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.
