Frontline's "Alaska Gold" is a documentary that highlights the complex situation in Bristol Bay, Alaska where the community is divided between two extremely valuable natural resources- wild Sockeye Salmon and large copper mineral deposits. This has become a polarizing issue within the community because mining the mineral deposits poses a huge risk to the salmon population. Alaska Gold weighs the benefits and costs of establishing a large-scale open pit mine in a location that is critical to the survival of sockeye salmon. This film takes economic, environmental, cultural, and political aspects into account for a well-rounded analysis of the issue at hand.
The film starts by illustrating the importance of the salmon population through the lens of Bristol Bay fishers, biologists, and indigenous subsistence farmers. Bristol Bay is the largest Sockeye Salmon producing system in the world, making it an integral part of Alaska's economy, environment, and culture. In contrast, geologists are interviewed explaining the extent of the mineral deposits that lay in Bristol Bay. The deposits contain copper, gold and molybdenum estimated to be worth billions of dollars. The size and price tag attached to the mineral deposits in Bristol Bay are an obvious benefit that mining corporations, such as Pebble Mine, want to take advantage of. The film details the process Pebble Mine would use to mine the mineral deposits, which propose severe environmental problems for the surrounding water ways and thus the salmon population. However, the Pebble Mine CEO & VP are confident that any environmental risks can be mitigated through engineering and careful planning.
Alaska Gold illustrates the extensive value different natural resources have and how society struggles to efficiently manage that. The potential economic benefits of Pebble Mine are alluring, but that is the only benefit and it's not sustainable long term. The intrinsic and extrinsic value of salmon in Alaska is something that can be sustained for generations to come, long after all the minerals are mined. There are valid arguments presented on both sides, however I think it was important that this documentary looked at the impacts of Pebble Mine with a great deal of skepticism because once it's done the damage is irreversible. This documentary opened my eyes to an ongoing issue that I had no idea about. I think it's important to shine light on complex problems like this so that people can be more informed. I would give this film an 8/10 because it covered multiple viewpoints in a relatively short amount of time so that viewers can gain a general understanding of the issue.