're very pleased that the Board of Fisheries has not lent its good name to this effort, and we welcome its interest in learning more about the environmental standards and permitting regulations that the Pebble project must satisfy if we are to achieve development permits in the future."

Jenkins noted that Northern Dynasty has invested some $50 million on its environmental study program to date in an effort to develop a mine plan for Pebble that optimizes benefits for local people, while protecting fish, water, wildlife and traditional ways of life.

"We encourage the Board of Fisheries and all Alaskans to learn more about our project, about the environmental standards it must meet and the regulatory process by which it will be judged," Jenkins said.

"Ultimately, we believe that the Board will agree that fishing, mining and traditional ways of life can co-exist, and we look forward to the opportunity to complete our technical and environmental studies and present our project for the consideration of the people of Alaska."

Fish refuge attracted support of Trout Unlimited

The fish refuge proposal was put forward by Homer resident George Matz, but it attracted the support of national nonprofit Trout Unlimited, which has a "Save Bristol Bay, salmon factory of the world" section on its Web site. Trout Unlimited is campaigning against Pebble and encouraged members to contact the Board of Fisheries to support the fish refuge. The board's new committee will gather information from stakeholders, and if it determines that fish refuge status is warranted, it will consider expanding the area to include all waters of the Nushagak and Kvichak river drainages, according to a resolution passed in mid-December. The committee must report back to the board in March 2007.

A coalition of sport fishing industry leaders published an open letter to Alaska Gov. Sarah Palin, the state's Department of Natural Resources and the U.S. Bureau of Land Management in late November, stating their opposition to the Pebble project. "We respectfully request that the U.S. Bureau of Land Management maintain the current prohibition on hard rock mine prospecting and development on publicly owned land it manages in the Bristol Bay area," they wrote. "We further request (that) the state of Alaska reject water withdrawal, dam construction, and other permit applications recently submitted by mining companies."

"The prospect of hard rock mining in the Bristol Bay area of Alaska scares the hell out of the world fly angling community and the businesses that serve it," said Robert Ramsay, president of the American Fly Fishing Trade Association. "Wild salmon and trout are the real gold mine in Bristol Bay," said Tim Bristol, Alaska director for Trout Unlimited. "When the Pebble promoters submitted their mining plans in September of this year, the prospect of dewatered salmon and trout streams, giant tailing dams, roads through the wilderness and pipeline complexes sent shockwaves throughout the sport fishing world."

Northern Dynasty has not submitted a full mining plan or permit applications to the Department of Natural Resources, but it has requested water rights in the area where the mine would be located.