Trident Seafoods has come out in opposition to the proposed Pebble mine project, telling its fishermen there is no reasonable level of certainty that fishery resources will be protected.
In a letter to Bristol Bay fishermen dated June 1, Trident said the proposed mine “poses a significant risk to the many families, businesses and communities that rely upon the natural resources of Bristol Bay.”
The Pebble Limited Partnership in Anchorage, a subsidiary of the diversified global mining firm Hunter Dickinson, in Vancouver, British Columbia, has said that its copper, gold and molybdenum deposit abutting the Bristol Bay watershed, can be developed in harmony with the fishery.
The letter went out of the eve of the 2019 Bristol Bay commercial salmon fishery, which annually delivers millions of wild Alaska salmon to processors and on to seafood markets worldwide, a multi-million-dollar annual undertaking that also supports thousands of jobs.
“We have invested millions of dollars in the region because we believe that the region’s sockeye runs are unique,” said Victor Scheibert, president of Alaska operations for Trident. “Unique in terms of the long history of strong research, management, and abundance; the number of fishermen, businesses, and communities they support; and the brand recognition they receive on the global market. “With continued stewardship, Bristol Bay will help support Alaska’s economy in perpetuity.”
Scheibert said that Trident would continue to collaborate with Pacific Seafood Processors Association and other Bristol Bay seafood industry participants to voice concern throughout the permitting process, to help ensure that all potential impacts and alternatives are fully considered.
The letter also advised that there is still time to submit public comment on the draft environmental impact statement produced by the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers at drafteis@comments.pebbleprojecteis.com or submit them through the corps’ online portal atpebbleprojecteis.com/publiccomments/neweiscomment.
The comment period deadline is July 1.
