JOHANNESBURG (miningweekly.com) – Mining major Anglo American should not build the proposed copper-gold Pebble mine if it could not be built in a way that avoided damage to Alaska’s fisheries, wildlife and livelihoods, Anglo chairperson Sir Mark Moody-Stuart said on Wednesday.

Moody-Stuart’s comments to the annual general meeting (AGM) followed the arrival of an Alaskan delegation in London to protest the Bristol Bay Pebble project, which had the potential to become a large openpit operation.

UK jewellers Goldsmiths, Beaverbrooks, Mappin & Webb, Watches of Switzerland, Fifi Bijoux and April Doubleday also backed the Alaskans in pledging not to accept “dirty gold” from Pebble, should a mine eventuate.

Moody-Stuart last month visited Alaska to meet the team responsible for the Pebble project, planned in joint venture with the TSX-listed Northern Dynasty Minerals of Canada, which has a five-year, $5-million commitment to the local community.

“The project has been controversial,” Moody-Stuart told the AGM.

He found the project close to three streams located in the headwaters of the extensive Bristol Bay watershed, which was well known for its rich salmon fishery.

“I understand the fears and passions which have been stirred and recognise the cultural and commercial importance of the salmon, but I believe that many of these fears are based on the false assumption that this is a choice between mining and fishing.

“I am confident that the two can coexist. We have made it clear that the project will work on the basis of world-class scientific and engineering skills and that we will use inclusive and innovative stakeholder engagement.

“Our bottom line is that, if the project cannot be built in a way that avoids damage to Alaska’s fisheries and wildlife or to the livelihoods of Alaskan communities, it should not be built.

“It is on that basis that we will continue to evaluate the project in compliance with the prescribed regulatory processes in Alaska. But, we will do so with a mindset that goes well beyond compliance,” he promised.

Resource Media reported that Bristol Bay watershed supported the world’s most productive wild sockeye salmon fishery, which was critical to the State’s economy and to the livelihoods of many Alaska native communities.