[Federal Register Volume 84, Number 205 (Wednesday, October 23, 2019)]
[Notices]
[Pages 56767-56781]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2019-23080]


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DEPARTMENT OF COMMERCE

National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration

RIN 0648-XG947


Takes of Marine Mammals Incidental to Specified Activities; 
Taking Marine Mammals Incidental to Auke Bay Ferry Terminal 
Modifications and Improvements Project in Juneau, Alaska

AGENCY: National Marine Fisheries Service (NMFS), National Oceanic and 
Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), Commerce.

ACTION: Notice; Issuance of an Incidental Harassment Authorization.

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SUMMARY: In accordance with the regulations implementing the Marine 
Mammal Protection Act (MMPA) as amended, notification is hereby given 
that NMFS has issued an incidental harassment authorization (IHA) to 
the Alaska Department of Transportation and Public Facilities (ADOT&PF) 
to incidentally harass, by Level A and Level B harassment, marine 
mammals during pile driving activities associated with the Auke Bay 
Ferry Terminal Modifications and Improvements Project in Juneau, 
Alaska.

DATES: This Authorization is effective from January 1, 2020 through 
December 31, 2019.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Amy Fowler, Office of Protected 
Resources, NMFS, (301) 427-8401. Electronic copies of the application 
and supporting documents, as well as a list of the references cited in 
this document, may be obtained online at: https://www.fisheries.noaa.gov/permit/incidental-take-authorizations-under-marine-mammal-protection-act. In case of problems accessing these 
documents, please call the contact listed above.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: 

Background

    The MMPA prohibits the ``take'' of marine mammals, with certain 
exceptions. Sections 101(a)(5)(A) and (D) of the MMPA (16 U.S.C. 1361 
et seq.) direct the Secretary of Commerce (as delegated to NMFS) to 
allow, upon request, the incidental, but not intentional, taking of 
small numbers of marine mammals by U.S. citizens who engage in a 
specified activity (other than commercial fishing) within a specified 
geographical region if certain findings are made and either regulations 
are issued or, if the taking is limited to harassment, a notice of a 
proposed incidental take authorization may be provided to the public 
for review.

[[Page 56768]]

    Authorization for incidental takings shall be granted if NMFS finds 
that the taking will have a negligible impact on the species or 
stock(s) and will not have an unmitigable adverse impact on the 
availability of the species or stock(s) for taking for subsistence uses 
(where relevant). Further, NMFS must prescribe the permissible methods 
of taking and other ``means of effecting the least practicable adverse 
impact'' on the affected species or stocks and their habitat, paying 
particular attention to rookeries, mating grounds, and areas of similar 
significance, and on the availability of such species or stocks for 
taking for certain subsistence uses (referred to in shorthand as 
``mitigation''); and requirements pertaining to the mitigation, 
monitoring and reporting of such takings are set forth.

Summary of Request

    On January 17, 2019, NMFS received a request from ADOT&PF for an 
IHA to take marine mammals incidental to pile driving activities at the 
Auke Bay Ferry Terminal in Juneau, Alaska. The application was deemed 
adequate and complete on April 1, 2019. ADOT&PF's request was for take 
of a small number of seven species of marine mammals by Level B 
harassment and Level A harassment. Neither ADOT&PF nor NMFS expects 
serious injury or mortality to result from this activity and, 
therefore, an IHA is appropriate.

Description of Specified Activity

    ADOT&PF is planning to modify and improve the existing dolphin 
structures at the Auke Bay Ferry Terminal. There are currently three 
Alaska Marine Highway System ferry berths in Auke Bay. The planned 
project will involve the East Stern Berth facility, which was 
originally constructed in 2003 to accommodate new fast vehicle ferries. 
The East Stern Berth must be renovated to accommodate two new Alaska-
class ferries, which will enter service in spring 2020. Four existing 
dolphins at the ferry terminal will be removed using a vibratory 
driver, and three breasting dolphins and two mooring dolphins will be 
installed using both vibratory and impact hammers. Vibratory pile 
removal and installation and impact pile installation would introduce 
underwater sounds at levels that may result in take, by Level A and 
Level B harassment, of marine mammals in Auke Bay.
    During the 30-day public comment period, ADOT&PF notified NMFS that 
based on experiences docking the M/V Tazlina at the Auke Bay Ferry 
Terminal, ADOT&PF engineers had developed an updated design concept 
that would result in a decrease in the number and size of piles to be 
installed and removed, and therefore a decrease in the estimated number 
of days of activity. Differences between the activities described in 
the Federal Register notice of proposed IHA (84 FR 22453; May 17, 2019) 
and the updated project plans are described here.

Dates and Duration

    In the original project plan, construction was scheduled to begin 
in November 2019 and continue through April 2020. Construction is now 
scheduled to occur over a two-month period between January and June 
2020. Pile driving will be intermittent during this period, depending 
on weather, construction and mechanical delays, and logistical 
constraints. Pile installation and removal can occur at variable rates, 
from a few minutes to several hours per day. Vibratory pile 
installation and removal was previously estimated to occur over 27 non-
consecutive days within the 6-month construction window, and impact 
installation was estimated to occur intermittently on 12 of those 27 
days. With the updated project design, vibratory pile installation and 
removal is expected to occur on 14 non-consecutive days within the 
construction window, and impact installation is expected to occur 
intermittently on 10 of those 14 days.

Specific Geographic Region

    The project occurs in Auke Bay, north of Juneau, Alaska. A detailed 
description of the area is provided in the Federal Register notice of 
proposed IHA (84 FR 22453; May 17, 2019) and is not repeated here. 
Please see that Federal Register notice for more information.

Detailed Description of Specific Activity

    The original project design included the removal and replacement of 
four existing 5-pile dolphins and a single 1-pile dolphin with three 4-
pile dolphins and two 3-pile dolphins. A total of 21 steel pipe piles 
were to be removed and 18 steel pipe piles were to be installed (Table 
1). The updated design removes one existing 5-pile dolphin and 
installing three new 5-pile dolphins. A total of 15 steel pipe piles 
will be installed and 5 piles will be removed. Table 1 provides a 
comparison between the piles and duration of the original and updated 
designs.

                         Table 1--Number of Piles and Duration of Activity by Pile Type
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
                                                          Number of piles          Days of installation/ removal
                                                 ---------------------------------------------------------------
                    Pile size                        Original                        Original
                                                      design      Updated design      design      Updated design
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Install:
    30-in steel piles...........................              12               6               8               4
    24-in steel piles...........................               6               9               4               6
Remove:
    30-in steel piles...........................               1               0               1               0
    24-in steel piles...........................              12               3               8               2
    20-in steel piles...........................               8               2               6               2
                                                 ---------------------------------------------------------------
        Total...................................              39              20              27              14
        Total Install...........................              18              15              12              10
        Total Remove............................              21               5              15               4
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

    Piles range in size from 20 to 30-inch (in) diameter. Piles will be 
installed vertically (plumb) and/or installed at an angle (battered). 
Piles will be advanced to refusal using a vibratory hammer and the 
final approximately 10 ft will be driven using an impact hammer so that 
the structural capacity of the pile embedment can be verified. The pile

