Hooked on the Fly

Episode 1

Bristol Bay Alaska, the Last Frontier

Tue, Jan 4, 2011

Bristol Bay Alaska is home to the last great run of red Sockeye salmon in North America. These salmon spawn up rivers into lakes and in the process nurture the entire ecosystem, from the trees, to bears, and people. We were invited here (as we often are) by a conservation group, this time The Sportsman's Alliance for Alaska to see and profile this amazing wild region of North America. We profile the proposed copper and gold mines, especially the infamous Pebble Mine. We explore the wilderness by land, air, and boat. While we fly fish for rainbows among the sockeye and giant brown bears, we also hear from Native Americans, senators, commercial fishermen (in this case fisherwoman and boat captain), and fly fishing guides about the prosed mine and how it will devastate Bristol Bay. We learn that the mine owners are not even American, how Alaskan's will be ripped off, it would be built on a giant earthquake fault with a veritable sea of tons of highly toxic waste being held by a mere earthen dam. Just as insane is the value of temporary mining jobs pales in comparison to sustainable local jobs that generate over $400,000,000 annually and in perpetuity. The senator makes clear he has supported other mines in Alaska but this proposed mine is a nightmare on steroids and will ruin Bristol Bay Alaska, the United States' last remaining frontier holding the last great run of wild salmon that sustains the entire ecosystem and local economy.