• Business
  • California
  • Climate & Environment
  • Entertainment & Arts
  • En Español
  • Food
  • Housing & Homelessness
  • Image
  • Lifestyle
  • Obituaries
  • Opinion
  • Politics
  • Science
  • Sports
  • Travel
  • World & Nation
  • All Sections
  • _________________
  • Newsletters
  • Photography
  • Podcasts
  • Video
  • _________________
  • About Us
    • About Us
    • Archives
    • Company News
    • eNewspaper
    • For the Record
    • Got a Tip?
    • L.A. Times Careers
    • L.A. Times Store
    • News App: Apple IOS
    • News App: Google Play
    • Newsroom Directory
    • Reprints, Rights & Permissions
    • About Us
    • Archives
    • Company News
    • eNewspaper
    • For the Record
    • Got a Tip?
    • L.A. Times Careers
    • L.A. Times Store
    • News App: Apple IOS
    • News App: Google Play
    • Newsroom Directory
    • Reprints, Rights & Permissions
  • Advertising
    • Place an Ad
    • Classifieds
    • People on the Move
    • Find/Post Jobs
    • Local Ads Marketplace
    • Media Kit: Why the L.A. Times?
    • Hot Property Sections
    • Place an Open House
    • Sotheby’s International Realty
    • Place an Ad
    • Classifieds
    • People on the Move
    • Find/Post Jobs
    • Local Ads Marketplace
    • Media Kit: Why the L.A. Times?
    • Hot Property Sections
    • Place an Open House
    • Sotheby’s International Realty
  • Brand Publishing
  • Hot Property
  • Crossword & Games
  • L.A. Times Events
  • L.A. Times Store
  • Second Opinion
  • Subscriptions
    • Manage Subscription
    • EZPAY
    • Delivery Issue
    • eNewspaper
    • Students & Educators
    • Subscribe
    • Subscriber Terms
    • Manage Subscription
    • EZPAY
    • Delivery Issue
    • eNewspaper
    • Students & Educators
    • Subscribe
    • Subscriber Terms
Copyright © 2021, Los Angeles Times | Terms of Service | Privacy Policy | CA Notice of Collection | Do Not Sell My Personal Information
Los Angeles Times
  • California
  • Entertainment
  • Sports
  • Food
  • Climate
  • Opinion
  • |
  • Place an Ad
  • Crossword
  • eNewspaper
NEWHALEN, ALASKA - JULY 23, 2019. Jim Lamont takes a break with his dog Sandy after hanging up sockeye salmon fillets to dry outside his corrugated sheet metal smokehouse on the banks of the Newhalen River. After the fish are dried and smoked, the catch is divided among several families and supplies them with protein through the winter in a remote section of the Alaska Peninsula. The fishing season tends to be a family affair as relatives and friends pitch in to catch, dry, smoke and can the fish during the brief summer run. (Luis Sinco/Los Angeles Times)
15 Images

Alaska’s Pebble Mine risks wild salmon for gold

NEWHALEN, ALASKA - JULY 23, 2019. Jim Lamont takes a break with his dog Sandy after hanging up sockeye salmon fillets to dry outside his corrugated sheet metal smokehouse on the banks of the Newhalen River. After the fish are dried and smoked, the catch is divided among several families and supplies them with protein through the winter in a remote section of the Alaska Peninsula. The fishing season tends to be a family affair as relatives and friends pitch in to catch, dry, smoke and can the fish during the brief summer run. (Luis Sinco/Los Angeles Times)

Jim Lamont takes a break with dog Sandy after hanging up sockeye salmon fillets outside his smokehouse on the banks of the Newhalen River. After the fish are dried and smoked, the catch is divided among several families, a source of protein through the winter in a remote area of Alaska. (Luis Sinco / Los Angeles Times)

ILIAMNA, ALASKA - JULY 23, 2019. A sport fisherman pulls a lure box from his pocket to fish along the rapids of the Newhalen River near Iliamna. The area around Lake Iliamna is noted for sportfishing and is known for its abundance of salmon, trout and grayling. Its shores are dotted with hunting and fishing lodges, which make up a large part of the local economy, offering services ranging from accommodations, to professional guides, and transportation to choice locations by boats and float planes. It is located about 20 miles from the site of the proposed Pebble Mine. (Luis Sinco/Los Angeles Times)

A sport fisherman pulls a lure box from his pocket to fish along the rapids of the Newhalen River near Iliamna.  (Luis Sinco / Los Angeles Times)

ILIAMNA, ALASKA - JULY 23, 2019. Sockeye salmon are tethered to the shore along the fast-moving current of the rapids on the Newhalen River near Iliamna. The area is noted for sport fishing, with an abundance of salmon, trout and grayling. During the height of the summer season it's more catching than fishing around Lake Iliamna and its tributaries - and sport fishermen commonly bag their daily limits of five sockeye salmon apiece. The site of the proposed Pebble Mine is less than 20 miles away, and many residents fear it could irreperably harm the local ecosystem. (Luis Sinco/Los Angeles Times)