[[Page 56769]]

installation methods used will depend on sediment depth and conditions 
at each pile location. ADOT&PF estimates that one to three piles could 
be installed per day. To account for inefficiencies and delays, ADOT&PF 
estimated a mean installation and removal rate of 1.5 piles per day. 
While the number of piles to be installed and removed and the number of 
days of activity have changes, the duration per pile of vibratory 
installation and removal and the anticipated number of strikes per pile 
have remained the same as those presented in the Federal Register 
notice of proposed IHA (84 FR 22453; May 17, 2019). Specifically, 
vibratory installation of both 24- and 30-in piles is expected to take 
45 minutes per pile, while vibratory removal of 20-, 24-, and 30-in 
piles is expected to take 30 minutes per pile. Each pile installed is 
expected to require 400 strikes from an impact hammer.
    In addition to the pile size and number changes described above, 
ADOT&PF now plans to use a drilled soil anchor to secure 12 of the 
piles to the glacial till layer to withstand uplift forces. Anchors 
will be installed within some of the pipe piles and drilled into dense 
glacial till below the elevation of the pile tip after the pile has 
been driven through the overlying sediment layer to refusal. An 8-in 
diameter steel pipe casing is inserted within the larger diameter 
production piles (24- or 30-in piles) and driven into the glacier till 
layer. A drill bit attached to a stem rod is then inserted into the 
steel pipe casing and a 6- to 8-in diameter hole is drilled into the 
soil with rotary and percussion drilling methods. The drilling work is 
contained within the steel pipe casing and the steel pipe pile. The 
typical depth of the drilled hole varies, but an anticipated depth of 
30 ft or more is expected to be necessary. After drilling, a steel 
anchor rod is then grouted into the drilled hole and affixed to the top 
of the pile.
    Underwater noise from soil anchor installation is anticipated to be 
low considering the double encasement surrounding the drill rod and the 
depth of the overlying sediments. The glacial till layer is overlain 
with 35 to 75 ft of sediments, and is expected to attenuate noise 
production from drilling and reduce noise propagation into the water 
column. Additionally, the casing used during drilling is inside the 
larger diameter pile, further reducing noise levels. The pile that the 
casing and drill will be lowered into will serve as a cofferdam and 
prevent drilling noise from propagating through the water column. Noise 
associated with the soil anchor drilling is anticipated to be contained 
nearly entirely within the piling and is not expected to reach or 
exceed the 120 decibel (dB) threshold for continuous noise sources 
(NMFS 2019). An air impact hammer may be used to install the soil 
anchor. These additional strikes are conservatively accounted for in 
the total estimated strikes per pile (400) for the outer production 
piles. Due to the low noise levels associated with the soil anchor 
drilling, drilling is not expected to result in harassment and is not 
discussed further.
    Above-water work associated with the project will consist of the 
installation of two shore anchor struts above the high tide line. 
Additionally, there will be some improvement and retrofitting to the 
dock-attached stern fenders. Existing utilities, including electrical 
and sewer, will be replaced and improved. No in-water noise is 
anticipated in association with above-water and upland construction 
activities. Airborne sound is only expected to impact pinnipeds that 
are hauled out in the area where sound levels exceed in-air harassment 
thresholds. No pinniped haulouts exist in the project area and no 
harassment from airborne sound is expected to result from project 
activities. Therefore, above-water construction will not be discussed 
further in this document.

Comments and Responses

    A notice of NMFS's proposal to issue an IHA to ADOT&PF was 
published in the Federal Register on May 17, 2019 (84 FR 22453). That 
notice described, in detail, ADOT&PF's activity, the marine mammal 
species that may be affected by the activity, and the anticipated 
effects on marine mammals. During the 30-day public comment period, 
NMFS received comments from the Marine Mammal Commission. The Marine 
Mammal Commission recommended that NMFS issue the IHA, subject to 
inclusion of the proposed mitigation, monitoring, and reporting 
measures.
    Comment 1: The Commission noted that the source levels used for 
impact installation of 24- and 30-in piles were nearly identical. The 
Commission stated that while the source level ranges for 24- and 30-in 
piles overlap, the use of the same source level for different-sized 
piles is an artifact of choosing one-off source measurements of only a 
single or a few piles. Source levels associated with impact 
installation of steel pipe piles should exhibit increasing trends with 
increasing diameter of the piles. The Commission recommended that NMFS 
conduct internal reviews of compiled source level data and make the 
compilation(s) available to all relevant action proponents for use in 
the near term.
    Response: NMFS agrees that the range of source level values 
overlaps for these pile sizes. In this case, sound source verification 
for impact installation of 30-in piles at the exact project site was 
used to provide the source levels for installation of 30-in piles 
(Denes et al., 2016). Absent site-specific source levels for 24-in 
piles, NMFS used the source levels reported in the California 
Department of Transportation (Caltrans) pile driving source level 
compendium (Caltrans 2015). Additionally, the Caltrans compendium 
reports equal root mean square (rms) and single-strike sound exposure 
level (SELss) for 24- and 30-in piles. NMFS is currently 
compiling source level reports from various sources to create a 
comprehensive pile driving source level compendium and will make that 
document available once it has been finalized.
    Comment 2: The Commission recommended that NMFS refrain from using 
the proposed renewal process for ADOT&PF's authorization. The renewal 
process should be used sparingly and selectively, by limiting its use 
only to those proposed incidental harassment authorizations that are 
expected to have the lowest levels of impacts on marine mammals and 
that require the least complex analyses. If NMFS elects to use the 
renewal process frequently or for authorizations that require a more 
complex review or for which much new information has been generated the 
Commission recommended that NMFS provide the Commission and other 
reviewers the full 30- day comment period as set forth in section 
101(a)(5)(D)(iii) of the MMPA.
    Response: We appreciate the Commission's input and direct the 
reader to our recent response to a similar comment, which can be found 
at 84 FR 52464 (October 2, 2019), pg. 52466. We will consider the 
Commission's comment further when and if ADOT & PF requests a Renewal 
IHA.

Changes From the Proposed IHA to Final IHA

    As described above, the design of the project has changed since 
publication of the Federal Register notice of proposed IHA (84 FR 
22453; May 17, 2019), such that fewer piles will be removed and 
installed over fewer days. In addition to the changes to the project 
design, NMFS has revised the estimated proportion of Western Distinct 
Population Segment (DPS) Steller sea lions from 2 percent to 18.1 
percent, based on information presented in Hastings et al. (2019). As

[[Page 56770]]

a result, NMFS has authorized more takes of wDPS Steller sea lions and 
fewer takes of Eastern DPS Steller sea lions than what was proposed. 
This change is described further in the ``Estimated Take'' section.

