Bristol Bay Salmon Plan Massive Suicide Protest

(Iliamna, AK) Insider sources within the piscatorial community recently revealed plans for a massive protest against the proposed Pebble Mine project within the Bristol Bay region of Alaska. The source, who for the sake of anonymity we shall refer to as "Hookjaw", and who is a member of a group known as the "Bristol Bay Reds" revealed a highly coordinated plan in which millions of Sockeye and other specie of salmonid plan to give their lives later this year. The mass suicide is intended as a means of protesting the possible fouling of their birth waters by what they refer to as the "Pebble Mine disaster."

Our insider further revealed that massive numbers of the fish are planning to gather off of the Alaska coast before starting the long journey upstream to the home of their youth. Once they have made the perilous trek past commercial fishing vessels, recreational anglers, grizzly bear, and other threats, their plan is to locate a member of the opposite sex for one last fling. The female salmon will then go about the business of laying their eggs while the males stand watch and skirmish among themselves and the region's massive rainbow trout (who hope to make a meal on the salmon's eggs).

Those who survive and complete their procreation will gather one last time and die together in what they hope the world will view as a huge show of solidarity for the cause of fish everywhere. "We will be giving our lives so that both our fry and the very lifestyle of the Bristol Bay region can continue to exist" said one participant. "We only hope that the land dwelling people will take notice and stop this before it all comes to an end."

A spokesperson for company behind the mining project said, "We hear rumors of this sort of thing every year." "While we sympathize with the effect this has on the land dwelling people of Bristol Bay, we really can't concern ourselves with the actions of a radical fringe group such as the Sockeye."

Pebble Mine Developers Fined for Improper Water Use

The developers behind the Pebble Mine Project in Alaska, will be paying a $45,000 fine for improper use of water at their drilling sites. Permits have been suspended. However, it probably won't last very long. The Anchorage Daily News reports:

The settlement followed a state-led investigation that began after the Pebble Partnership last fall reported using water from unauthorized locations. The settlement required the companies to pay $1,000 for each of 45 violations over the past three years.

The Department of Natural Resources wrote to the mining companies on Jan. 14 that the violations were "at a minimum, a trespass against the state's property and resource interests." While the violations didn't appear to cause environmental damage, the partnership breached state rules and its land-use permit.

Leading UK Jewelers Say “No” to Dirty Gold

Leading UK Jewelers Say “No” to Dirty Gold from Alaska Mine
Pledge Support for World’s Greatest Wild Salmon Fishery

London, England—Six prestigious UK jewelry retailers and designers representing 260 stores today pledged their support for Bristol Bay, Alaska, by announcing that they will not buy gold from Anglo American’s proposed “Pebble” mine, a massive open-pit operation being considered in the bay’s headwaters. The Bristol Bay watershed supports the world’s most productive wild sockeye salmon fishery, which is critical to the state’s economy and to the livelihoods of many Alaska Native communities. The UK is the largest consumer of Bristol Bay canned sockeye salmon.

UK jewelers Goldsmiths, Beaverbrooks, Mappin & Webb, Watches of Switzerland, Fifi Bijoux and April Doubleday took this step at the invitation of local Alaskans who seek to protect wild salmon, clean water and their traditional ways of life from the damaging effects of industrial metal mines.

"We at Beaverbrooks support the protection of Alaska's Bristol Bay watershed from large scale mining,” said Mark Adelstone, managing director of Beaverbrooks the Jewellers. “We need to be mindful and respectful of the Bristol Bay salmon fishery and the communities that depend on it. We feel that the precious metals that we sell need to be mined responsibly and in environmentally friendly ways and if this means looking to other places to source gold, then so be it."

In pledging not to source gold mined at Pebble, the UK jewelers join eight U.S. retailers who endorsed the pledge last year, including Tiffany & Co. (which has seven stores in the UK), Helzberg Diamonds, and Ben Bridge Jeweler. The threat to the Bristol Bay fishery has generated an unusual and diverse array of allies, including Alaska’s commercial fishing industry, over 140 sportfishing businesses, the Alaska Intertribal Council (a consortium of 231 Alaska Tribes), and numerous conservation groups.

