SITKA — Officials in the city of Sitka have approved a non-binding resolution asking the U.S. Navy move its offshore training exercises in the Gulf of Alaska in an attempt to protect marine life.
The Sitka Assembly voted 6-1 Tuesday in favor of the resolution requesting the move farther offshore for the training location and for the Navy activities to be rescheduled for fall or winter, The Sitka Sentinel reported.
“Hazardous materials and underwater noise from military exercises could harm marine life and habitat, and the training will take place when many fish populations are migrating and spawning,” the resolution said.
“The training area and vicinity is a highly productive region for many marine fish and shellfish populations and supports some of the most productive fisheries in the United States, and an important spawning area for many fishes,” the resolution added.
The exercises called “Northern Edge” are scheduled for May. Past exercises have been conducted in the winter.
“This is pretty critical, since a third of our economy is based on ‘blue’ jobs,” assembly member Bob Potrzuski said, referring to maritime-based industries. “I think we should do everything we can to support that.”
Steven Eisenbeisz voted against the resolution, saying there was not enough information available to conclude whether the training activities actually harm marine life.
“We’re being asked to vote on the speculation it could harm (them) in the future,” he said.
The resolution draft was given to the assembly by the Eyak Preservation Council of Cordova.
The council’s program director, Emily Stolarcyk, said similar measures have been approved in Cordova, Kodiak, Valdez, Homer and by tribal organizations in several communities.
She encouraged those who attended Tuesday’s meeting to read the Navy’s environmental impact statement.