Description of Marine Mammals in the Area of Specified Activities

    Sections 3 and 4 of the application summarize available information 
regarding status and trends, distribution and habitat preferences, and 
behavior and life history, of the potentially affected species. 
Additional information regarding population trends and threats may be 
found in NMFS's Stock Assessment Reports (SARs; https://www.fisheries.noaa.gov/national/marine-mammal-protection/marine-mammal-stock-assessments) and more general information about these species 
(e.g., physical and behavioral descriptions) may be found on NMFS's 
website (https://www.fisheries.noaa.gov/find-species).
    Table 2 lists all species with expected potential for occurrence in 
Auke Bay and summarizes information related to the population or stock, 
including regulatory status under the MMPA and ESA and potential 
biological removal (PBR), where known. For taxonomy, we follow 
Committee on Taxonomy (2016). PBR is defined by the MMPA as the maximum 
number of animals, not including natural mortalities, that may be 
removed from a marine mammal stock while allowing that stock to reach 
or maintain its optimum sustainable population (as described in NMFS's 
SARs). While no mortality is anticipated or authorized here, PBR and 
annual serious injury and mortality from anthropogenic sources are 
included here as gross indicators of the status of the species and 
other threats.
    Marine mammal abundance estimates presented in this document 
represent the total number of individuals that make up a given stock or 
the total number estimated within a particular study or survey area. 
NMFS's stock abundance estimates for most species represent the total 
estimate of individuals within the geographic area, if known, that 
comprises that stock. For some species, this geographic area may extend 
beyond U.S. waters. All managed stocks in this region are assessed in 
NMFS's U.S. Alaska and U.S. Pacific SARs. All values presented in Table 
2 are the most recent available at the time of publication and are 
available in the 2017 SARs (Muto et al., 2018; Caretta et al., 2018) 
and draft 2018 SARs (available online at: https://www.fisheries.noaa.gov/national/marine-mammal-protection/draft-marine-mammal-stock-assessment-reports).

                                              Table 2--Marine Mammals That Could Occur in the Project Area
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
                                                                                         ESA/MMPA status;    Stock abundance (CV,
             Common name                  Scientific name               Stock             strategic (Y/N)      Nmin, most recent       PBR     Annual M/
                                                                                                \1\          abundance survey) \2\               SI \3\
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
                                          Order Cetartiodactyla--Cetacea--Superfamily Mysticeti (baleen whales)
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Family Eschrichtiidae:
    Gray whale......................  Eschrichtius robustus..  Eastern North Pacific..  -/-; N              26,960 (0.05, 25,849,         801        138
                                                                                                             2016).
Family Balaenopteridae (rorquals):
    Humpback whale..................  Megaptera novaeangliae.  Central North Pacific..  -/-; Y              10,103 (0.3, 7,890,            83         25
                                                                                                             2006).
    Minke whale.....................  Balaenoptera             Alaska.................  -/-; N              N/A (see SAR, N/A, see        UND          0
                                       acutorostrada.                                                        SAR).
    Fin whale.......................  Balaenoptera physalus..  Northeast Pacific......  E/D; Y              see SAR (see SAR, see         5.1        0.6
                                                                                                             SAR, 2013).
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
                                            Superfamily Odontoceti (toothed whales, dolphins, and porpoises)
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Family Delphinidae:
    Killer whale....................  Orcinus orca...........  Alaska Resident........  -/-; N              2,347 (N/A, 2347,              24          1
                                                                                                             2012).
    Killer whale....................  Orcinus orca...........  Northern Resident......  -/-; N              261 (N/A, 261, 2011)..       1.96          0
    Killer whale....................  Orcinus orca...........  West Coast Transient...  -/-; N              243 (N/A, 243, 2009)..        2.4          0
Family Phocoenidae (porpoises):
    Harbor porpoise.................  Phocoena phocoena......  Southeast Alaska.......  -/-; Y              975 (0.10; 896; 2012).        8.9         34
    Dall's porpoise.................  Phocoenoides dalli.....  Alaska.................  -/-; N              83,400 (0.097, N/A,           UND         38
                                                                                                             1991).
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
                                                         Order Carnivora--Superfamily Pinnipedia
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Family Otariidae (eared seals and
 sea lions):
    Steller sea lion................  Eumetopias jubatus.....  Eastern DPS............  E/D; Y              54,267 (see SAR,              326        252
                                                                                                             54,267, 2017).
    Steller sea lion................  Eumetopias jubatus.....  Western DPS............  -/-; N              41,638 (see SAR,            2,498        108
                                                                                                             41,638, 2015).
Family Phocidae (earless seals):
    Harbor seal.....................  Phoca vitulina.........  Lynn Canal/Stephens      -/-; N              9,478 (see SAR, 8,605,        155         50
                                                                Passage.                                     2011).
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
\1\ Endangered Species Act (ESA) status: Endangered (E), Threatened (T)/MMPA status: Depleted (D). A dash (-) indicates that the species is not listed
  under the ESA or designated as depleted under the MMPA. Under the MMPA, a strategic stock is one for which the level of direct human-caused mortality
  exceeds PBR or which is determined to be declining and likely to be listed under the ESA within the foreseeable future. Any species or stock listed
  under the ESA is automatically designated under the MMPA as depleted and as a strategic stock.
\2\ NMFS marine mammal stock assessment reports online at: www.nmfs.noaa.gov/pr/sars/. CV is coefficient of variation; Nmin is the minimum estimate of
  stock abundance. In some cases, CV is not applicable.
\3\ These values, found in NMFS's SARs, represent annual levels of human-caused mortality plus serious injury from all sources combined (e.g.,
  commercial fisheries, ship strike). Annual M/SI often cannot be determined precisely and is in some cases presented as a minimum value or range. A CV
  associated with estimated mortality due to commercial fisheries is presented in some cases.
NOTE--Italicized species are not expected to be taken and are not included in this authorization.


[[Page 56771]]

    All species that could potentially occur in the project area are 
included in Table 2. However, the spatial and temporal occurrence of 
gray whales and fin whales in the area is such that take is not 
expected to occur, and they are not discussed further beyond the 
explanation provided here. Sightings of gray whales and fin whales are 
uncommon in the inland waters of southeast Alaska. These species are 
typically seen closer to the open waters of the Gulf of Alaska. 
Additionally, the timing of the project (November through April) 
coincides with the period when these species are expected to be further 
south in their respective breeding areas. Take of gray whales and fin 
whales was not requested and has not been authorized, and these species 
are not considered further in this document.
    A detailed description of the of the species likely to be affected 
by the Auke Bay Ferry Terminal Modifications and Improvements project, 
including brief introductions to the species and relevant stocks as 
well as available information regarding population trends and threats, 
and information regarding local occurrence, were provided in the 
Federal Register notice for the proposed IHA (84 FR 22453; May 17, 
2019); since that time, we are not aware of any changes in the status 
of these species and stocks; therefore, detailed descriptions are not 
provided here. Please refer to that Federal Register notice for these 
descriptions. Please also refer to NMFS' website (https://www.fisheries.noaa.gov/find-species) for generalized species accounts.

Potential Effects of Specified Activities on Marine Mammals and Their 
Habitat

    The effects of underwater noise from ADOT&PF's activities have the 
potential to result in behavioral harassment of marine mammals in the 
vicinity of the action area. The Federal Register notice for the 
proposed IHA (84 FR 22453; May 17, 2019) included a discussion of the 
effects of anthropogenic noise on marine mammals, therefore that 
information is not repeated here; please refer to that Federal Register 
notice (84 FR 22453; May 17, 2019) for that information.

Marine Mammal Habitat Effects

    The main impact associated with ADOT&PF's activities would be 
temporarily elevated sound levels and the associated direct effects on 
marine mammals. The project would not result in permanent impacts to 
habitats used directly by marine mammals, such as haulout sites, but 
may have potential short-term impacts to food sources such as forage 
fish, and minor impacts to the immediate substrate during installation 
and removal of piles during the pile driving project. These potential 
effects are discussed in detail in the Federal Register notice for the 
proposed IHA (84 FR 22453; May 17, 2019), therefore that information is 
not repeated here; please refer to that Federal Register notice for 
that information.

