Public Comment Period: Proposed Incidental Harassment Authorization for Southwest Alaska Stock of Northern Sea Otters

The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (FWS) has issued a notice of a proposed Incidental Harassment Authorization (IHA) for the City of Unalaska. The authorization would allow for the incidental take of Southwest Alaska stock northern sea otters (Enhydra lutris kenyoni) during infrastructure improvements at the Robert Storrs Harbor. The project involves the removal of 33 existing steel piles and the installation of 44 new permanent steel piles using vibratory, impact, and down-the-hole drilling methods. The FWS estimates that project activities could result in up to 32 instances of Level A harassment (potential injury) and 273 instances of Level B harassment (behavioral disturbance) over a one-year period. The agency has determined that these impacts are negligible and represent a small number of the total stock, which is estimated at 51,935 animals. The proposed authorization includes mandatory mitigation measures, such as physical interaction shutdown zones, soft-start procedures for pile driving, and the use of protected species observers. Public comments on the proposed IHA and the accompanying draft environmental assessment are requested. Submissions must be made via the Federal eRulemaking Portal or U.S. mail within 30 days of the publication date. The FWS will also conduct government-to-government consultation with Alaska Native Tribes to ensure the project does not create an unmitigable adverse impact on subsistence hunting.