Endangered Species Act Section 7 Biological Opinion:  Three Dimensional Seismic Surveys ofCook Inlet, Alaska by SAExploration, Inc.

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Endangered Species Act Section 7 Biological Opinion: Three Dimensional Seismic Surveys ofCook Inlet, Alaska by SAExploration, Inc.

2015
Series: ESA Section 7 Consultation

Details

Alternative Title:

Biological Opinion for Incidental Take Authorization; SAExploration, Inc., 2015, AKR-2015-9442
NOAA Program & Office:

NMFS (National Marine Fisheries Service)
Description:

NMFS Office ofProtected Resources, Permits and Conservation Division (NMFS PRl) requested formal consultation on regulations and subsequent issuance of a Marine Mammal Protection Act (MMP A) incidental harassment authorization (IHA) to cover three dimensional (3D) seismic surveys ofCook Inlet, Alaska by SAExploration, Inc. (SAE or applicant). The U.S. Department ofInterior, Bureau ofOcean Energy Management (BOEM) likewise requested formal consultation on the issuance of a permit for the SAE seismic surveys in federal waters. This document constitutes NMFS Alaska Region's (AKR) opinion on the effects ofthese actions in accordance with section 7(a)(2) ofthe ESA. Specifically, this opinion considers the project as described in NMFS PRl 's proposed rule for Taking Marine Mammals Incidental to Seismic Surveys in Cook Inlet, Alaska (80 FR 14913, March 20, 2015), and analyzes the effects ofthe 1 Cook Inlet 3D seismic surveys and related operations on the endangered Cook Inlet beluga whale (Delphinapterus leucas), humpback whale (Megaptera novaeangliae), and western distinct population segment (DPS) Steller sea lion (Eumetopias jubatus).
Keywords:

Beluga Whale Ecological Assessment (Biology) Incidental Take (Endangered Species) Steller's Sea Lion Beluga Whale Ecological Assessment (Biology) Incidental Take (Endangered Species) Steller's Sea Lion
Series:

ESA Section 7 Consultation
Format:

PDF
Document Type:

Biological Opinion
Place as Subject:

Alaska ; Cook Inlet (Alaska)
Rights Information:

Public Domain
Compliance:

Library
Main Document Checksum:

urn:sha256:997c6eca08a8c2afd26d7543e3f5708782f0ac12a4d467225e6515ac3b9d834b
Download URL:

https://repository.library.noaa.gov/view/noaa/17170/noaa_17170_DS1.pdf
File Type:

[PDF - 5.62 MB ]

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