Estimated Take

    This section provides an estimate of the number of incidental takes 
authorized through this IHA, which will inform both NMFS' consideration 
of ``small numbers'' and the negligible impact determination.
    Harassment is the only type of take expected to result from these 
activities. Except with respect to certain activities not pertinent 
here, section 3(18) of the MMPA defines ``harassment'' as any act of 
pursuit, torment, or annoyance, which (i) has the potential to injure a 
marine mammal or marine mammal stock in the wild (Level A harassment); 
or (ii) has the potential to disturb a marine mammal or marine mammal 
stock in the wild by causing disruption of behavioral patterns, 
including, but not limited to, migration, breathing, nursing, breeding, 
feeding, or sheltering (Level B harassment).
    Authorized takes would primarily be by Level B harassment, as use 
of the vibratory and impact pile hammers has the potential to result in 
disruption of behavioral patterns for individual marine mammals. There 
is also some potential for auditory injury (Level A harassment) to 
result, primarily for high frequency species and phocids because 
predicted auditory injury zones are larger than for other hearing 
groups. Auditory injury is unlikely to occur for other groups. The 
required mitigation and monitoring measures are expected to minimize 
the severity of such taking to the extent practicable.
    As described previously, no mortality is anticipated or authorized 
for this activity. Below we describe how the take is estimated.
    Generally speaking, we estimate take by considering: (1) Acoustic 
thresholds above which NMFS believes the best available science 
indicates marine mammals will be behaviorally harassed or incur some 
degree of permanent hearing impairment; (2) the area or volume of water 
that will be ensonified above these levels in a day; (3) the density or 
occurrence of marine mammals within these ensonified areas; and, (4) 
and the number of days of activities. We note that while these basic 
factors can contribute to a basic calculation to provide an initial 
prediction of takes, additional information that can qualitatively 
inform take estimates is also sometimes available (e.g., previous 
monitoring results or average group size). Below, we describe the 
factors considered here in more detail and present the authorized take.

Acoustic Thresholds

    Using the best available science, NMFS has developed acoustic 
thresholds that identify the received level of underwater sound above 
which exposed marine mammals would be reasonably expected to be 
behaviorally harassed (equated to Level B harassment) or to incur PTS 
of some degree (equated to Level A harassment).
    Level B Harassment for non-explosive sources--Though significantly 
driven by received level, the onset of behavioral disturbance from 
anthropogenic noise exposure is also informed to varying degrees by 
other factors related to the source (e.g., frequency, predictability, 
duty cycle), the environment (e.g., bathymetry), and the receiving 
animals (hearing, motivation, experience, demography, behavioral 
context) and can be difficult to predict (Southall et al., 2007, 
Ellison et al., 2012). Based on what the available science indicates 
and the practical need to use a threshold based on a factor that is 
both predictable and measurable for most activities, NMFS uses a 
generalized acoustic threshold based on received level to estimate the 
onset of behavioral harassment. NMFS predicts that marine mammals are 
likely to be behaviorally harassed in a manner we consider Level B 
harassment when exposed to underwater anthropogenic noise above 
received levels of 120 dB re 1 microPascal ([mu]Pa) (root mean square 
(rms)) for continuous (e.g., vibratory pile-driving, drilling) and 
above 160 dB re 1 [mu]Pa (rms) for non-explosive impulsive (e.g., 
seismic airguns) or intermittent (e.g., scientific sonar) sources.
    ADOT&PF's planned activity includes the use of continuous 
(vibratory pile driving and removal) and impulsive (impact pile 
driving) sources, and therefore the 120 and 160 dB re 1 [mu]Pa (rms) 
thresholds are applicable.
    Level A harassment for non-explosive sources--NMFS' Technical 
Guidance for Assessing the Effects of Anthropogenic Sound on Marine 
Mammal Hearing (Version 2.0) (Technical Guidance, 2018) identifies dual 
criteria to assess auditory injury (Level A harassment) to five 
different marine mammal groups (based on hearing sensitivity) as a 
result of exposure to noise from two different types of sources 
(impulsive or non-impulsive). ADOT&PF's planned

[[Page 56772]]

activity includes the use of impulsive (impact pile driving) and non-
impulsive (vibratory pile driving and removal) sources.
    These thresholds are provided in Table 3. The references, analysis, 
and methodology used in the development of the thresholds are described 
in NMFS 2018 Technical Guidance, which may be accessed at https://www.fisheries.noaa.gov/national/marine-mammal-protection/marine-mammal-acoustic-technical-guidance.

                     Table 3--Thresholds Identifying the Onset of Permanent Threshold Shift
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
                                                    PTS onset acoustic thresholds * (received level)
             Hearing group             -------------------------------------------------------------------------
                                                Impulsive                          Non-impulsive
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Low-Frequency (LF) Cetaceans..........  Cell 1 Lpk,flat: 219 dB;   Cell 2 LE,LF,24h: 199 dB.
                                         LE,LF,24h: 183 dB.
Mid-Frequency (MF) Cetaceans..........  Cell 3 Lpk,flat: 230 dB;   Cell 4 LE,MF,24h: 198 dB.
                                         LE,MF,24h: 185 dB.
High-Frequency (HF) Cetaceans.........  Cell 5 Lpk,flat: 202 dB;   Cell 6 LE,HF,24h: 173 dB.
                                         LE,HF,24h: 155 dB.
Phocid Pinnipeds (PW) (Underwater)....  Cell 7 Lpk,flat: 218 dB;   Cell 8 LE,PW,24h: 201 dB.
                                         LE,PW,24h: 185 dB.
Otariid Pinnipeds (OW) (Underwater)...  Cell 9 Lpk,flat: 232 dB;   Cell 10 LE,OW,24h: 219 dB.
                                         LE,OW,24h: 203 dB.
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
* Dual metric acoustic thresholds for impulsive sounds: Use whichever results in the largest isopleth for
  calculating PTS onset. If a non-impulsive sound has the potential of exceeding the peak sound pressure level
  thresholds associated with impulsive sounds, these thresholds should also be considered.
Note: Peak sound pressure (Lpk) has a reference value of 1 [micro]Pa, and cumulative sound exposure level (LE)
  has a reference value of 1[micro]Pa\2\s. In this Table, thresholds are abbreviated to reflect American
  National Standards Institute standards (ANSI 2013). However, peak sound pressure is defined by ANSI as
  incorporating frequency weighting, which is not the intent for this Technical Guidance. Hence, the subscript
  ``flat'' is being included to indicate peak sound pressure should be flat weighted or unweighted within the
  generalized hearing range. The subscript associated with cumulative sound exposure level thresholds indicates
  the designated marine mammal auditory weighting function (LF, MF, and HF cetaceans, and PW and OW pinnipeds)
  and that the recommended accumulation period is 24 hours. The cumulative sound exposure level thresholds could
  be exceeded in a multitude of ways (i.e., varying exposure levels and durations, duty cycle). When possible,
  it is valuable for action proponents to indicate the conditions under which these acoustic thresholds will be
  exceeded.