“The support demonstrated by these respected UK jewelers is greatly appreciated and will help us to protect the wild salmon fishery that has sustained our economy and people for generations,” said Thomas Tilden, board member of the Choggiung Native Corporation.

The proposed Pebble gold-copper mine is a project of UK-based Anglo American, one of the world’s largest mining companies, and Northern Dynasty Minerals of Canada. The mine is projected to generate an estimated 9 billion tons of waste, much of it containing acids and toxic metals to be stored on site in what is now pristine Alaska wilderness.

“Sustainable development is surely a necessary value which is core to any 21st century business,” said Vivien Johnston of Fifi Bijoux. “I am surprised that Anglo American would pursue a programme in Bristol Bay which is clearly not in the best interests of the long term sustainability of the local community or the conservation of important ecosystems. I would ask them to revise their strategy and review their CSR standards to ensure that any new mining site need not compromise their vision of environmental integrity and community consultation.”

Alaska Native communities’ way of life, and Alaska’s largest private sector employer – the fishing industry – are heavily dependent on the continued health of Bristol Bay. Bristol Bay’s commercial fishery generates $320 million a year and 12,500 jobs. Bristol Bay residents harvest and consume an average of 315 pounds (143 kilograms) of fish per person per year, making the salmon a primary source of food. Unlike many of the world’s wild salmon populations, which are in serious decline, the pristine rivers and undeveloped landscape of the Bristol Bay watershed continue to support a sustainable world-class salmon fishery that supplies healthy seafood to consumers around the world. A third of the world’s commercial sockeye salmon are harvested there, according to the Alaska Department of Fish and Game.

These UK and U.S. retailers who have signed on to the Bristol Bay protection pledge have also endorsed the “Golden Rules” of the No Dirty Gold consumer campaign spearheaded by EARTHWORKS, which has called on mining companies to meet environmental and social standards. So far, some 55 retailers worldwide have endorsed the Golden Rules. A complete list can be found on the No Dirty Gold website. More than 100,000 consumers in over 100 countries have also signed the No Dirty Gold pledge, urging mining companies to provide alternatives to “dirty” gold.

“The Pebble mine would imperil one of the world’s most pristine and productive ecosystems,” said Bonnie Gestring of international mining reform group EARTHWORKS. “We applaud the jewelry retailers for signing on to the Bristol Bay protection pledge, and demonstrating their commitment to responsible sourcing.”

Bristol Bay News

We ran into Scott Hed of the Sportsman's Alliance For Alaska at the Charlotte Fly Fishing Show and got the latest news from the Bristol Bay area about the fight against the Pebble Mine disaster. After you watch it check out some of these other videos created by folks who will be directly impacted by the mine.

Bristol Bay Online Auction Active

The Sportsman's Alliance for Alaska's annual fund raising auction is currently in full swing. Last year this auction raised over $50,000 for the fight against the Pebble Mine which would put its caustic tailings in the heart of the world's largest Salmon run. This year, according to Scott Hed of the SAA, anglers will have a chance to get a major deal on the "trip of a lifetime":

In a nod to the economic reality of the present time, the Sportsman’s Alliance for Alaska is offering what may possibly be the best deals you’ll ever find on a bunch of fine fishing trips. Here’s the deal: The starting price for all trips will be just $500 over the regular price for 1 angler. That’s right. Basically, book a trip for 1 angler at regular price, and the 2nd person comes along for as little as $500 more! Find a buddy, split the cost, and start packing for your dream trip.

In addition to the trips there are many other items of great gear with starting prices of just 65% of retail. Click here to visit the auction's ebay page. New items are added each Monday.

Sure we'll replace your lake...

Scott Hed, Director of the Sportsman's Alliance for Alaska points us towards this article via WLTribune.com that tells of one mining company's plan to replace fish habitat lost due to mining operations by building a lake.

Taseko Mines presented a new $10 to $12-million fish compensation plan for its Prosperity project to the provincial and federal governments late last week.
It calls for a brand new lake, similar in size and depth to Fish Lake, to offer fish habitat and improved fish spawning channels.

Prosperity Lake would be created using a dam, and sit roughly eight kilometres east of Fish Lake, and would be 113 hectares in size and 17 metres deep. Fish Lake is 111 hectares and 14 metres deep.

