There is no match to Alaska's diverse and productive fisheries. From Southeast to the Bering Sea, we produce half of the U.S. domestic seafood. Fisheries management might be complex but the result is simple: healthy fisheries equal more jobs than any other private sector enterprise in the state and a tax base that supports Alaska's coastal economy and communities.

Our responsibility is to take good care of the habitat that makes this abundance all possible so that future generations of Alaskan fishermen have an opportunity like we have had.

Bristol Bay and the southeast waters of the Bering Sea is one place where choices should be clear.

This region accounts for the greatest magnitude and wealth of Alaska's fisheries. Not only are the rivers and lakes of Bristol Bay host to 50 percent of the world's sockeye salmon, the marine waters support other valuable fisheries. Here is one of the most important halibut nursery grounds, contributing to the halibut population throughout both the Bering Sea and Gulf of Alaska.

What happens here arguably affects halibut fishermen everywhere. The prized red king crab grow to maturity in Bristol Bay and Alaska's large groundfish fisheries, including pollock and cod, are located nearby. Herring arrive in the early spring, turning on a spectacle of marine life and supporting the significant roe, food and bait fisheries.

There is a decision pending at the EPA about whether or not the super-sized Pebble mine can go forward in the Bristol Bay watershed. In this past November election, an impressive 75 percent of the voters agreed to raise the bar on approving future large-scale mining in the Bristol Bay Fisheries Reserve. There should be no question of the statewide concern about protecting the Bristol Bay salmon fishery from large-scale mining.

Read the full story at the Alaska Journal of Commerce>>

Want to read more about Bristol Bay? Click here...