Ensonified Area

    Here, we describe operational and environmental parameters of the 
activity that will feed into identifying the area ensonified above the 
acoustic thresholds, which include source levels and transmission loss 
coefficient.
    The sound field in the project area is the existing background 
noise plus additional construction noise from the planned project. 
Marine mammals are expected to be affected via sound generated by the 
primary components of the project (i.e., impact pile driving, vibratory 
pile driving and removal). The maximum (underwater) area ensonified 
above the thresholds for behavioral harassment referenced above is 22.5 
km \2\ (8.69 mi \2\), and is governed by the topography of Auke Bay and 
the various islands located within and around the bay. The eastern part 
of Auke Bay is acoustically shadowed by Auke Cape, while Portland 
Island, Coghlan Island, Suedla Island, and Spuhn Island would inhibit 
sound transmission from reaching the more open waters toward Mansfield 
Peninsula (see Figure 6-2 in the IHA application). Additionally, vessel 
traffic and other commercial and industrial activities in the project 
area may contribute to elevated background noise levels which may mask 
sounds produced by the project.
    The project includes vibratory and impact pile installation of 
steel pipe piles and vibratory removal of steel pipe piles. Source 
levels of pile installation and removal activities are based on reviews 
of measurements of the same or similar types and dimensions of piles 
available in the literature, including past pile driving activities in 
Auke Bay. Source levels for each pile size and driving method are 
presented in Table 4. The source level for vibratory installation of 
24-inch piles and vibratory removal of 24-inch and 20-inch piles are 
from measurements of 24-inch steel piles driven at Navy installations 
in Puget Sound, Washington (United States Navy 2015). As there are no 
measurements of source levels for these pile types in Alaska, we use 
the Navy's source levels as a proxy. The vibratory and impact source 
levels for 30-inch pile installation is from pile driving activities at 
the Auke Bay ferry terminal in November 2015 (Denes et al., 2016). The 
source level for impact installation of 24-inch piles is based on the 
averaged source level of the same type of pile reported by California 
Department of Transportation (Caltrans) in a pile driving source level 
compendium document (Caltrans 2015). Source levels for vibratory 
installation and removal of piles of the same diameter are assumed to 
be the same.

                                             Table 4--Sound Source Levels for Pile Sizes and Driving Methods
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
                                                                                     Source level
               Pile size                           Method          ------------------------------------------------           Literature source
                                                                        dB RMS         dB SEL\a\        dB peak
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
20-inch................................  vibratory................         \b\ 161             N/A             N/A  Navy 2015.
24-inch................................  vibratory................             161             N/A             N/A  Navy 2015.
24-inch................................  impact...................             190             177             203  Caltrans 2015.
30-inch................................  vibratory................             168             N/A             N/A  Denes et al. 2016.
30-inch................................  impact...................             191             177             206  Denes et al. 2016.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
\a\ Sound exposure level (dB re 1 [micro]Pa\2\-sec).
\b\ Source level data for 20-in piles are not available. Source levels for 20-in piles are conservatively assumed the be the same as 24-in piles.

    Transmission loss (TL) is the decrease in acoustic intensity as an 
acoustic pressure wave propagates out from a source. TL parameters vary 
with frequency, temperature, sea conditions, current, source and 
receiver depth,

[[Page 56773]]

water depth, water chemistry, and bottom composition and topography. 
The general formula for underwater TL is:

TL = B * Log10 (R 1/R 2),

Where

TL = transmission loss in dB
B = transmission loss coefficient
R 1= the distance of the modeled SPL from the driven 
pile, and
R 2= the distance from the driven pile of the initial 
measurement

    Absent site-specific acoustical monitoring with differing measured 
transmission loss, a practical spreading value of 15 is used as the 
transmission loss coefficient in the above formula. For vibratory and 
impact pile driving of 30-inch piles at the Auke Bay ferry terminal, 
Denes et al., (2016) measured transmission loss that differed slightly 
from the standard practical value of 15. The transmission loss 
coefficient for vibratory driving of 30-inch piles was determined to be 
16.4 while the coefficient for impact driving of 30-inch piles was 
determined to be 14.6. These transmission loss coefficients were used 
to calculate the Level A and Level B harassment zones for 30-inch 
piles. Site-specific transmission loss data for 20- and 24-inch piles 
are not available, therefore the default coefficient of 15 is used for 
these pile sizes to determine the distances to the Level A and Level B 
harassment thresholds.

               Table 5--Pile Driving Source Levels and Distances to Level B Harassment Thresholds
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
                                                      Level B                                         Level B
                                   Source level    threshold (dB    Propagation     Distance to     harassment
      Pile size and method        at 10 m (dB re    re 1 [mu]Pa       (xLogR)         Level B       ensonified
                                   1 [mu]Pa rms)       rms)                        threshold (m)   area (km\2\)
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
20-inch vibratory...............             161             120              15           5,412            15.3
24-inch vibratory...............             161             120              15           5,412            15.3
24-inch impact..................             190             160              15           1,000             1.5
30-inch vibratory...............             168             120            16.4           8,449            22.5
30-inch impact..................             191             160            14.6           1,328             2.3
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

    When the NMFS Technical Guidance (2016) was published, in 
recognition of the fact that ensonified area/volume could be more 
technically challenging to predict because of the duration component in 
the new thresholds, we developed a User Spreadsheet that includes tools 
to help predict a simple isopleth that can be used in conjunction with 
marine mammal density or occurrence to help predict takes. We note that 
because of some of the assumptions included in the methods used for 
these tools, we anticipate that isopleths produced are typically going 
to be overestimates of some degree, which may result in some degree of 
overestimate of Level A harassment take. However, these tools offer the 
best way to predict appropriate isopleths when more sophisticated 3D 
modeling methods are not available, and NMFS continues to develop ways 
to quantitatively refine these tools, and will qualitatively address 
the output where appropriate. For stationary sources (such as pile 
drivers), NMFS User Spreadsheet predicts the closest distance at which, 
if a marine mammal remained at that distance the whole duration of the 
activity, it would not incur PTS. Inputs used in the User Spreadsheet 
(Table 6), and the resulting isopleths are reported below (Table 7).

                              Table 6--User Spreadsheet Input Parameters Used for Calculating Level A Harassment Isopleths
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
                                                           Weighting
                                                             factor                                                 Number of    Number of   Duration to
 Pile size and installation method  Spreadsheet tab used   adjustment  Source level at 10 m   Propagation (xLogR)  strikes per   piles per     per pile
                                                             (kHz)                                                     pile         day       (minutes)
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
20-inch and 24-inch Vibratory       A.1) Vibratory pile           2.5  161 dB rms..........  15LogR..............  ...........            3           30
 Removal.                            driving.
30-inch Vibratory Removal.........  A.1) Vibratory pile           2.5  168 dB rms..........  16.4LogR............  ...........            3           30
                                     driving.
24-inch Vibratory Installation....  A.1) Vibratory pile           2.5  161 dB rms..........  15LogR..............  ...........            3           45
                                     driving.
30-inch Vibratory Installation....  A.1) Vibratory pile           2.5  168 dB rms..........  16.4LogR............  ...........            3           45
                                     driving.
24-inch Impact Installation.......  E.1) Impact pile                2  177 dB SEL..........  15LogR..............          400      \a\ 1-3  ...........
                                     driving.
30-inch Impact Installation.......  E.1) Impact pile                2  177 dB SEL..........  14.6LogR............          400      \a\ 1-3  ...........
                                     driving.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
\a\ To account for potential variations in daily productivity during impact installation, isopleths were calculated for different numbers of piles that
  could be installed per day (Table 1).