The plan is to compensate for the loss of fish habitat if the copper and gold mine is built, and Fish Lake, 125 kilometres southwest of Williams Lake, is drained. A dam would be built to create a tailings pond upstream of Fish Lake.

From Scott's email:

Hopefully you guys will appreciate this…especially the part where citizens of the area will get to vote on whether this newly created lake will be home to big fish or little fish.

Taseko, the mining company in this article, is a sister company to Northern Dynasty with the Pebble project. Maybe if this is successful in Canada, we’ll get to choose what kind of fish we’d like to have in Bristol Bay. I vote for really big rainbow trout and lots and lots of wild salmon. Oh yeah, that’s what is already there.

Pebble Mine Update: Battle Lost / War Rages

Last week while standing knee deep in a massive sockeye salmon run throwing egg and occasional mouse patterns to wild rainbow trout, very few things worried me. For the most part I was content to concern myself with drag free drifts, radical application of bug spray, the landing fish, and keeping abreast of the position of the area's resident grizzly bears.

I found myself not really thinking about the proposed Pebble Mine project and plans to plop a cyanide laced tailing pond and world's largest open pit mine right in the middle of what I now know first hand to be one of the world's best fisheries. In Anchorage it had been top of mind as our hotel television was filled with ads imploring Alaskans to vote for the clean water act and against the "mining shutdown" as the opp/for would have it spun. Even more signs began showing up just as soon as we got off the air taxi in the village of Iliamna, Alaska.



Not "Black Helicopters" but no less nefarious

Iliamna is a town with a booming population of 102 people and oddly enough a rather busy airport. What made it different from many of the other back country landing strips I had seen was the seemingly never ending stream of helicopters carrying under slung cargo from the tiny air terminal to an unknown location. Later I would learn from my fishing guide that most of these loads were destined for the "Pebble Project."

The signs were visible on our lodge's jet boats in the form of No Pebble Mine stickers on each bow. Talk around the dinner table was of the fellow who came to the lodge by boat a few days before, on his way into Iliamna to cast his vote on Proposition 4. No one had asked him how he planned to vote but it was clear from the distance that he covered that he was quite committed to his point of view.

When I asked the lodge staff about the "Pebble Project" I got a lot of pained expressions and head shakes indicating that things could go very badly. When one guest asked about why the staff was so worried, a quick course in gold extraction and tailing ponds was given with emphasis on cyanide and its effect on salmon runs.

On one of our fly outs I overheard our pilot talking on the radio to a beaver pilot and asking where he was heading. The reply of "coming back from hauling some big wigs up to the Pebble Project" took my attention from a view of the American River in my window. I was reminded that this project is fast becoming an integral part of the economy of this region and that in and of itself is going to be difficult to fight.

One guest from another part of the world looked at me at one point during our stay and said that with the economy the way it is and the price of copper and gold so high, it's pretty much inevitable, isn't it?

A young fishing guide and exceptionally talented artist who's livelihood comes from fishing, made a point to ask me if, I was "planning to write something about the Pebble Mine?"

Sitting in my hotel room in Anchorage later that week nursing a bad chest cold and upon learning that the Clean Water Initiative failed by what some might call a large margin, I found myself worrying that if I ever made it back to this part of the world, it might turn out to be a very different place.


Copper River Rainbow (you'll just have to trust me about the front end of the tape)

Now for some good news from the midst of this cough syrup induced gloom, even with this major setback, support for the fight against the Pebble Project continues to grow thanks to groups like the Renewable Resources Coalition and the Sportsman's Alliance for Alaska who have garnered support from thousands of retailers, manufacturers, and outdoor enthusiasts. This quote from Scott Hed, Director of the Sportsman's Alliance sums things up nicely:

I’ve said it before, and it rings true today more than ever. Nothing worth saving comes without a fight. And the fight for Bristol Bay will continue to be a monumental battle that the Sportsman’s Alliance for Alaska is proud to engage in.

Editor's Note: More excellent information on this subject was recently posted by Tom Chandler over at Trout Underground. Be sure to read his take.

Attention Hunters - Sportsman's Alliance Fundrasier

The folks fighting the Pebble Mine remind us that fishermen aren't the only sportsmen who will be impacted if the giant open pit mine is allowed to become operational. Make a donation and get a chance at some sweet gear and a 10 day guided moose hunt. Hunters can help a great cause and get a chance to win that is better than playing the lottery.

