SEATTLE - The sizzling plate on the counter is ready for a hungry customer at Seattle's Steelhead Diner.
"Sauteed Bristol Bay Sockeye with a smoked salmon and autumn vegetable hash," announced proud Steelhead Diner Owner Kevin Davis.
Davis is one of 11 Seattle restaurant owners who swears by serving only wild salmon, who says they get most of it from Bristol Bay, Alaska and they are ready to fight to keep the supply coming in.
That pits them in a fight alongside Seattle's famed fishing fleet against the companies proposing the controversial Pebble Mine.
The mine site has potential for enormous amounts of gold and copper and its backers say it will provide badly needed income for economically depressed villages in the area.
The restaurant owners and fishing fleet members say the mine could send a stream of toxic mine waste down river into Bristol Bay, the world's largest hangout for Pacific salmon. The groups say they are not against mining, not against energy exploration or any other industry. They say they just don't think one this large should be located near such a marine treasure.
Mike Heatwole, a spokesman for the mining project, told KING 5 today the mine would not harm Bristol Bay, that modern environmental laws would not allow it.
The restaurant and fishing groups say they can't afford to test that promise.
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