                          Table 7--Calculated Distances to Level A Harassment Isopleths
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
                                                            Level A harassment zone (m)
            Activity             -------------------------------------------------------------------------------
                                   LF-cetaceans    MF-cetaceans    HF-cetaceans       Phocids        Otariids
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
20-inch and 24-inch Vibratory                  9               1              14               6               1
 Removal........................
30-inch Vibratory Removal.......              25               3              25              16               2
24-inch Vibratory Installation..              12               1              18               8               1
30-inch Vibratory Installation..              31               4              45              20               2
24-inch Impact Installation (3               449              16             535             241              18
 piles per day).................
24-inch Impact Installation (2               343              13             409             184              14
 piles per day).................
24-inch Impact Installation (1               216               8             258             116               9
 pile per day)..................
30-inch Impact Installation (3               499              17             597             263              18
 piles per day).................
30-inch Impact Installation (2               378              13             452             199              14
 piles per day).................

[[Page 56774]]

 
30-inch Impact Installation (1               235               8             281             124               9
 pile per day)..................
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Marine Mammal Occurrence and Take Calculation and Estimation

    In this section we provide the information about the presence, 
density, or group dynamics of marine mammals and describe how it is 
brought together with the information above to produce a quantitative 
take estimate. When available, peer-reviewed scientific publications 
were used to estimate marine mammal abundance in the project area. 
However, scientific surveys and resulting data such as population 
estimates, densities, and other quantitative information are lacking 
for most marine mammal populations and most areas of southeast Alaska, 
including Auke Bay. Therefore, AKDOT&PF gathered qualitative 
information from discussions with knowledgeable local people in the 
Auke Bay area, including biologists, the harbormaster, a tour operator, 
and other individuals familiar with marine mammals in the Auke Bay 
area.
    Here we describe how the information provided above is brought 
together to produce a quantitative take estimate. Because reliable 
densities are not available, the applicant requests take based on the 
maximum number of animals that may occur in the harbor per day 
multiplied by the number of days of the activity.

Steller Sea Lion

    Steller sea lions are common within Auke Bay but generally only 
occur in the area during winter. Most individuals that frequent Auke 
Bay haul out at Benjamin Island in Lynn Canal. The Auke Bay boating 
community observes Steller sea lions transiting between Auke Bay and 
Benjamin Island regularly during winter. Steller sea lions are not 
known to haul out on any beaches or structures within Auke Bay, but 
animals have been observed foraging within Auke Bay, and may rest in 
large raft groups in the water. Groups as large as 121 individuals have 
been observed in Auke Bay (Ridgway pers. observ.).
    ADOT&PF estimates that one large group (121 individuals) may be 
exposed to project-related underwater noise daily on 14 days of pile 
installation and removal activities, for a total of 1,694 exposures. In 
the Federal Register notice of proposed IHA (84 FR 22453; May 17, 
2019), NMFS assumed only two percent of Steller sea lions present in 
Auke Bay were expected to belong to the wDPS. However, new research on 
the numbers of wDPS Steller sea lions in southeast Alaska suggests that 
up to 18.1 percent of Steller sea lions in the project vicinity may be 
from the wDPS (Hastings et al., 2019). Therefore, NMFS has assigned 
18.1 percent of the calculated exposures to the wDPS, for a total of 
307 exposures of wDPS Steller sea lions and 1,387 exposures of eDPS 
Steller sea lions.
    The largest Level A harassment zone for otariid pinnipeds extends 
18 m from the source (Table 6). ADOT&PF is planning to implement a 
minimum 20 m shutdown zone during all pile installation and removal 
activities (see Mitigation section), which is expected to eliminate the 
potential for Level A take of Steller sea lions. Therefore, no takes of 
Steller sea lions by Level A harassment were requested or authorized.

Harbor Seal

    Harbor seals are commonly sighted in the waters of the inside 
passages throughout southeast Alaska. Seals occur year-round within the 
project area and are regularly sighted in Auke Bay, including Statter 
Harbor. NOAA aerial survey data indicate that groups ranging from 10 to 
52 seals could be present within the project area during summer at 
haulouts on the western side of Coghlan Island, as well as on 
Battleship Island (Ridgway unpubl. data).
    Harbor seals are known to haul out within the Level B harassment 
zones and may be exposed to noise levels in excess of the Level B 
harassment thresholds upon entering the water. ADOT&PF estimates up to 
52 harbor seals could be exposed to elevated sound levels on each day 
of pile driving, for a total of 728 exposures.
    The largest Level A harassment zone for phocid pinnipeds results 
from impact pile driving of 30-inch piles and extends 263 m from the 
source (Table 6). There are no haulouts located within the Level A 
harassment zone and although it is unlikely that harbor seals will 
enter this area without detection while pile driving activities are 
underway, it is possible that harbor seals may approach and enter the 
Level A harassment zone undetected. ADOT&PF estimated that up to 11 
harbor seals may approach the site within 263 m of the source each day. 
Impact pile driving may occur on up to 10 days. For this reason, 
ADOT&PF has requested Level A take of 11 harbor seals daily on the 10 
days of impact pile driving for a total of 110 takes by Level A 
harassment. The largest Level A harassment zone for phocid pinnipeds 
from vibratory pile driving extends 20 m from the source (Table 6). 
ADOT&PF is planning to implement a minimum 20 m shutdown zone during 
all pile installation and removal activities (see Mitigation section), 
which is expected to eliminate the potential for Level A harassment of 
harbor seals from vibratory pile driving.

Harbor Porpoise

    Although there have been no systematic studies or observations of 
harbor porpoises specific to Auke Bay, there is the potential for them 
to occur within the project area. Abundance data for harbor porpoises 
in southeast Alaska were collected during 18 seasonal surveys spanning 
22 years, from 1991 to 2012. During that study, a total of 398 harbor 
porpoises were observed in the northern inland waters of southeast 
Alaska, including Lynn Canal (Dahlheim et al., 2015). Mean group size 
of harbor porpoises in southeast Alaska varies by season. In the fall, 
mean group size was determined to be 1.88 harbor porpoises (Dahlheim et 
al., 2009). ADOT&PF has conservatively assumed that one pair of harbor 
porpoises may be present in Auke Bay per day.
    One pair of harbor porpoises per day could enter the Level B 
harassment zone for a total of 28 exposures. The largest Level A 
harassment zone results from impact driving of 30-inch piles, and 
extends 597 m from the source (Table 6). Impact pile driving may occur 
on up to 10 days (Table 1). ADOT&PF will implement a shutdown zone for 
harbor porpoises that encompasses the largest Level A harassment zone 
(see Mitigation section). However, harbor porpoises are known to be an 
inconspicuous species and are challenging for protected species 
observers (PSOs) to sight, making any approach to a specific area

[[Page 56775]]

potentially difficult to detect. Because harbor porpoises move quickly 
and elusively, it is possible that they may enter the Level A 
harassment zone without detection. ADOT&PF has estimated that one pair 
of harbor porpoises may enter the Level A harassment zone every other 
day over the 10 days of impact pile driving, which is used to 
conservatively predict a total of 10 exposures to Level A harassment. 
The largest Level A harassment zone for high-frequency cetaceans from 
vibratory pile driving is 45 m. ADOT&PF is planning to implement a 
minimum 50 m shutdown zone for all cetacean species during vibratory 
pile installation and removal activities (see Mitigation section), 
which is expected to eliminate the potential for Level A harassment of 
harbor porpoises from vibratory pile driving.

