Alaska’s Bristol Bay and the southeastern Bering Sea encompass one of the most productive marine ecosystems in the world. These sub-arctic waters support:

• The world's largest sockeye salmon runs.
• Globally important fisheries worth more than $2 billion annually.
• World renowned seabird and marine mammal populations.

President Bush lifted a prohibition on offshore oil and gas drilling in Bristol Bay in 2007, ending nearly twenty years of bipartisan protection. An oil and gas lease sale is now scheduled for 2011 amid 5.6 million acres of the region's rich waters. Bristol Bay's marine resources are simply too valuable—economically, ecologically and culturally—to put at risk. Through our Friends of Bristol Bay program, AMCC is working with a broad coalition of fishing groups, conservation organizations and Native communities to restore protection.

Bristol Bay Drilling- 20 Years After the Exxon Valdez Oil Spill

Tuesday, March 24,  2009 marked the 20^th anniversary of the largest environmental disaster in North American history--the Exxon Valdez oil spill.  The spill demonstrated the tremendous risks that oil and gas activities pose to Alaska’s coastal communities, economies and cultures that are dependent upon healthy fisheries and an intact marine ecosystem.  The tragic event prompted Congress to  put into place the first moratorium protecting Bristol Bay from offshore drilling. 

Click here for a Backgrounder on Bristol Bay Offshore Drilling: 20 Years After the Exxon Valdez

	Latest News Secretary Ken Salazar has some big decisions to make for Bristol Bay in the coming months. In April, a DC court of appeals ruling seemingly vacated (i.e. threw out) the 2007-2012 Outer Continental Shelf (OCS) Leasing Program that includes a lease sale for Bristol Bay in 2011. But it's still not clear what that decision means for the future of Bristol Bay.
	Top 10 Reasons to Protect Bristol Bay from Offshore Drilling Bristol Bay’s coastal and marine resources are simply too important to put at risk. Find out what is at stake if offshore oil and gas drilling is allowed in Bristol Bay.
	Risks of Oil and Gas Drilling In addition to oil spills, offshore oil and gas development poses a number of significant risks and potential impacts to fish, crab, marine mammals, seabirds and waterfowl.
	History of Protection Bristol Bay communities won Congressional protection for Bristol Bay in 1989. The ban on drilling in Bristol Bay was lifted in 2007. Visit this page for a timeline of protection.
	Commercial Fisheries Value The area targeted for offshore drilling overlaps with fisheries that generate more than $2 billion dollars annually and provide more than 40% of the nation's annual seafood catch.
	Maps, Fact Sheets, and More! Here you will find maps showing the overlap of proposed offshore drilling with important habitat and fishing grounds, downloadable fact sheets, AMCC's public comments and much more.
	Act Now to Restore Protection for Bristol Bay! You can help!  Please visit our action page for the latest on how you can help to safeguard Bristol Bay.