Why We Keep Fighting for Bristol Bay
by Meghan Barker and Scott Hed A smiling raingear-clad angler holding a 30-inch rainbow trout. A Beaver floatplane taxing across a misty lake at sunrise. A family of brown bears splashing and chasing salmon in a shallow tail-out. These photos all say the same thing: this is Bristol Bay, Alaska. Southwest Alaska tops the bucket list for sportsmen and women when it comes to destination fishing- the most prolific wild salmon run on the planet, paired with millions of acres of untouched landscape and crystalline waters, the highest concentration of brown bears across the globe, and a summer sun that nearly never sets. As closely as anglers follow the fishing in the region, this same community has been at the forefront of the battle to protect this place from the proposed Pebble mine. Over the years, anglers have signed petitions, submitted official comments, called elected officials, and spoken loudly against the proposal to build North America’s largest open-pit copper and gold mine, slated for the headwaters of Bristol Bay. To everyone who has acted, thank you. Together we’ve moved the needle, won some key engagements, and elevated Bristol Bay to an issue of national importance. Not everyone will get to be that angler in the picture
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– cradling that 30-incher in ice-cold hands with a giant smile on their face. But it seems like nearly every angler, no matter if they are catching brook trout in the northeast or a tarpon in saltier southern waters, has a “No Pebble mine” sticker somewhere on their gear, indicative of their support for the fish and people of Bristol Bay. The fly fishing community is both small and tight-knit, and as anglers, this is a campaign and an effort that matters to all of us. Support from anglers nationwide has made this the signature conservation battle in the fishing community for almost 20 years and begs an important question. Why have so many fought so hard for so long for something that seems so completely obvious? It’s easy to point to the fish, the bears, the landscape and even the economic value of the world’s largest wild salmon resource. But sometimes it’s as simple as this: If you dream of fishing in Bristol Bay, we must make sure that the pristine waters and healthy habitat that support this vibrant ecosystem are protected for future generations. The efforts to stop Pebble have gained so much attention and support from America’s sportsmen and women because Bristol Bay represents the best of the best. It lures anglers from across the globe and entices
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