Dall's Porpoise

    Dall's porpoises are not expected to occur within Auke Bay because 
the shallow water habitat of the bay is atypical of areas where Dall's 
porpoises usually occur. However, Dall's porpoises may 
opportunistically inhabit nearshore habitat, especially in spring. 
Therefore, ADOT&PF estimated that one large pod of Dall's porpoise (15 
individuals) may occur within the Level B harassment zone once per 
month in the months of March and April, for a total of 30 takes by 
Level B harassment.
    ADOT&PF will implement shutdown zones for porpoises that encompass 
the largest Level A harassment zones for each pile driving activity 
(see Mitigation section). The largest Level A harassment zone for 
Dall's porpoise extends 597 m from the source during impact 
installation of 30-inch piles (Table 6). Given the larger group size 
and more conspicuous rooster-tail generated by swimming Dall's 
porpoises, which makes them more noticeable than harbor porpoises, PSOs 
are expected to detect Dall's porpoises prior to them entering the 
Level A harassment zone. Therefore, takes of Dall's porpoises by Level 
A harassment have not been authorized.

Killer Whale

    Killer whales are observed occasionally during summer throughout 
Lynn Canal but their presence in Auke Bay is unlikely. As a precaution, 
because Level B harassment zones extend beyond the more enclosed waters 
of Auke Bay, AKDOT&PF has estimated that one pod of killer whales (15 
individuals) may enter the Level B harassment zone once over the course 
of the project for a total of 15 takes by Level B harassment.
    ADOT&PF will implement shutdown zones that encompass the largest 
Level A harassment zones for killer whales during all pile driving 
activities. Killer whales are generally conspicuous and PSOs are 
expected to detect killer whales and implement a shutdown before the 
animals enter the Level A harassment zone. Therefore, takes by Level A 
harassment have not been authorized.

Humpback Whale

    Use of Auke Bay by humpback whales is intermittent and irregular 
year-round. During winter, researchers have documented 1 to 19 
individual humpback whales per month in waters close to the project 
area, including Lynn Canal (Moran et al., 2018a; Straley et al., 2018). 
Group sizes in southeast Alaska generally range from one to four 
individuals (Dahlheim et al., 2009). Based on observations of humpback 
whales within Auke Bay during winter, ADOT&PF estimates that one group 
of up to four individuals may be exposed to project-related underwater 
sound each day during the 14 days of pile driving activities, for a 
total of 56 exposures.
    The largest Level A harassment zone for humpback whales extends 499 
m from the source during impact installation of 30-inch piles (Table 
6). Given the irregular and small presence of humpback whales in Auke 
Bay, along with the fact that PSOs are expected to detect humpback 
whales before they enter the Level A harassment zone and implement 
shutdowns to prevent take by Level A harassment, no Level A takes have 
been authorized.

Minke Whale

    Dedicated surveys for cetaceans in southeast Alaska found that 
minke whales were scattered throughout inland waters from Glacier Bay 
and Icy Strait to Clarence Strait, with small concentrations near the 
entrance of Glacier Bay. All sightings were of single minke whales, 
except for a single sighting of multiple minke whales. Surveys took 
place in spring, summer, and fall, and minke whales were present in low 
numbers in all seasons and years (Dahlheim et al., 2009). Anecdotal 
reports have not included minke whales near Auke Bay. However, minke 
whales are distributed throughout a wide variety of habitats and have 
been observed in nearby Glacier Bay, indicating they may potentially 
occur within the Level B harassment zone. Therefore, ADOT&PF estimates 
that one minke whale per month may enter the Level B harassment zone 
over the course of pile driving activities, for a total of six takes by 
Level B harassment.
    The Level A harassment zones for minke whales are the same as for 
humpback whales, and the shutdown protocols will be the same as well. 
Therefore, given the low occurrence of minke whales combined with the 
mitigation, takes by Level A harassment have not been authorized.

                                    Table 8--Authorized Take by Level A and Level B Harassment, by Species and Stock
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
                                                                                                                                            Authorized
                                                                               Stock                                           Total          take as
                Common name                             Stock              abundance \a\      Level A         Level B       authorized     percentage of
                                                                                                                               take            stock
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Humpback whale............................  Central North Pacific.......          10,103               0          \b\ 56              56            0.55
Minke Whale...............................  Alaska......................             N/A               0               6               6             N/A
Killer whale..............................  Alaska Resident.............           2,347               0              15              15        \d\ 0.64
                                            Northern Resident...........             261                                                        \d\ 5.75
                                            West Coast Transient........             243                                                        \d\ 6.17
Harbor porpoise...........................  Southeast Alaska............             975              10              18              28            2.87
Dall's porpoise...........................  Alaska......................          83,400               0              30              30            <0.1
Steller sea lion..........................  Western U.S.................          54,267               0             307         \c\ 307            0.57
                                            Eastern U.S.................          41,638               0           1,387           1,387            3.33
Harbor seal...............................  Lynn Canal/Stephens Passage.           9,478             110             618             728            7.68
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
\a\ Stock or DPS size is Nbest according to NMFS 2018 Draft Stock Assessment Reports.

[[Page 56776]]

 
\b\ For ESA section 7 consultation purposes, 6.1 percent are designated to the Mexico DPS and the remaining are designated to the Hawaii DPS; therefore,
  we assigned 4 Level B takes to the Mexico DPS.
\c\ Based on the percent of branded animals at Gran Point and in consultation with the Alaska Regional Office, we used an 18.1 percent distinction
  factor to determine the number of animals potentially from the western DPS.
\d\ These percentages assume all 15 takes may occur to each individual stock, thus the percentage of one or more stocks are likely inflated as the takes
  would be divided among multiple stocks.

Mitigation

    In order to issue an IHA under Section 101(a)(5)(D) of the MMPA, 
NMFS must set forth the permissible methods of taking pursuant to such 
activity, and other means of effecting the least practicable impact on 
such species or stock and its habitat, paying particular attention to 
rookeries, mating grounds, and areas of similar significance, and on 
the availability of such species or stock for taking for certain 
subsistence uses (latter not applicable for this action). NMFS 
regulations require applicants for incidental take authorizations to 
include information about the availability and feasibility (economic 
and technological) of equipment, methods, and manner of conducting such 
activity or other means of effecting the least practicable adverse 
impact upon the affected species or stocks and their habitat (50 CFR 
216.104(a)(11)).
    In evaluating how mitigation may or may not be appropriate to 
ensure the least practicable adverse impact on species or stocks and 
their habitat, as well as subsistence uses where applicable, we 
carefully consider two primary factors:
    (1) The manner in which, and the degree to which, the successful 
implementation of the measure(s) is expected to reduce impacts to 
marine mammals, marine mammal species or stocks, and their habitat. 
This considers the nature of the potential adverse impact being 
mitigated (likelihood, scope, range). It further considers the 
likelihood that the measure will be effective if implemented 
(probability of accomplishing the mitigating result if implemented as 
planned), the likelihood of effective implementation (probability 
implemented as planned); and
    (2) the practicability of the measures for applicant 
implementation, which may consider such things as cost, impact on 
operations, and, in the case of a military readiness activity, 
personnel safety, practicality of implementation, and impact on the 
effectiveness of the military readiness activity.

