May 9, 2013 — The following was released by the Bristol Bay Regional Seafood Development Association:
The Bristol Bay, Alaska commercial salmon fishery is the world’s most valuable wild salmon fishery and in total produces an astounding annual value of $1.5 billion, according to a new report, “The Economic Importance of the Bristol Bay Salmon Industry.” The fishery supports a significant number of jobs in the four West Coast states, Alaska, Washington, Oregon and California, and the total value of Bristol Bay salmon product exports in 2010 was $370 million, accounting for nearly 20% of the total value of all U.S. seafood exports. Written by researchers at the University of Alaska’s Institute for Social and Economic Research, the report marks the first time the full value and impact of the Bristol Bay salmon fishery has been measured.
Sen. Patty Murray of Washington said: “I am pleased a study has been done to detail the economic importance of the salmon industry in Bristol Bay. This report confirms what we have known for years – that it is not just Alaskans who depend on Bristol Bay for their personal income and livelihoods. Over 3,000 Washingtonians make their living off Bristol Bay’s salmon runs. This report, in conjunction with the Environmental Protection Agency’s draft Watershed Assessment, clearly demonstrates both the environmental and economic damages that development in this region could have, and I am hopeful the Administration takes the economic value of the salmon fishery into account when making future decisions regarding Bristol Bay.”
There is also a shorter executive summary of the report, which was commissioned by the Bristol Bay Regional Seafood Development Association. Report highlights include:
– The Bristol Bay salmon fishery supports 12,000 jobs in fishing and processing industries; including 4,369 fishing and processing jobs in Alaska; 3,227 in Washington state; 2,143 in Oregon; 553 in California and 1,629 in other states.
– The salmon fishery creates an additional 7,800 jobs across the country due to the multiplier effects of retailing in grocery stores, restaurants, etc., and developing value-added products.
– The commercial fishery provides about $500 million in direct income to workers across the country every year.
The report comes at the same time the EPA is conducting a comment period of its revised Bristol Bay Watershed Assessment, a scientific report that shows that digging up the proposed Pebble mine will destroy up to 90 miles of salmon streams and up to 4,800 acres of wetlands in the best case scenario, without potential leaks or a catastrophic failure.
The report was released during a May 9 phone conference that included Deadliest Catch Captain Johnathan Hillstrand, who said: "For everyone who counts on the salmon industry to make a living, the Pebble project is the Deadliest Mine. The only people who want this mine don't live in Alaska or even the United States. They’re foreign mining companies that want to sell gold and copper to the Chinese.”
"There are few issues that are more black and white than protecting Bristol Bay. EPA’s draft assessment and this economic impact study both confirm that the proposed Pebble mine would be bad for fish and bad for fishermen. With 3,000 Washington state jobs at stake, we can’t afford the ecological or economic risk," said Rep. Jim McDermott of Washington.
The report’s authors also found that favorable market trends in global demand for wild salmon are likely to continue, increasing the value of Bristol Bay sockeye.
“This report demonstrates how critical the Bristol Bay salmon fishery is to thousands of jobs, millions in revenues and to countless businesses like ours,” said John Garner, vice president of Seattle-based Trident Seafoods, one of the largest seafood processing companies, with operations in Bristol Bay. “We process hundreds of millions of pounds of high quality seafood a year, including Bristol Bay sockeye and it is an incredibly important product line for us.”
The economic importance of the Bristol Bay salmon industry goes well beyond the value, jobs and income from fishing and processing in Bristol Bay. More value, jobs and income are created in downstream industries as the salmon are shipped to other states, processed further and sold in stores and restaurants across the country. Additionally, the multiplier effect generates additional value as fishermen and processors purchase supplies and services and workers spend their income.
“The estimates of the economic importance of the Bristol Bay fishery are actually conservative. In fact, without the Bristol Bay salmon industry, profits would be lower and costs would be higher in the rest of the seafood industry,” said Scott Goldsmith, one of the authors of the study. “The Bristol Bay fishery helps supply the entire world with wild salmon, and is a vital part of Alaska’s seafood export economy, so it’s natural that the benefits of the fishery stretch far beyond Alaska.”
“We’re proud of the hard-working men and women in this industry who’ve invested their time, sweat and money to build a thriving American commercial fishery that’s been operating for more than 125 years,” said Bob Waldrop, executive director of the Bristol Bay Regional Seafood Development Association. “We will not sacrifice this hard work to the Pebble Mine – planned as North America’s largest open-pit mine – the greatest threat our fishery has ever known.”