Sockeye salmon are tethered to the shore in the fast-moving current of the rapids on the Newhalen near Iliamna. The area is noted for sport fishing. (Luis Sinco / Los Angeles Times)

IGIUGIG, ALASKA - JULY 23, 2019. A child stands in the doorway of a home in Igiugig, which is located where Lake Iliamna spills into the Kvichak River. Igiugig, which means "Like a Throat That Swallows Water" in the native language, has a population of about 50. The median household income is about about $23,000 a year. It is located about 120 miles from the site of the proposed Pebble Mine, an enterprise that promises to bring jobs and economic opportunity. (Luis Sinco/Los Angeles Times)

A child stands in a doorway in Igiugig, where Lake Iliamna spills into the Kvichak River in Alaska. Igiugig, which means “Like a Throat That Swallows Water” in the native language, has about 50 residents. Median household income is about $23,000 a year. (Luis Sinco / Los Angeles Times)

BROOKS FALLS ALASKA - JULY 23, 2019. A brown bear fishes for sockeye salmon at Brooks Falls in Alaska's Katmai National Park. The falls are famous for attracting brown bears that fish for sockeye salmon as they try to overcome six-foot cascades to reach spawning grounds in nearby Brooks Lake. In July, more than a dozen bears and countless photographers commonly congregate at the falls. Most visitors join tour groups that are flown in by float planes. The falls are about 100 miles from the Pebble Mine site, where developers propose to dig a very deep pit to reach billions of dollars in copper and gold deposits. (Luis Sinco/Los Angeles Times)

Brooks Falls in Alaska’s Katmai National Park attract brown bears that fish for sockeye salmon as they try to overcome 6-foot cascades to reach spawning grounds in nearby Brooks Lake. (Luis Sinco / Los Angeles Times)

BROOKS FALLS ALASKA - JULY 23, 2019. A bear and her three cubs tear apart and eat a sockeye salmon that was caiught as it swam upstream at Brooks Falls in Alaska's Katmai National Park. The falls are famous for attracting brown bears that fish for sockeye salmon as they try to overcome six-foot cascades to reach spawning grounds in nearby Brooks Lake. In July, more than a dozen bears and countless photographers commonly congregate at the falls. Most visitors join tour groups that are flown in by float planes. The falls are about 100 miles from the Pebble Mine site, where developers propose to dig a very deep pit to reach billions of dollars in copper and gold deposits. (Luis Sinco/Los Angeles Times)

A bear and her cubs dine on salmon that was caught as it swam upstream at Brooks Falls in Alaska’s Katmai National Park.  (Luis Sinco / Los Angeles Times)

NEWHALEN, ALASKA - JULY 23, 2019. The Newhalen River empties into Lake iliamna at the village of Newhalen. The remote fishing community has a population of about 190 and includes members of the native Yupik, Alutiiq and Athabascan peoples. Most village residents subsistence hunt and fish. Each year, millions of sockeye salmon migrate to the lake and river to spawn. Newhalen is located about 20 miles from the prioposed Pebble Mine site. (Luis Sinco/Los Angeles Times)

The Newhalen River empties into Lake Iliamna at the village of Newhalen. The remote community has a population of about 190 and includes native Yupik, Alutiiq and Athabascan peoples. (Luis Sinco / Los Angeles Times)

ILIAMNA, ALASKA - JULY 23, 2019. Lifelong Iliamna resident Myrtle Anelon, 79, holds a pair of mukluks made of seal skin and fur by her grandmother. Anelon supports the development of the proposed Pebble Mine, saying it would bring employment and opportunities to an area that has long been economically distressed. The mine area has been identified as the largest known gold deposit in the world. It is said to contain 55 billion pounds of copper, 3.3 billion pounds of molybdenum, and 67 million ounces of gold. Northern Dynasty Minerals, a Canadian company, is the largest factor in the developmebnt of the mine. (Luis Sinco/Los Angeles Times)

Lifelong Iliamna resident Myrtle Anelon holds a pair of mukluks made of sealskin and fur by her grandmother. Anelon supports the development of the proposed Pebble Mine. (Luis Sinco / Los Angeles Times)

NEWHALEN, ALASKA - JULY 23, 2019. Jim Lamont, 69, motors his small skiff to the mouth of the Newhalen River, where it empties into Lake Iliamna and where he sets his gill net for sockeye salmon. An Army veteran who served in the Vietnam War, Lamont has lived most of his life in rural Alaska and learned susbsistence fishing and hunting from his father at the age of six. He was one of 22 children in his family. He opposes the development of the proposed Pebble Mine, citing his concern for the huge amounts of waste tailings the operation could produce and which could profoundly harm the local ecosystem. (Luis Sinco/Los Angeles Times)

