EPA's Bristol Bay Assessment

In January 2014, after three years of rigorous scientific study, EPA released its final assessment: The Effects of Large Scale Mining on the Salmon Ecosystems of the Nushagak and Kvichak Rivers.

Key findings

• The Bristol Bay watershed supports the largest sockeye salmon run in the world, producing approximately 46% of the world’s wild sockeye harvest.
• The annual average run of sockeye in the Bristol Bay watershed was approximately 37.5 million fish between 1990 and 2010. In 2009, Bristol Bay’s wild salmon ecosystem generated $480 million in direct annual economic expenditures in the region and sales per year and employed over 14,000 full and part-time workers.
• All five species of Pacific salmon - sockeye, Chinook, coho, chum and pink - spawn and rear in the Bristol Bay watershed. In addition, the Nushagak River supports one of the world’s largest Chinook salmon runs.
• The Bristol Bay watershed provides habitat for 29 fish species, more than 190 bird species, and more than 40 terrestrial animals.
• The Bristol Bay watershed supports large carnivores such as brown bears, bald eagles, and wolves that depend on salmon; ungulates such as moose and caribou; and numerous waterfowl species.

EPA's assessment found that mining the headwaters of these river systems could cause harm to the valuable fishery in Bristol Bay.

Documents

Final assessment (January 2014)

• Executive Summary of the Final Report, An Assessment of Potential Mining Impacts on Salmon Ecosystems of Bristol Bay, Alaska (pdf) (3.62 MB, 01/14/14, 910-R-14-001ES)
  This is the final version of the Executive Summary of the US EPA's Bristol Bay Assessment report.
• Volume 1: An Assessment of Potential Mining Impacts on Salmon Ecosystems of Bristol Bay, Alaska (pdf) (27.86 MB, 01/31/14, 910-R-14-001A)
  This is the final report of the Bristol Bay assessment of potential mining impacts on the salmon ecosystems. This follows 2 released public drafts, several public meetings and the collection of over 300 thousand public comments. This is a 3 volume report.
• Volume 2: An Assessment of Potential Mining Impacts on Salmon Ecosystems of Bristol Bay, Alaska, Appendices: A - D (pdf) (8.91 MB, 02/04/14, 910-R-14-001B)
  This is the final report (Volume 2) of the Bristol Bay assessment of potential mining impacts on the salmon ecosystems. This follows 2 released public drafts, several public meetings and the collection of over 300 thousand public comments. This is a 2nd volume set made up of Appendices A-D.
• Volume 3: An Assessment of Potential Mining Impacts on Salmon Ecosystems of Bristol Bay, Alaska, Appendices E - J (pdf) (8.98 MB, 01/15/14, 910-R-14-001C)
  This is the final report (Volume 3) of the Bristol Bay assessment of potential mining impacts on the salmon ecosystems. This follows 2 released public drafts, several public meetings and the collection of over 300 thousand public comments. This is a 3rd volume set made up of Appendices E-J.

Draft assessments

• Bristol Bay Assessment - Revised Draft (April 2013)
• Bristol Bay Assessment - Draft (May 2012)