Protecting Alaska’s waters: A fisherman’s promise, a regulator’s commitment to science

By Randy Bates

I caught my first salmon when I was six years old, a fish that seemed nearly as big as I was. That battle hooked me for life. It inspired me to earn a degree in fisheries management while spending my summers commercial fishing in Bristol Bay and Southeast Alaska. I still participate in the gillnet and hand troll fisheries today.

In Alaska, clean water isn’t just a policy goal; it’s a livelihood. For many of us, it is personal.

Alaska Department of Environmental Conservation Commissioner Randy Bates. (Official photo)

For the last 24 years, I have served the State of Alaska across the departments of Fish and Game, Natural Resources, and Environmental Conservation, where my job has been to balance the strict protection of habitat and water quality with the responsible development of resources.

Recently, a group called Salmon Beyond Borders issued a press release accusing the State of Alaska of leaving the public "in the dark" regarding transboundary mining threats. They claim that our protections are failing.

When Alaskans hear dramatic claims that raise concerns, we have a duty to look at the facts. And when you look past the press releases and at the actual water, the story is very different.

The weight of evidence

It’s easy to make broad claims in a press release. But at the Department of Environmental Conservation (DEC), we don't deal in generalities, we deal in hard data.

Critics claim that because a specific two-year pilot program ended in 2021, the state stopped watching. That is not the case. The state simply moved from temporary measures to a permanent, rigorous assessment using USGS data.

For the upcoming 2026 Integrated Water Quality Monitoring and Assessment Report, DEC assessed data from eight U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) monitoring stations on the Alsek, Salmon, Stikine, Taku, and Unuk rivers. We didn’t just take a quick look. We analyzed 13,953 individual data points covering 82 different parameters, including metals, nutrients, and dissolved oxygen.

The results are clear. We classify waters into categories based on their health. "Category 1 and 2" means the water is healthy and meeting standards. "Categories 4 and 5" mean the water is impaired.

Our analysis for the 2026 cycle shows that these transboundary rivers continue to meet water quality standards. In the few areas where some elements appear elevated, our scientists found they fall into ‘Category 2n,’ meaning the water still meets standards and those levels are naturally occurring — typically due to glacial geology, not industrial activity.

This is not a state government operating "in the dark." This is a state government operating under the bright light of nearly 14,000 scientific measurements.

Data over drama

Why is there sometimes a stark difference between the quiet data of our scientists and the loud claims in the headlines?

It is important for Alaskans to understand that Salmon Beyond Borders is not an independent Alaska nonprofit. It is a project of the New Venture Fund, a Washington, D.C.–based left-leaning political funding network whose affiliated campaigns routinely oppose resource development projects advanced in Alaska, from mining and roads to oil and infrastructure proposals.

There is also an important distinction between those conducting scientific monitoring and those focused on advocacy campaigns. As a regulator, I answer to the people of Alaska. As a fisherman, I answer to the health of the resource. If the water is polluted, my neighbors and my family pay the price.

Conversely, D.C.-organized campaigns are designed to generate crisis. A press release about steady, effective monitoring doesn’t increase fundraising from Seattle or San Francisco. A press release about looming disaster does.

A decade of cooperation

Ten years ago, the State of Alaska and British Columbia signed a Statement of Cooperation to ensure we had a seat at the table for any mining activity across the border. These cooperative agreements ensure that information flows between our agencies and to the public, so Alaskans can see the same data we rely on.

That agreement created a Technical Working Group on Monitoring that ensures the data we collect is accurate and trustworthy. It gave us the mechanism to review Canadian environmental assessments before mines are built. It ensures that we aren’t relying on hope, but on verified science.

This isn't just paper pushing. Just two months ago, in October, I met with British Columbia’s Deputy Ministers of Energy, Environment, and the Environmental Assessment Office for our biannual Bilateral Working Group meeting.

At that table, I formally requested that Teck Resources provide a comprehensive public update on remediation plans for the Tulsequah Chief mine, located upriver from Juneau. That update was delivered on Dec. 3, laying out the current situation and the path forward for cleanup. This result wasn’t achieved by a press release; it was achieved by continued engagement with our British Columbia neighbors.  

I have spent my life on these waters. I value the input of tribal leaders, conservation groups, industry, and residents who care deeply about our rivers. Public concern is not something we dismiss; it is something we respond to with data, transparency, and accountability.

The science is clear, the monitoring is ongoing, and Alaska’s water quality protections remain strong. As both a fisherman and a regulator, my commitment is simple: to ensure that these rivers stay healthy for the next generation of Alaskans who cast their first line and fall in love with this place, just as I did.

• Randy Bates is the commissioner of the Alaska Department of Environmental Conservation (DEC). A 24-year veteran of state service, he previously directed the Division of Water at DEC, the Habitat Division at the Department of Fish and Game, and the Division of Coastal and Ocean Management at the Department of Natural Resources.