Bristol Bay, Alaska
"Salmon or Gold"

Can you imagine living in a geographical area in which traditions, language, rituals, and economic sustainability hasn't changed in over 1,000 years? A place inhabited by indigenous people that have lived in harmony with nature only taking what is needed to sustain their lifestyles and having the innate wisdom to keep this resource in balance to ensure continued prosperity? Did you realize that there are still people living in areas here on earth that live without the modern day conveniences such as fast food, malls, and outlet stores? People that rely on bartering and exporting their resource to trade for clothes, shoes, and other items to sustain their way of living and to ensure that their traditions and way of life will continue for generations to follow? As the world becomes smaller, even people that have remained unchanged for thousands of years are being forced to deal with changes that will alter their future and their traditions because of living near valuable resources that are in high demand in our modern day world. And, like so many indigenous people from history, they are desperately praying, advocating, and becoming very political with their fight so that their way of life can continue without disruption to their ecosystems.

Native to the area of Bristol Bay, Alaska for thousands of years, the Yupik people have depended on salmon, along with pike, whitefish, beavers, caribou, moose, berries, and plants. Bristol Bay still possess abundance in salmon fisheries that have been destroyed in the lower 48 states by habitat degradation, dams, weakening of the genetic pool through the use of hatcheries, and over-harvesting which have destroyed the salmon stock in dozens of places and reduced the rest to remnants. The Bristol Bay Watershed is located about 250 miles southwest of Anchorage which is tucked between national parks and other protected lands. This region in southwest Alaska is home to the most valuable salmon fishing ground in the United States. Within this 40,000-square mile area are nine major rivers fed by dozens of tributaries that resemble arteries when viewed from above. This is literally the last location which has not been touched or altered by technologies that have altered the natural migration of the sockeye salmon, one of the most popular and prized types of salmon which are abundant starting in early June. Additionally, the region supports the catches of four other salmon species and herring. In total, the salmon fisheries of Bristol Bay support the equivalent of nearly 10,000 full-time jobs and create $1.5 billion in annual economic output. It is a prime example of a conservation economy, defined as a sustainable economy that directly depends on a healthy ecosystem.

This area of Alaska also holds the world's largest deposit of gold and one of the largest of copper. Two companies, Northern Dynasty, of Brittish Columbia, and Anglo American, of England, have teamed up as the “Pebble Partnership” to evaluate the potential for an open-pit mine which could possibly be up to two miles wide and 1,700 feet deep. This is very troubling to those that depend on the salmon for their livelihood. They fear that the Pebble mine would destroy the fishery, largely by water contamination. Proponents however argue that the larger effect would stimulate industrial growth which would permanently transform the Bristol Bay region providing much needed economic benefits and many that live in the area that aren't involved in the fisheries are excited about the possibilities of economic growth.

This photograph taken by Michael Milford, National Geographic in which he titles, “Bristol Bay, Alaska” is of a native to the region, Ina Bouker. She and her husband John have been netting salmon since they were children. As a viewer looks at this picture of Ina kissing one of the salmon, one can see the pride, the joy, and the appreciation of this life supporting resource that provides she, her husband, and her six children the ability to sustain their life in this very remote area of the world. She is a woman that has the appearance of a very hard worker. The yellow waders, the rubber gloves, and the bandanna that holds her hair back gives me the impression that she is very serious about the work that she is performing and she is well prepared to get the job done. The kiss implies the respect that she is extending to the soon to be (if not already) dead salmon because she is appreciative of what the death of these fish will bring to her family. She is not taking the life of this living creature without giving it the respect that it deserves. She is joyous of a good start to the season and she is giving a genuine appreciation to the life that she is taking in order for she and her family to survive.

Also in the picture is a home located in the background. This home is modest considering the eight people that reside there along with several barns and outbuildings that the family most likely utilizes for the preparation of their catch. The older model truck has the appearance that it is pulling the nets upon the shore so that they can start the task of unhooking their catch and then preparing their lines for subsequent fishing, unhooking, and further preparation and preservation. They are utilizing their resources to make ease of pulling up the very heavy netting from the ocean.

This photograph was taken while the journalist was interviewing the local people about what the mining implications could do to their way of life. There is an element of sadness that I experience as I look at Ina down on her knees kissing her fish. She truly loves and has respect for this life giving resource and she is very concerned about the ecosystem being destroyed as it has been in other parts of the continent from similar endeavors. If the salmon doesn't return, then she and her family will not only lose their monetary source, but the salmon itself will be destroyed and have a possibility of becoming extinct. She is obviously very concerned with the future of not only her family and the extinction of the salmon, but also of the traditions that have been passed down to her generation from thousands of years of her ancestors. I sense that she is fearful of this devastating change and what it will mean to her children and the generations to follow.

Work Cited

Milford, Michael, “Bristol Bay, Alaska,” National Geographic. December 2010. Web. 10 March 2011.