Alaska Fishing Boats Block Oil Tankers
More than 60 fishing boats bottled up the Valdez Narrows on Saturday, preventing oil tankers from reaching the trans-Alaska pipeline terminal in a protest of the area’s oil-spill recovery effort.
The blockade was aimed at underscoring weak returns of pink salmon in Prince William Sound. Some fishermen blame that, and a weak run of herring this spring, on the after-effects of the Exxon Valdez oil spill in 1989.
The spill, the nation’s worst, dumped nearly 11 million gallons of North Slope crude oil into prime fishing waters. Thousands of miles of coastline were polluted.
Fishermen have demanded meetings with officials of the spill recovery program and faster resolution of their complaints that the spill is still affecting their catches.
Valdez Mayor John Harris offered his office’s help Saturday in mediating an end to the blockade. Harris said he also would ask Gov. Walter J. Hickel to intervene.
Start your day right
Sign up for Essential California for news, features and recommendations from the L.A. Times and beyond in your inbox six days a week.
You may occasionally receive promotional content from the Los Angeles Times.
