Tell the EPA to Permanently Protect Bristol Bay 

By Adam Gebauer

As we recently celebrated the return of salmon - for ceremony and research - to the Spokane watershed, the fight to save the world’s largest sockeye runs in Bristol Bay continues. Please take action to help permanently protect the fish, wildlife and people that rely on this pristine watershed. Help finalize the permanent protection for Bristol Bay under section 404(c) of the Clean Water Act.  

The EPA states that ““The Proposed Determination finds that the discharge of dredged or fill material associated with mining the Pebble Deposit could result in unacceptable adverse effects on salmon fishery areas in certain waters within the Bristol Bay watershed.”  

On average, 38 million sockeye salmon return to Bristol Bay each year. The fishier was worth $2.2 billion in 2019 and supports 15,000 jobs. Along with their livelihoods these salmon are culturally essential to the 25 tribes that have lived in this watershed since time immemorial.  

You can submit a comment directly to the EPA’s Federal Portal or comment through the United Tribes of Bristol Bay.