Wolves in Salmon's clothing?

We received an interesting heads up from the folks fighting against the Pebble Mine project at the Sportsman's Alliance for Alaska. It's a copy of an ad allegedly being shopped to outdoor publications. The ad is sharp looking with pretty fish and a conservation message. However, anyone giving it more than a glance will notice that it is not all that it appears to be. It seems the folks behind the project are taking a page from the SAA's media playbook and attempting to purchase pro-Pebble ad space in publications aimed directly at hunters and anglers.

The purported ad (see the leaked photo above) states that Alaska is home to healthy fish and wildlife populations and also to one of the world's most important mineral (be sure to get enough vitamins and gold in your cereal boys and girls) discoveries. It also goes on to say that any final decisions on the project are years away but their commitment to fish and wildlife is already firmly in place.

Scott Hed, Director of the Sportsman's Alliance for Alaksa, wasn't exactly surprised by this latest development. "They understand the clout that sportspersons have, and they are obviously concerned that we’ve been doing such a good job bringing this issue onto the radar screens of so many hunters and anglers." Mr. Hed continued to remind his fellow sportsmen and women that, "We must counter any attempts to cloud the fact that what is being proposed in Bristol Bay would forever change one of the most incredible places for fish and game on the planet – and not for the better."

In our opinion, the real story here will be which, if any, "outdoor" publication chooses to accept the ad.

Be sure to remember the Sportsman's Alliance for Alaska's Bristol Bay charity ebay auction. Lots of great gear, great prices, and a worthy cause.

Link to our previous coverage of this issue

SAA eBay Auction Update

The good folks fighting to keep the Pebble Mine out of Alaska's Bristol Bay region are still hard at work with their eBay fundraising auctions.

Ending soon:

Cloudveil 8x Pro Waders and 8x Boots in M’s or W’s (ends Thursday, 5/22) – current high bid is $400

Trip for two with Reel Wilderness Adventures in Alaska for open dates in August or September 2008 or any open dates in 2009 (ends Thursday, 5/22) – could be yours for $5,500

March Brown Hidden Water 8-weight travel fly rod (ends Saturday, 5/24) – could be yours for $275 (PRICE DROP)

Trip for two to Alaska’s Rainbow Point Lodge for open dates in August or September 2008 (ends Saturday, 5/24) – could be yours for $7,750 (PRICE DROP)

Scierra CTC #9/11 fly reel (ends Saturday, 5/24) – current high bid is $175

Trip for 1 woman with Women’s Flyfishing Alaska in July 2008 plus book, dozen flies, ExOffico shirt and hat (ends Saturday, 5/24) – could be yours for $500 (PRICE DROP)

Abstract brook trout print by Derek DeYoung (ends Saturday, 5/24) – current high bid is $127.50

Orvis ZG Helios 8-wt rod + Battenkill large arbor reel and line (ends Saturday, 5/24) – current high bid is $760

Full-day float trip for two with Yellow Dog Outfitters in Montana for any open date in 2008 season (ends Saturday, 5/24) – current high bid is $300

Hardy Zane Saltwater combo (10-weight rod and No. 2 reel) (ends Monday, 5/26) – could be yours for $950

Fishpond Shooting Star Tech Pack (ends Monday, 5/26) – current high bid is $117.50

Trip for two to Turneffe Flats Lodge in Belize for any open week in 2008 (ends Monday, 5/26) – could be yours for $5,100

New Listings this week:

Simms G4 Pro jacket
Trip for two to Pesca Maya Lodge in Mexico for any open week in 2008
Full-day float trip for one with Kirk Deeter and Tim Romano from Field & Stream magazine’s “Fly Talk” blog + Kaenon polarized sunglasses and Jim Teeny fly line
Trip for two to Painter Creek Lodge in Alaska for any open week in 2008 or 2009
Premium Alaska fly selection from Orvis
Certificate for your choice of any fly rod in TFO’s lineup

SAA Auction Update: Help Save Bristol Bay

We just got an update from the folks at The Sportsman's Alliance for Alaska about their giant eBay charity auction.

