The Exxon Valdez Oil Spill Trustee's Council have a mission statement that explicates their goal to maintain and improve the fish, game, and aquatic plant resources in the state of Alaska.
[2] Four years after the Exxon Valdez Oil Spill, Alaska fishermen had been experiencing a significant decrease in the amount of fish they had been bringing in.
Fishermen cited the 11 million gallons[1] of crude oil in the Prince William Sound’s waters as a result of the spill as the reason for the declining level of pink salmon cultivation.
[4] The Trustee Council had taken no action to fund research efforts to support these claims to the frustration of the fishermen who relied on the pink salmon.
The location of the protest, the Prince William Sound, is a small body of water that has channels that engage with other rivers and streams to eventually connect with the Pacific Ocean.
[1][5][6] The fishermen stated that the blockade would remain until Interior Secretary Bruce Babbitt agreed to provide assistance in the research and recovery efforts for damage to the Prince William Sound’s Bligh Reef and local ecosystem.
The protesters of the blockade were aware of the high stakes of their actions facing potential fines of up to $25,000 for violating a safe passage mandate for tankers heading towards the trans-Alaskan pipeline terminal.
[6] The fines accumulated from the US Coast Guard were forgiven following a meeting with Jim Gray, a spokesman for the protestors, and President Clinton’s staff in Washington D.C.[6] The blockade is considered to be a contributing factor to federal studies in Prince William Sound.
[6] The SEA Program was created to determine the factors that impact the proliferation of Pacific herring and pink salmon which the fishermen of Cordova relied upon.