User Reviews

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.

Alaska Gold is a documentary detailing the circumstances around a proposed mine in the Bristol Bay area of Alaska. It appears as the fourth episode of the 2012 season of Frontline on PBS. The original air date for this program was July 24, 2012 and was produced by Kennith Levis. Levis has produced and directed many other episodes of Frontline and other programs in the same genre such as Death Row Stories and Addicted to Oil: Thomas L. Friedman Reporting. This shows in the cohesiveness of the stories told throughout this documentary.

The documentary is about the proposal of an open pit mine in the Bristol Bay region of Alaska, just north of Iliamna Lake. This region is home to the largest salmon breeding ground and fishing source in North America. Throughout the film there is a back and forth between those apposed to the mine and those in favor of it. Each side of the story is well developed and easy to follow which makes this documentary very easy to understand. As the stories develop through the film there is a noticeable bias towards the opposition which fits the message of the film, however, it does not lean so far to one side as to under develop the other side of the story. The use of sensationalism in this film was very slight and did not play a large part in the development of bias.

I believe this is an eye opening film that accurately represents two sides of a very important story that I was not aware of before watching this film. It is easy to watch and understand with clearly represented facts and insight into other similar situations as well as the science of mines. I would recommend this film to anyone with the time. It is important for people to understand the impact of the actions we take as a nation.

Alaska Gold Review: 7/10 Alaska Gold effectively analyzes the delicate relationship between Bristol Bay salmon fisheries and the Pebble Partnership mining efforts by posing the question, "Can mining efforts coexist with salmon fisheries?". The docu-series introduces viewers to the Bristol Bay area of Alaska by explaining it is the last large ecosystem supporting salmon spawning in the world. Bristol Bay supports enough salmon to sustainably support human consumption desires along with many other species dietary needs, but it is also home to one of the largest mineral deposits in the world with an estimate valuation of $500 billion dollars in 2017. This docu-series analyzes the Bristol Bay dilema by providing Alaskan perspectives from Pebble Partnership, environmentalists, locals, and the EPA. Pebble Partnership views it's mining efforts as an economical opportunity for Alaska and assures that they have conducted substantial research to avoid salmon fishery damage. Environmentalists and locals have a joint perspective that mining the area would have negative repercussions for future salmon fisheries and their way of Alaskan living. Lastly, the EPA has conducted private surveys and found that mining efforts would result in critical loss of fish habitat, high risk of pipeline breaks, catastrophic tailing dam failures, and threats of acid mine drainage. Through these perspectives Alaska Gold can provide viewers with both the positive and negative ramifications of mining the area. Although mining Bristol Bay is a rich economic opportunity, there are obvious implications that mineral extraction would change the geography, socioeconomics, and salmon fisheries of Alaska. Ultimately, Alaska Gold demonstrates that mining efforts cannot coexist with Bristol Bay salmon fisheries. Authentic Alaskan gold is Alaskan Salmon.