Jim Lamont motors his skiff to the mouth of the Newhalen River, where he sets his gill net for sockeye salmon. He opposes Pebble Mine, concerned about the huge amounts of waste tailings the operation could produce. (Luis Sinco / Los Angeles Times)

NAKNEK, ALASKA - JULY 23, 2019. The rules of the Red Dog Inn in Naknek are clearly spelled out at the door. The town has a population of about 600 that swells to thousands during the brief summer sockeye salmon fishing season. The run is the largest fish migration on the planet and is at the center of a multimillion dollar fresh seafood industry. Naknek residents largely oppose the development of the Pebble Mine, with its rich deposits of copper and gold, which would be situated about 120 miles upstream. (Luis Sinco/Los Angeles Times)

The rules of the Red Dog Inn in Naknek are spelled out at the door. The town’s population of about 600 swells to thousands during the summer sockeye salmon fishing season. (Luis Sinco / Los Angeles Times)

NAKNEK, ALASKA - JULY 23, 2019. Commercial fisherman Austin Hill collects sockeye salmon pulled from his set net and piled on the beach near the mouth of the Naknek River in Bristol Bay. Naknek is where sockeye salmon begin their runs from salt water to the fresh waters of spawning grounds around Lake Iliamna. Last year's run set a record with more than 62 million sockeye salmon in Bristol Bay. The local fishing industry is largely opposed to the proposed Pebble Mine, which would be developed about 120 miles upstream. (Luis Sinco/Los Angeles Times)

Commercial fisherman Austin Hill collects sockeye salmon pulled from his set net and piled on the beach near the mouth of the Naknek River. Last year’s run set a record with over 62 million sockeye salmon in Bristol Bay. (Luis Sinco / Los Angeles Times)

ILIAMNA, ALASKA - JULY 23, 2019. A sport fisherman shoulders his daily limit of five sockeye salmon, which he caught along the rapids of the Newhalen River near Iliamna. Every summer commercial fishermen, sport fishermen and people living a subsistence lifestyle all take a share of sockeye salmon, which make up the largest wild salmon run in the world. The popular sport fishing locale is located about 20 miles from the site of the proposed Pebble Mine. The open pit mine would be about two miles wide, thoudsands of feet deep and would produce an enormous amount of mining tailings at the headwaters of Bristol Bay. (Luis Sinco/Los Angeles Times)

A sport fisherman shoulders his daily limit of five sockeye salmon, which he caught along the rapids of the Newhalen River near Iliamna.  (Luis Sinco / Los Angeles Times)

NEWHALEN, ALASKA - JULY 23, 2019. A cross marks a grave in the cemetery behind the Russian Orthodox church in Newhalen. The religion followed Russian traders and explorers who came to Alaska in the early 17th sentury. By the late 1800s, Russian Orthodox Church missionaries had succeeded in converting many Alaskan natives to the faith. The influence of the church remains strong throughoput Alaska in villages like Newhalen, which is located about 20 miles from the proposed Pebble Mine site. (Luis Sinco/Los Angeles Times)

A cross marks a grave in the cemetery behind the Russian Orthodox church in Newhalen. The religion followed Russian traders and explorers who came to Alaska in the early 17th century. The influence of the church remains strong in villages like Newhalen, about 20 miles from the proposed Pebble Mine site. (Luis Sinco / Los Angeles Times)

NAKNEK, ALASKA - JULY 23, 2019. A fishing boat rests on the banks of the Naknek River at low tiide. The town of Naknek has several processing plants that hire hundreds of workers to pack and ship fresh sockeye salmon during the brief summer run. The Naknek River meets the sea near Naknek and it is where sockeye salmon begin their runs from salt water to streams and spawning grounds around Lake Iliamna. The local fishing industry is largely opposed to the proposed Pebble Mine, which would be developed about 120 miles upstream. (Luis Sinco/Los Angeles Times)

A fishing boat rests on the banks of the Naknek River. The town of Naknek has several processing plants that hire hundreds of workers to pack and ship salmon during the brief summer run. (Luis Sinco / Los Angeles Times)

ILIAMNA, ALASKA - JULY 23, 2019. Thick smoke from a wildfire in the tundra near the village of Iliamna partially obscures the setting sun. Iliamna is located about 20 miles from the site of the proposed Pebble Mine. The Iliamna village corporation has reached a right-of-way agreement with the mine's developers that allows access to lands that could facilitate the project. Opponents say the mine could irreperably damage the headwaters of the largest wild salmon run in the world. (Luis Sinco/Los Angeles Times)

Thick smoke from a wildfire in the tundra near the village of Iliamna partially obscures the setting sun. Iliamna is about 20 miles from the site of the proposed Pebble Mine.  (Luis Sinco / Los Angeles Times)

1/15

Alaska’s Pebble Mine risks wild salmon for gold

  • Facebook
  • Twitter
  • Show more sharing options
Share
  • Facebook
  • Twitter
  • LinkedIn
  • Email
  • Copy Link URLCopied!
  • Print
Advertisement