In the November 19th Anchorage Daily News, Alaskan fisherman Ben Blakey congratulated jewelers who have signed the Bristol Bay Protection pledge.
Although he thanks the jewelers — representing $3.7 billion in total jewelery sales — perhaps more important is his observation as to the unquantifiables that are at risk with the proposed Pebble Mine:
The Pebble debate has often been framed in economic terms, such as numbers of jobs, potential tax revenues and total extraction values. Such a massive mine makes the subject of economics unavoidable. But those figures ignore the priceless aspects of local culture and fishing tradition. It is important to remember that Pebble would provide only a small number of jobs to local Alaskans for the short term, while putting at risk tens of thousands of sustainable, long-lasting jobs that now rely on the salmon fishery nurtured by the Bristol Bay watershed.
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