Commercial Fishermen for Bristol Bay, a national coalition of fishermen, businesses and other fishing industry members, is adding its support for Alaska’s Ballot Measure 1, also known as the Yes for Salmon ballot initiative.
CFBB said in its letter of endorsement on Sept. 10 that the initiative would help ensure that projects like the Pebble mine undergo a fair, transparent and science-based permitting process as well as give our state’s decision-makers the tools that they need to protect Alaska’s most valuable and productive wild salmon fishery.
“It’s time that we bring our state’s salmon habitat permitting laws up to the same high level of robustness, accountability and sophistication as our fishery management laws – some of the best in the world,” the letter said. “If we don’t then we jeopardize Alaska’s single-largest private sector employer which generates on average $5 billion in annual economic output for our state. Right now, we only have one of the bookends in placer. Ballot Measure 1 is a chance to secure the other bookend, providing economic stability and prosperity for Alaskans.”
