Economic Impact
Economic Engine
“The Pacific Seafood Processors Association (PSPA) represents seafood processing companies operating throughout coastal Alaska. A number of our member companies have large salmon processing operations in Bristol Bay, some of which have been in operation for 100 years. These companies have invested millions of dollars in seafood facilities in Alaska and annually provide markets to thousands of fishermen and jobs to thousands of processing workers. We have concluded that the Pebble project poses an unacceptably high risk of degrading important watersheds feeding the world’s most productive sockeye salmon fishery, and oppose the development of the Pebble mine project due to it location, size, and potential harm.”
The salmon of Bristol Bay support a $2.2 billion commercial and sport fishing industry. Those industries employ 15,000 people as a result. For every fishing and processing job created in the region, three jobs in other industries are created. For every dollar in economic impact generated in Bristol Bay, another $1.27 is generated elsewhere in the state. Bristol Bay’s economy is thriving as a result of the salmon in its waters. And those salmon generate an economic impact with ripples far beyond the Bristol Bay region.
The 40 million salmon a year that come from the Bay also create jobs throughout the country in the restaurant and grocery industries. Half of the world’s sockeye salmon come from the region. The hundreds of millions of portions of salmon that come from the region are prized and relied upon by restaurants and retailers across the country.
All of this economic activity would be threatened by the proposed Pebble Mine. The mine is almost certain to release waste into the Bristol Bay watershed, and that waste is scientifically proven to impact water quality and salmon populations. In addition, it isn’t clear that the Pebble Mine would generate much activity on its own. There are serious concerns about the viability of the mine, and the potential costs of the project. In 2019, mining expert Richard Borden calculated that the proposed Pebble Mine would have a negative net present value of $3 billion and therefore is not economically feasible.