Twenty years ago this spring the Exxon Valdez strayed from her course and ran hard aground in Prince William Sound. Oil company promises about cleanup capabilities were nothing more than empty words.

It was the largest environmental disaster in North American history, and our resolve grew to fever pitch. We formed citizens' groups with hands-on knowledge and the authority to oversee the oil companies' protocols. Congress withdrew areas of the Outer Continental Shelf from oil and gas leasing and vowed to protect sensitive habitats.

A 5.6 million acre lease in the North Aleutian Basin, identified as a particularly sensitive area, was actually re-purchased by American taxpayers for more than $100 million. President Clinton strengthened the protection in 1998 by withdrawing Bristol Bay from oil and gas lease sales under his executive powers. "Never again" was both a rallying cry and a focused goal.

But time, apparently, can mute our memories, and erode safeguards put in place during moments of vision. In 2003 Congress removed protection for Bristol Bay, and four years later Bush withdrew the presidential exemption. In short order oil and gas lease sales were scheduled, and the very same parcel that had been wrested back by the American people was put on the block for 2011.

On April 14, Interior Secretary Ken Salazar is coming to Anchorage to hear our thoughts about the potential lease sale. Do we want oil and gas development in Bristol Bay and the Bering Sea, or do we value our fisheries and subsistence lifestyles? Can these industries co-exist?

Let's look at a few salient points so that we can be discerning and rational, and perhaps exhibit a bit of that clarified vision we had so many years ago.

The fisheries of the region include one of the greatest wild salmon runs on earth, a thriving halibut industry, herring, cod, crab and pollock. Together, these bring in more than $2 billion a year, and support thousands of fishermen and processors, not to mention countless spin-off industries.

The rich resources also provide the subsistence base for thousands of rural residents, and are the lifeblood of a cultural heritage that reaches back hundreds and hundreds of years. More than 40 villages, tribes and fishing organizations have voiced opposition to any oil and gas development which would threaten the ecosystem's delicate balance, already under stress from climate change.

The Minerals Management Service estimates that the total net income from oil and gas resources in the North Aleutian Basin amounts to $7.7 billion, over the course of the field's estimated life. Fisheries income (a sustainable resource) comes in at $50 billion to $90 billion for the same period.

Seismic testing associated with oil and gas development also is potentially harmful to marine life. In Norway the fishermen are convinced that it has greatly diminished their harvests. Atlantic pollock catches dropped by 90 percent between 2006 and 2007.

The National Marine Fisheries Service has declared that the North Aleutian Basin should be deleted from the leasing plan, as there is a demonstrated lack of knowledge about the fisheries and marine life. They, and other experts, identified 35 studies necessary before enough is known to properly prepare an environmental impact statement.

As evidenced by the Selendang Ayu, which ran aground in December 2004 and spilled oil near Dutch Harbor and Unalaska, cleanup efforts in this harsh environment are extremely difficult. It was months before any real response could begin, and oil persists today.

MMS admits that spills are extremely likely, and that the risk is exacerbated by earthquakes, winter ice and the severity of storms. They predict "population-level effects" to fish, marine mammals and birdlife if oil contacts critical habitats.

This area would contribute but 1 percent and 2 percent, respectively, to our oil and gas production from OCS leases. Most of the revenue and jobs would go not to locals, but to Outside workers, federal agencies and the oil companies.

Our choice is between renewable or nonrenewable resources, between healthy fisheries or an oiled environment that contributes a small tithe to our nation's energy.

Let's remember back to that March day 20 years ago, and all that has transpired since. Let's remember the vision we once had, but which time and rhetoric have dimmed.

Dan Strickland has been an Alaskan fisherman for more than 30 years, and a writer for much of that time. He lives in Palmer, and currently works for the Alaska Marine Conservation Council.