Monday, May 20, 2013


    Sea Port Opposes Mining in the Salmonid Ecosystems of  
the Bristol Bay Watershed in Alaska


To:  United States Environmental Protection Agency

Sea Port Products Corporation is in the business of providing healthy seafood for human consumption in the United States.  Through our many corporate Go Blue! initiatives, we demonstrate our responsibility to help maintain and improve the health of our world’s productive aquatic resources that we ultimately depend upon for our business success.  In short, in order to sell healthy seafood we need to have sustainably healthy waters in our marine and freshwater ecosystems.  We oppose mining in the Bristol Bay watershed because we believe that such activities would negatively affect the health and productive capacity of both the marine and freshwater habitats that are crucial for sustaining the bountiful production of salmonids in this World Heritage class natural wonderland.  The EPA should share this same sense of responsibility and wholeheartedly exercise their authority as outlined in the Clean Water Act to join Sea Port’s opposition to mining activities in this region.

Historically, rivers in the Pacific Northwest  were dammed and watersheds were altered that resulted in sacrificing the abundant natural salmon runs in order to grow irrigated crops, produce electricity, and harvest lumber.   Even though these massive salmon runs of the past were negatively impacted, great benefits arose that helped feed, clothe, shelter, and economically advance the growing population of that time.   The costs of losing the enormous salmon runs were less than the many ensuing benefits that helped support the growing population.  Seen in this light, Sea Port further opposes mining in the Bristol Bay watershed because we believe the environmental costs are not sufficiently outweighed by any possible mining benefits conferred to the people of Alaska in terms of providing basic human needs or broad based economic opportunities.  Incidentally, the University of Alaska’s Anchorage Institute of Economic and Social Research just released a report that revealed that the Bristol Bay salmon industry produces $1.5 billion per year in economic output on a national basis.  The report details for the first time the actual economic impacts that Bristol Bay has on the State of Alaska, the Pacific Northwest, and the rest of the United States. It supports over 12,000 jobs in fishing and processing, plus generates another 7,800 jobs across the country in retailing, restaurants, warehousing and other ancillary services.

Sea Port foresees that the majority of the additional animal protein needed for the world’s growing population, which is estimated to reach over 9 billion by 2050, will have to come from our aquatic resources. Sea Port believes that the Earth’s available arable soil and pasturelands have been maximized and therefore our future terrestrial food production capabilities face serious constraints. In light of this, Sea Port opposes mining in the Bristol Bay watershed because such activities would harm a valuable wild aquatic habitat that is destined to become increasingly critical for food production as our growing world population demands healthy consumable proteins.

In summary, Sea Port opposes mining in the Bristol Bay watershed because our future food supply will depend heavily upon the 70% of our planet that is aquatic and any human activities that negatively impact its productive potential should be avoided.  Sea Port pleads with the EPA to join with us in opposing mining activities in this world famous natural salmon producing wonderland.