Campaign to Save Alaska’s Bristol Bay Wild Salmon Comes to the Nation’s Capital October 19-23

Contact:

Erin Mooney, National Press Secretary

703-284-9408, emooney@tu.org

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

Campaign to Save Alaska’s Bristol Bay Wild Salmon Comes to the Nation’s Capital October 19-23

Trout Unlimited and Washington, D.C. Chefs and Restaurants Band Together to Promote and Protect Alaska’s Bristol Bay, the Country’s Most Prolific but Threatened Fishery

(Washington, DC) – Together with a diverse coalition of chefs, restaurateurs, commercial fishermen, anglers, hunters, lodge owners, outfitters, guides and Alaska Native leaders, Trout Unlimited is holding a variety of events in Washington, D.C., this week to mark October as Alaska Wild Salmon Month and to shine a spotlight on the risks to Alaska’s Bristol Bay wild salmon.

Bristol Bay produces the world’s largest sockeye salmon run, but this prolific fishery faces a major threat from the proposed Pebble mine, a controversial project that would be North America’s largest open-pit gold and copper mine, located in the headwaters of Bristol Bay, Alaska.

As part of Alaska Wild Salmon Month, a number of prominent D.C.-area restaurants are featuring Alaskan wild salmon on their menus throughout October, including Equinox, owned by culinary leader, Chef Todd Gray. Rated among the top restaurants in Washington, D.C., Equinox won the 2008 Restaurant Association Award for Best Fine Dining.

“Bristol Bay sockeye salmon is truly superb. With wild salmon runs increasingly rare the world over, this outstanding fish deserves full-scale protection from proposed mining in Bristol Bay, one of the largest and most productive salmon spawning areas left on the planet. I’m honored to promote awareness of this wild salmon and the threat it faces,” Gray said.

Wild sockeye salmon from Bristol Bay, Alaska, are one of the tastiest, most plentiful and yet threatened fish on the planet. Tens of millions of ruby-red sockeye salmon return from the Pacific Ocean to their natal rivers in the wilds of Southwest Alaska each summer, to the same place where mining companies are planning to build a giant open-pit gold and copper mine.

Trout Unlimited, the nation’s largest organization dedicated to conserving, protecting and restoring North America’s coldwater fisheries and their watersheds, is committed to stopping the Pebble mine.

Throughout this week, from Oct. 19-23, Trout Unlimited is hosting several Bristol Bay wild salmon events in Washington, D.C. These include meetings on Capitol Hill with a delegation of concerned Alaskans, a Bristol Bay wild salmon reception at the historic Stewart R. Mott House, and a screening of the award-winning documentary about Bristol Bay, Red Gold, followed by a panel discussion with Alaska Natives, policy makers and others at National Geographic.

Members of the media are cordially invited to attend the reception, film screening and panel discussion. Interviews with Trout Unlimited or members of the visiting Alaska delegation may be scheduled by contacting Erin Mooney, Trout Unlimited National Press Secretary at 703-284-9408 or at emooney@tu.org. Photographs of Chef Todd Gray and of wild salmon are available upon request.

Alaska Wild Salmon Month Events in Washington, D.C.

Bristol Bay Wild Salmon Reception

When: October 21, 2009, 5:30 p.m. to 8 p.m.
Where: Stewart R. Mott House, 122 Maryland Avenue, NE, Washington, D.C, 20002

Red Gold Screening and Panel Discussion

When: October, 22, 2009, 7:30 p.m. to 9 p.m.
Where: National Geographic, 1145 17th Street NW, Washington, D.C., 20036

DC-area restaurants participating in Alaska Wild Salmon Month:

• Blue Ridge Restaurant
• Bon Appetit Management Co. cafes&restaurants
• Coppi's Organic Restaurant
• Equinox Restaurant
• Granville Moore's
• Harry's Tap Room
• Hook Restaurant
• Kaz Sushi Bistro
• Poste Moderne Brasserie
• Provence Cafe and Market (Bridgeport, WV)
• Redwood Restaurant Bar
• Rock Creek Mazza
• Singapore Bistro
• Sonoma Restaurant

List of visiting Alaskans and others available for interview:

Bobby Andrew, Alaska Native elder, Nunamta Aulukestai, Dillingham, Alaska
Charlotte Balluta, Environmental Officer, Nondalton Tribal Council, Alaska
Tim Bristol, Alaska Program Director, Trout Unlimited
David Chambers, PhD, Director, Center for Science in Public Participation, Bozeman, Montana
Chef Kevin Davis, Steelhead Diner, Seattle, Washington
Rick Halford, Former Alaska Senate President, Anchorage, Alaska
Dan Oberlatz, Owner, Alaska Alpine Adventures, Anchorage, Alaska
Lydia Olympic, Tribal Outreach Coordinator, The Wilderness Society, Anchorage, Alaska
Norm Van Vactor, Operations Manager, Leader Creek Fisheries, Naknek, Alaska
Bob Waldrop, Executive Director, Bristol Bay Regional Seafood Development, Anchorage, Alaska
Carol Ann Woody, PhD, The Nature Conservancy, Anchorage, Alaska

###