Drilling Policy - Bristol Bay deemed National Treasure

... The area that had been proposed for leasing is not strictly located in Bristol Bay but is situated to the southwest in waters along the Alaska Peninsula called the North Aleutian Basin. Bristol Bay's commercial and subsistence fisheries rely on salmon that spend much of their life cycle in the basin.

U.S. Interior Secretary Ken Salazar said that the Bristol Bay region is one place that is "simply too special to drill." Salazar cited the bay's world-class sockeye salmon runs and abundant wildlife. "It is a national treasure that we must protect," he said.
Read more: http://www.adn.com/2010/03/31/1206793/bristol-bay-off-limits-arctic.html#ixzz0kpQp6qZ3