Top Ten Reasons to Protect Bristol Bay from Offshore Oil Drilling

1. Bristol Bay is home to the world’s largest wild run of sockeye salmon.

The region’s salmon are important not only ecologically, with Bristol Bay serving as one of the last global strongholds for Pacific salmon, but also economically and culturally. The area targeted for leasing falls directly within important migratory and feeding habitat for salmon from throughout western Alaska.

2. The Bristol Bay region is of global ecological importance for fish, seabirds, waterfowl and marine mammals.

The eastern Bering Sea is renowned for its enormous biological productivity and provides habitat for hundreds of fish species, dozens of marine mammal species and is home to one of the world’s greatest concentrations of seabird colonies.

3. Bristol Bay and southeastern Bering Sea waters support globally important commercial fisheries valued at more than $2 billion dollars annually.

The area targeted for offshore oil and gas development overlaps with vital habitat and fishing grounds for salmon, red king crab, herring, halibut, pollock and cod. The region provides more than 40% of the total U.S. fish catch and supports fishermen and fishing families throughout Alaska and the Pacific Northwest.

4. Salmon is the lifeblood of village economies and way of life and subsistence is the irreplaceable mainstay of Alaska Native tradition and culture.

Southwestern Alaskan communities rely on salmon, halibut, herring, marine mammals and other ocean and coastal resources for their livelihoods. Impacts from offshore drilling would threaten these rich subsistence traditions.

5. The Bering Sea ecosystem is already under stress from climate change.

Scientists have demonstrated that warming temperatures have already had significant and unprecedented effects on the southeast Bering Sea and Bristol Bay ecosystem including sea bird die-offs, rare algal blooms, declines in marine mammals and altered fish distribution. Ocean acidification, warmer ocean temperatures, disrupted oceanic production cycles, and warmer stream temperatures are expected to cause declines in productivity in the region over the next 30 years. Any further stress, such as offshore oil and gas activities, will exacerbate these threats to the integrity and resilience of the ecosystem.

6. Federal studies suggest offshore oil and gas production in Bristol Bay would result in one or more major oil spills.

Studies suggest that one or more spills of more than 1,000 barrels and a number of smaller spills would occur. Recovery of spilled oil in Bristol Bay is unfeasible as clean-up technology is inadequate in rough sea conditions, ice, and strong tides and currents.

7. Offshore drilling in Bristol Bay would further threaten a number of endangered species.

More than half of the area proposed for offshore development is designated critical habitat for the North Pacific right whale - the world's most endangered whale with a population estimated to be less than 100 individuals.

8. There are four national wildlife refuges (NWRs) in the region that could be affected by offshore oil and gas development.

The proposed transportation route for getting oil and gas to the market calls for a pipeline through the Alaska Peninsula National Wildlife Refuge which provides habitat for salmon, waterfowl, wolf, wolverine, lynx, caribou, brown bears and numerous other species. Izembek National Wildlife Refuge is adjacent to the proposed lease sale area and contains some of the world’s largest eelgrass beds and important wetlands that provide habitat for millions of migratory birds. The Alaska Maritime National Wildlife Refuge and Togiak National Wildlife Refuge could also be impacted by offshore oil and gas development.
9. The economic benefits of renewable fisheries resources far outweigh the potential economic value of nonrenewable offshore oil and gas resources.

The Minerals Management Service has estimated the total net economic value of developing Bristol Bay’s oil and gas resources at $7.7 billion dollars over the entire 25-40 year lifespan of the project. Every year of offshore drilling would pose risks to an estimated $2 billion dollar annual wild fisheries economy.

10. We already determined that Bristol Bay is too sensitive to allow offshore oil and gas drilling.

After the Exxon Valdez oil spill demonstrated the tremendous damage an oil spill in Alaskan waters can have on fish, wildlife, and communities, Congress placed the region under the nationwide offshore drilling moratorium and Bristol Bay leases sold in the 1980s were bought back for over $100 million in taxpayer dollars. Protection from drilling has since been stripped away and a lease sale is scheduled for 2011, but the great ecological, cultural and economic risks remain.

thank you to our friends over at Alaska Marine Conservation Council for this!