Taking of Whales and Seals in Conjunction with a Proposed Marine Survey Program

• Main Authors: Attn James, H. Lecky
• Other Authors: The Pennsylvania State University CiteSeerX Archives
• Format: Text
• Language: English
• Published: 2008
• Subjects: Chukchi Sea; Hope Point; Point Hope; Barrow; Chukchi; Alaska
• Online Access: http://citeseerx.ist.psu.edu/viewdoc/summary?doi=10.1.1.184.94; http://www.nmfs.noaa.gov/pr/pdfs/permits/asrc_iha.pdf

ASRC Energy Services (AES) proposes to conduct a marine survey program during the 2008 open-water season on various Minerals Management Service (MMS) Outer Continental Shelf lease blocks in the Chukchi Sea of Alaska. AES submits this revised request for an IHA from the National Marine Fisheries Service (NMFS) pursuant to Section 101(a)(5)(D) of the Marine Mammal Protection Act (MMPA), 16 U.S. Code 1371 (a)(5), to allow non-lethal takes of whales and seals incidental to offshore marine survey operations. As stated in the AES submission to your office dated January 22, 2008, the proposed Chukchi Sea shallow hazards and site clearance surveys will commence during the open-water season from mid-July to the end of November. If ice conditions are favorable, AES may seek authorization to mobilize to the Chukchi Sea in late June. However, it is likely that ice conditions will preclude mobilization, as well as survey activities, until July. The timing and locations of the survey activities are designed to avoid conflict with the subsistence hunts for marine mammals in the Chukchi Sea by residents of the communities of Point Hope, Point Lay, Wainwright, and Barrow. As part of the revised request for IHA, a Plan of Cooperation (POC) has been developed in