Editor’s Note: Mayor Glen Alsworth of the Lake & Peninsula Borough spoke at the Thursday, December 3 RDC breakfast meeting in Anchorage. Below is a condensed version of his speech. A video of the mayor’s presentation is available online.

The future of the Bristol Bay region is as broad and bright as our ability to remain creative, innovative and solution oriented as we seek to develop the untapped potential of our region.

It seems that most often the best ideas and inventions come from the thorniest problems. The larger the challenge, the more creative juices it takes to negotiate a brilliant solution. Given this fact, we in Bristol Bay will likely become global leaders in engineering ways to better prepare our fish for the competitive world market.

If tackling the impossible head on makes for greatness, we just might be the folks the rest of the world relies on to craft ironclad assurances for water quality along side of resource extraction.

I would be delighted if we in Bristol Bay had to wrestle with how to deal with a world-class discovery of energy resources in our region with all of the opportunities and challenges that would bring.

I maintain that a true economy is one where there are resources, which can be enjoyed, harvested or extracted, and sold to produce income, which allows the seller to grow, develop and enjoy the benefits of his business or labor, and provides hope for a better future, as well as funding to further develop new potential.

The secret is to find answers to the problems which actually enhance instead of endanger the other potential users and resources. To me, the mind set that we cannot develop one resource without irreparably harming another is like an admission that we are incapable of figuring out secure protection measures – ones which would actually allow us to enrich and promote competing opportunities.

Mankind must forge ahead with win-win solutions for a successful economy to be competitive, healthy and flourishing.

I observed an interesting bit of data in regard to ex-vessel fish prices for Alaskan Sockeye salmon. Copper River reds took first place for price per pound. Cook Inlet came in second and Bristol Bay was last. Why do Copper River reds command such a premium price? I doubt it was because of the huge Kennecott mine at the headwaters, or because the Exxon Valdez oiled its marine environment. Must have to do with quality, market accessibility, marketing and a host of other factors – not just water purity – although that is extremely important.

I prefer being with people who have a lot of questions, as opposed to those who have all the answers. It seems the ones who have already concluded certain outcomes have turned off their minds to the endless possibilities. These changing days and times put us at a certain crossroads. Will our generation be the one to unlock the potential for a bright future for Bristol Bay?

We have not a resource shortage, simply an idea shortage.

There are some groups who either covertly or openly purport that commercial fishing is such an eternal economic generator, that we should exclude developing all other resources. These single-minded, narrowly-focused conclusions were from the types who legislated in times past such programs as offering bounties for everything from Bald Eagles to tiny trout in their zealous efforts to boost their bottom lines.

Now, in regulation, we have a defensible balance, with adequate protection and corresponding opportunities for development in order to move forward. These hard-earned lessons came with a price, and anyone wishing to profit from any of our resources must comply with the rules.

I would rather develop our nonrenewables in a country governed by rules, regulation and public review, than to allow them to be brutally extracted, with careless disregard for the environment, as is the case in many other countries.

I maintain that God has given us the brains to wisely, systematically, scientifically and carefully examine any given risk, and forge safely ahead with full environmental protection and safeguards to mitigate any reasonable contingencies.

The current Bristol Bay economy is somewhat reflected in the following statistics from the Bristol Bay watershed. For a moment, let us suppose, as some would imply, that only commercial fishing were to be allowed in Bristol Bay. We have about 7,400 people in the Bristol Bay drainage, including 627 local resident permit holders, and another 980 people working as crew members. Add to that the ones working in the processing side, and we have a respectable 1,800 local people employed four to six weeks a year in the commercial fishing industry.

If the anti-development crowd had their way, this would be the bulk of the entire economic generation for our region annually.

This works out to an equivalent of 216 people or three percent working full time to keep Bristol Bay’s economy humming. This is one worker for approximately every 200 square miles.

If Anchorage were to sustain itself on the same percentages, that would be three percent of 280,000 people, or 8,400 workers. To do this in the same area that we have to move about in Bristol Bay per worker, Anchorage would require an area 50 times the size of Alaska. I am not suggesting that we crowd Bristol Bay and make it a city, just simply giving you an idea of the magnitude of our region, and that we have room to grow.

I am committed to keeping all my channels open to investigate and implement exciting opportunities for all of our residents to have a better tomorrow.

I will keep asking questions, keep researching, keep learning, and keep discovering to ensure that our residents can actually remain there, gainfully employed, and not be forced to relocate in order to survive. We need more opportunity to make our people, villages and region economically prosperous.

The future of Bristol Bay is bright as we discover ways to unlock the region’s potential while protecting the core values of our peoples, lands and waters.

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