Ending soon:
Scierra CTC #9/11 fly reel (ends Saturday, 5/17) – could be yours for $225
Trip for one woman with Women’s Flyfishing Alaska in July 2008 (ends Saturday, 5/17) – could be yours for $600
Scott G2 2-weight fly rod (ends Saturday, 5/17) – current bid is at $450
Islander Precision Reels LX3.8 fly reel (ends Monday, 5/19) – could be yours for $375
Leupold & Stevens Katmai 8x32 binocular (ends Monday, 5/19) – current bid is at $250

New Listings this week:
Cloudveil 8x Pro Waders and 8x Boots (men’s or women’s)
Trip for two with Reel Wilderness Adventures in Alaska for open dates in August or September 2008
Abstract brook trout print
Orvis ZG Helios 8-wt rod + Battenkill large arbor reel & line
Full-day float trip for two with Yellow Dog Outfitters in Montana for any open date in 2008 season
Trip for two to Turneffe Flats Lodge in Belize for any open week in 2008
Hardy Zane Saltwater combo (10-weight rod & No. 2 reel)
Fishpond Shooting Star Tech Pack

Proceeds will be going to help the SAA in their fight against the Pebble mine. For more information about the Sportsman's Alliance and their cause visit this link.

SAA Auctions: Save Salmon - Get Gear & Trips

The Sportsman's Alliance for Alaska continues with their eBay auctions to benefit the fight against the proposed Pebble Mine project slated for Alaska's Bristol Bay. The Bristol Bay area of Alaska is home to the world's largest salmon run and the proposed gold mine would pose a serious threat to the ecosystem.

Items for bid are listed at 70% of retail so you have a chance at getting a real deal while at the same time helping support an excellent cause.

Auction items ending soon:

St. Croix Legend Elite 6-weight fly rod (ends Thursday, May 8)
Trip for two to No See Um Lodge (ends Friday, May 9)
Trip for two to Bristol Bay Lodge (ends Friday, May 9)
Galvan R-5 Rush Large Arbor fly reel (ends Saturday, May 10)
Abstract rainbow trout print by Derek DeYoung (ends Saturday, May 10)
Set of two signed Bob White/John Gierach prints (ends Sunday, May 11)
Trip for two to Bear Bay Lodge (ends Monday, May 12)
Patagonia full gear system – waders, boots, jacket, etc. (ends Monday, May 12)

Newly listed items:

Trip for two to Alaska’s Rainbow Point Lodge
Simms Dry Creek bag
March Brown Hidden Water 8-weight travel fly rod
Trip for one woman with Women’s Flyfishing Alaska
Scott G2 2-weight fly rod
Scierra CTC #9/11 fly reel
Leupold & Stevens Katmai 8x32 binocular
Islander Precision Reels LX3.8 fly reel

Check out all the items by following this link to the SAA Website's auction page.

Sportsman's Alliance for Alaska Ebay Auctions

Scott Hed, the Director of the Sportsman's Alliance for Alaska and a leader in the fight to stop the proposed Pebble mine has announced a series of eBay auctions to raise money for the cause.

The SAA is launching a huge online fundraising auction to benefit the Bristol Bay campaign. The auction will last for at least a few months with new items being placed up for bid every few days. Each item will be open for bid for 10 days. The auction is being hosted by eBay, so the format should be familiar to a lot of people. The process to bid and buy is easy, so get ready to raise some money to help protect Bristol Bay!

This auction would not be possible without the generosity and support of so many companies in the sporting products industry. You will find fishing rods, reels, waders, other outdoor gear, artwork, and trips to some fantastic destinations in Alaska as well as Mexico, Chile, Belize, and Canada. The Sportsman’s Alliance for Alaska and the campaign to protect Bristol Bay would like to extend a very sincere thank you to all of the donors who contributed to this fundraising effort.

The minimum price for all items and trips has been set at under 75% of retail value, but the hope is that every item or trip will sell for retail value or higher. We are definitely “David” to the mining corporation’s “Goliath” in this fight. Nothing worth saving or no fight worth winning ever comes easy. Much work will be needed to prevail in this fight, and your support is critical. Here’s your opportunity to help save one of the greatest sporting destinations in the world. Bid early and often.

