Juneau
legislators create Taku River Fact-Finding Task Force
Prospective
members asked to submit names by September 26, 2011
Juneau, Alaska –
Juneau’s legislative delegation is asking members of the public to serve
on a Taku River Fact-Finding Task Force it is creating in response to
concerns about possible impacts to salmon and other fish if industrial
barge traffic increases due to development of the Tulsequah Chief Mine
in British Columbia.
Chieftain Metals, Inc. is working to re-open the old mine 40 miles
northeast of Juneau which produced gold, silver, copper, zinc, and lead
from 1951 to 1957. The Toronto-based company hopes to have year-round
access to the site by a road from Atlin, B.C., according to a
presentation it prepared last month. It plans for mining production to
start in the last half of 2014.
The Province of British Columbia signed an agreement in July with the
Taku River Tlingit First Nation that calls the Taku River the preferred
route for industrial access to the Tulsequah Valley. Last June,
Chieftain Metals barged heavy equipment and materials up the Taku River
to build an interim water treatment plant at the Tulsequah Chief Mine.
“I support mining,” Juneau Senator Dennis Egan (D-Juneau) said, “but I
want to be sure that activities associated with it don’t hurt the
fishing industry and other users who rely on the Taku River for their
livelihoods and ways of life.”
The goals of the task force are three-fold:
1. To review biological health and status regarding Taku River fish stocks, habitat, and game resources.
2. To investigate who
is responsible (e.g., Alaska departments of Fish and Game, Natural
Resources, Environmental Conservation, and the U.S. Coast Guard) for
monitoring industrial vessel traffic on the river and determine if
industrial vessel safety and spill response requirements are
appropriately met.
3. To assess current state and federal statutes and regulations and their effectiveness.
Impetus for the task force came from Juneau residents.
“We heard from many constituents, urging us to protect salmon habitat,”
said Rep. Beth Kerttula (D-Juneau). “The Taku River is unique among
large Alaska rivers in that salmon spawn and rear in it, and not just
the tributaries that feed into it. We want to be sure nothing is done to
disturb those gravel beds and rearing areas.”
“The river provides some of the most important salmon habitat in Alaska,
directly supporting more than 400 commercial fishing-related jobs,
along with sport and personal-use harvests,” Egan said. “All five
species of salmon spawn in the river along with eulachon.”
The commercial, wholesale value of Taku River salmon caught in Alaska
waters has ranged from $2 million to $7.4 million a year since 1994,
according to a 2004 report by the McDowell Group. The ten-year average
value is roughly $3.4 million, the Juneau-based research firm found.
The task force will be made up of eight people:
1. A representative of an Alaska Native organization with ties to the Taku River.
2. An owner of private recreational property in the Taku River valley.
3. An owner of commercial recreational property in the Taku River valley.
4. A Southeast Alaska salmon commercial fishing permit holder.
5. A commercial fish processor dependent on Taku River fish.
6. A holder of a valid charter fishing vessel license or a licensed sport fishing guide in the Juneau area.
7. A sport fisherman.
8. A non-governmental biologist.
“The task force will outline basic facts about the Taku River such as
which state and federal agencies are responsible for monitoring water
quality, transportation safety, and biological health of salmon and
other fish stocks,” said Rep. Cathy Muñoz (R-Juneau). “What do we know
in regards to these jurisdictional questions and what do we need to
know?”
The task force will submit a final report to the Juneau legislative delegation by December 15, 2011.
The Juneau delegation is asking for names of people to serve on the
panel. Anyone interested in doing so is asked to call 465-4712 by 5:00
p.m., Monday, September 26, 2011.
Meetings will start in early October at a location, dates, and times to be announced.
Subscribe