Transboundary Region

The Taku, Stikine, and Unuk are world-class transboundary wild salmon rivers that originate in northwest British Columbia and flow into Southeast Alaska. These iconic rivers and their watersheds (collectively, roughly the size of Maine) have been centers of culture, commerce, and biodiversity for thousands of years. Each river supports significant commercial, sport, and customary and traditional fisheries in Southeast Alaska and British Columbia.

The Taku is often Southeast Alaska’s largest overall salmon producer, with the region’s most prolific runs of coho and king salmon;
The Stikine is usually a close second;
The Unuk is one of Southeast’s top five king salmon producers and its eulachon run provides an important customary and traditional fishery;
In addition to king and coho salmon, all three of these rivers support large populations of pink, chum, and sockeye salmon, as well as steelhead, Dolly Varden, and bull trout.

Salmon fishing - including commercial, sport and subsistence fishing - supports more than 7,000 jobs in Southeast Alaska and pumps $1 billion into the regional economy every year. Similarly, salmon fishing contributes over 3000 jobs and adds $200 million to the B.C. economy. Pollution flowing across the border into our shared salmon rivers could jeopardize this critically important industry.

Recreational and salmon tourism in B.C. employs over 6000 people and brings in $440 million to the regional economy. Southeast Alaska’s tourism industry provides an estimated 10,000 jobs and injects an estimated $1 billion annually to the regional economy. This blue-chip industry could be tarnished by B.C.'s upstream mine development.

Currently, there are no enforceable policies in place to safeguard our wild salmon and clean water, and the jobs they support, from upstream large-scale mines in British Columbia. Learn more below.

The Problem

Current B.C. and Canadian environmental assessment and permitting allows for mines to be developed in the B.C. headwaters of rivers flowing across the international border and into the United States without:

(1) the consent of indigenous communities in B.C. and the U.S., as well as private property owners;

(2) an analysis of historical impacts from such mines;

(3) the independent collection of at least 3-5 years of baseline/reference condition water quality and fish and wildlife population data;

(4) an independent, comprehensive evaluation of downstream impacts;

(5) a demonstration of technology to mitigate impacts that satisfies both the U.S. and Canada that shared resources won’t be harmed;

(6) the establishment of an independent, fully funded, and perpetual independent monitoring system;

(7) the establishment of a robust financial assurances regime that covers all mining impacts (catastrophic and cumulative) as well as the establishment of an arbitration process for settling claims.

Stikine River Headwaters Photo by Luke Kantola, Wild Confluence Media

Earthen dam holding back toxic mine waste at Imperial Metals' Red Chris Mine in the headwaters of the Stikine River

WHAT'S AT RISK

Clean Water & Healthy Fisheries Threatened

In Northwest British Columbia, a modern-day gold rush is underway that could threaten B.C.'s and Southeast Alaska’s salmon, rivers, fishing and tourism jobs, and unique way of life. Spurred by weakened environmental and fisheries regulations and the construction of a massive new power line, over a dozen large-scale mines are in various stages of abandonment, operations, and development.

These Canadian mines in Northwest B.C. are located in transboundary watersheds of world class wild salmon rivers—the Taku, Stikine and Unuk. The Taku, Stikine and Unuk watersheds span almost 30,000 square miles, or an area roughly the size of Maine, and are the cultural and economic lifeblood of Southeast Alaska and Northwest B.C.

Most of these B.C. mines sit on acid-generating deposits and require tailings dams and active water treatment in perpetuity. Acid mine drainage and toxic heavy metals from these mines threaten British Columbia's and Southeast Alaska’s lucrative fishing and tourism industries, the traditional practices of indigenous peoples, and the way of life of all the residents of the region. These large-scale projects offer no economic benefits to Alaska.

Cumulatively, all of B.C.'s abandoned, developing, and existing mining projects in Alaska-B.C. watersheds threaten to permanently impact the economy and ecology of Southeast Alaska and British Columbia downstream. Recognizing this and beginning in 2013, thousands of individual Alaskans and British Columbians, Alaska federally recognized tribes, Alaska and national tribal organizations, dozens of Alaska businesses, Alaska municipalities, and fishing organizations, the State of Alaska, numerous Alaska state legislators, and the Alaska congressional delegation (and the Washington U.S. Senate delegation) have repeatedly called on the U.S. Department of State to pursue action under the Boundary Waters Treaty of 1909 on this matter.