The first item up for bid is a week for two at the Rainbow River Lodge. The bidding starts at $8,000. Keep up with items as they are posted by searching for eBay user sa4ak.

How about some Pebble Gold with your Conflict Diamonds?

Via Moldy Chum comes word that a group of major jewelers have annouced that they won't be using gold from Alaska's planned Pebble Mine in their bling bling. With Valentine's day upon us the timing of their press release couldn't have been better.

As shoppers rush to buy last-minute Valentine's gifts, five of the nation's leading jewelry retailers -- Tiffany & Co., Ben Bridge Jeweler, Helzberg Diamonds, Fortunoff, and Leber Jeweler, Inc. -- today pledged their support to permanently protect Alaska's Bristol Bay watershed from large-scale metal mining, including the massive proposed Pebble gold mine. The retailers, who had $2.2 billion in sales in 2006, took this step at the invitation of local Alaskans, who seek to protect wild salmon, clean water, and traditional Alaskan ways of life from the damaging effects of industrial metal mines.

Blogging the Charlotte Fly Show 2008

This weekend we made our yearly trip to the Fly Fishing and Wing Shooting Show in Charlotte, NC. The show was pretty much the same as every year but we ran into a few familiar faces. Excuse the crappy camera phone photos:

Scott Hed, Outreach Director for the Sportsman's Alliance for Alaska. Scott was fresh off the plane and hard at work getting signatures on the petition to stop the Pebble Mine. Scott tells us that the fight to save Alaska's salmon run is going strong. Signatures gathered at this week's show are heading to the Governor of Alaska's mail box.

Noted author and Tennessee fly fishing guide, Ian Rutter of R&R Fly Fishing ,took a few moments to tell us about fly fishing for Small Mouth Bass. He also gave us the low down on our pal from the Trout Underground, Tom Chandler. We won't bore you with details, but we have the inside scoop indicating that slaw dogs, curvy mountain roads, and Tom don't exactly mix.

It's one of those "you had to be there" stories but lets just say this fellow might have a somewhat "un-natural interest" in the Trout Underground.

We also ran across our friend John Bass and the rest of the good folks from Project Healing Waters. We bought a raffle ticket for a sweet bamboo rod with proceeds going to this worthy cause. John also reminded us that we don't have a sidebar link to PHW. Something we are correcting right away.

DVD Review: Equilibrium - The Last Frontier

Recently we received a copy of Castaway Films short film "Equilibrium - The Last Frontier." Equilibrium's producer Dr. Grant Wiswell seeks to tell the story of the Bristol Bay region of Alaska and the fight to prevent open pit gold mining operations in the home of the largest salmon run in the world.

In addition to the magnificent scenery one comes to expect from any film about Alaska, the film's maker enlists such fly fishing notables as Gary Loomis and Gary Borger to tell the story of both the region's fishery and the danger it faces if mining operations are allowed to go forward.

The highlight of the film for the fly fisher comes in the footage of massive native rainbow trout and huge numbers of giant salmon. In this remote region anglers compete for real estate only with grizzly bear.

Watching the beauty of this unspoiled place is almost enough to make you forget about the danger the fishery faces in the event mining operations are allowed to go unchecked. Dr. Wiswell snaps us back to reality ending with a sobering presentation of how things just might be if we allow the quest for precious metal to invade one of the earth's last great unspoiled areas.

Equilibrium - The Last Frontier is available from Castaway Films for $20.00. The film has been selected for inclusion in the 2008 AEG Media Fly Fishing Film Tour and is endorsed by the Federation of Fly Fishers.

Castaway Films: Equilibrium, The Last Frontier

The good folks at Castaway Films dropped us a note to let us know that a copy of their soon to be released film, "Equilibrium, The Last Frontier" was heading our way. We are looking forward to seeing their take on the development of the Pebble Mine in Alaska's Bristol Bay area.

In this short film, Gary Borger, Gary Loomis, and others discuss the central role of the Pacific Salmon and the threatened Bristol Bay ecosystem. Equilibrium has been adopted by the FFF and will be touring with AEG Media's Fly Fishing Film Tour this winter and spring. In addition it will be shown at The Fly Fishing Shows, ISE, and multiple venues across the country and abroad.

For a quick preview of the film please check out http://www.castawayfilms.com/