Mitigation for Marine Mammals and Their Habitat

    In addition to the measures described later in this section, 
ADOT&PF must employ the following standard mitigation measures:
     Conduct briefings between construction supervisors and 
crews and the marine mammal monitoring team prior to the start of all 
pile driving activity, and when new personnel join the work, to explain 
responsibilities, communication procedures, marine mammal monitoring 
protocol, and operational procedures;
     For in-water heavy machinery work other than pile driving 
(e.g., standard barges, etc.), if a marine mammal comes within 10 m, 
operations must cease and vessels must reduce speed to the minimum 
level required to maintain steerage and safe working conditions. This 
type of work could include the following activities: (1) Movement of 
the barge to the pile location; or (2) positioning of the pile on the 
substrate via a crane (i.e., stabbing the pile);
     Work may only occur during daylight hours, when visual 
monitoring of marine mammals can be conducted;
     For those marine mammals for which Level B harassment take 
has not been requested, in-water pile installation/removal must shut 
down immediately if such species are observed within or on a path 
towards the monitoring zone (i.e., Level B harassment zone); and
     If take reaches the authorized limit for an authorized 
species, pile installation/removal must be stopped as these species 
approach the Level B harassment zone to avoid additional take.
    The following measures also apply to ADOT&PF's mitigation 
requirements:
    Establishment of Shutdown Zone for Level A Harassment--For all pile 
installation and removal activities, ADOT&PF must establish a shutdown 
zone. The purpose of a shutdown zone is generally to define an area 
within which shutdown of activity would occur upon sighting of a marine 
mammal (or in anticipation of an animal entering the defined area). 
These shutdown zones must be used to prevent incidental Level A 
exposures from impact pile driving for Steller sea lions, Dall's 
porpoises, killer whales, humpback whales, and minke whales, and to 
reduce the potential for such take for harbor seals and harbor 
porpoises. During all pile driving and removal activities, a minimum 
shutdown zone of 20 m must be enforced (Table 9). During vibratory pile 
driving and removal activities, ADOT&PF must enforce a 50 m shutdown 
zone for all cetacean species (Table 9). Shutdown zones for impact pile 
driving activities are based on the Level A harassment zones and 
therefore vary by pile size, number of piles installed per day, and 
marine mammal hearing group (Table 9). Shutdown zones for impact pile 
driving must be established each day for the greatest number of piles 
that are expected to be installed that day. If no marine mammals enter 
their respective Level A harassment zones during impact installation of 
the first pile of the day, the shutdown zone for the next pile that 
same day will be smaller (e.g., the shutdown zone for a three-pile day 
will be reduced in size to the shutdown zone for a two-pile day for the 
second pile). Shutdown zones will be further reduced to those for a 
one-pile day for the third pile of the day, as long as no marine 
mammals have been exposed to noise levels exceeding the Level A 
harassment thresholds that day. The placement of Protected Species 
Observers (PSOs) during all pile driving activities (described in 
detail in the Monitoring and Reporting Section) must ensure shutdown 
zones are visible.

                                              Table 9--Shutdown Zones During Pile Installation and Removal
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
                                                                                                         Shutdown zone (m)
                        Activity                           Piles per day -------------------------------------------------------------------------------
                                                                           LF cetaceans    MF cetaceans    HF cetaceans       Phocids        Otariids
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
All vibratory installation and removal..................               3                        50
                                                                        20
                                                                         -------------------------------------------------------------------------------
30-inch pile impact installation........................               3             500        20                   600             270        20

[[Page 56777]]

 
                                                                       2             380                             460             200
                                                                       1             250                             290             130
24-inch pile impact installation........................               3             450                             550             250
                                                                       2             350                             410             200
                                                                       1             220                             260             120
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

    Establishment of Monitoring Zones for Level B Harassment--ADOT&PF 
must establish monitoring zones to correlate with Level B disturbance 
zones or zones of influence which are areas where SPLs are equal to or 
exceed the 160 dB rms threshold for impact driving and the 120 dB rms 
threshold during vibratory driving. Monitoring zones provide utility 
for observing by establishing monitoring protocols for areas adjacent 
to the shutdown zones. Monitoring zones enable observers to be aware of 
and communicate the presence of marine mammals in the project area 
outside the shutdown zone and thus prepare for a potential cease of 
activity should the animal enter the shutdown zone. The monitoring 
zones are presented in Table 10. Placement of PSOs on the shorelines 
around Auke Bay allow PSOs to observe marine mammals within and near 
Auke Bay. Should PSOs determine the monitoring zone cannot be 
effectively observed in its entirety, Level B harassment exposures must 
be recorded and extrapolated based upon the number of observed take and 
the percentage of the Level B zone that was not visible.

                Table 10--Marine Mammal Monitoring Zones
------------------------------------------------------------------------
                                                              Monitoring
                          Activity                             zone (m)
------------------------------------------------------------------------
20-inch vibratory removal..................................        5,415
24-inch vibratory removal and installation.................
24-inch impact installation................................        1,000
30-inch vibratory installation.............................        8,450
30-inch impact installation................................        1,330
------------------------------------------------------------------------

    Soft Start--The use of soft-start procedures are believed to 
provide additional protection to marine mammals by providing warning 
and/or giving marine mammals a chance to leave the area prior to the 
hammer operating at full capacity. For impact pile driving, contractors 
are required to provide an initial set of strikes from the hammer at 
reduced energy, with each strike followed by a 30-second waiting 
period. This procedure must be conducted a total of three times before 
impact pile driving begins. Soft start must be implemented at the start 
of each day's impact pile driving and at any time following cessation 
of impact pile driving for a period of thirty minutes or longer. Soft 
start is not required during vibratory pile driving and removal 
activities.
    Pre-Activity Monitoring--Prior to the start of daily in-water 
construction activity, or whenever a break in pile installation/removal 
of 30 minutes or longer occurs, PSOs must observe the shutdown and 
monitoring zones for a period of 30 minutes. The shutdown zone must be 
cleared when a marine mammal has not been observed within the zone for 
that 30-minute period. If a marine mammal is observed within the 
shutdown zone, a soft-start cannot proceed until the animal has left 
the zone or has not been observed for 15 minutes. If the Level B 
harassment zone has been observed for 30 minutes and non-permitted 
species are not present within the zone, soft start procedures can 
commence and work can continue even if visibility becomes impaired 
within the Level B monitoring zone. When a marine mammal permitted for 
Level B take is present in the Level B harassment zone, activities may 
begin and Level B take will be recorded. As stated above, if the entire 
Level B zone is not visible at the start of construction, pile driving 
activities can begin. If work ceases for more than 30 minutes, the pre-
activity monitoring of both the Level B and shutdown zone must 
commence.
    Based on our evaluation of the applicant's proposed measures, NMFS 
has determined that the required mitigation measures provide the means 
effecting the least practicable impact on the affected species or 
stocks and their habitat, paying particular attention to rookeries, 
mating grounds, and areas of similar significance.

Monitoring and Reporting

    In order to issue an IHA for an activity, Section 101(a)(5)(D) of 
the MMPA states that NMFS must set forth requirements pertaining to the 
monitoring and reporting of such taking. The MMPA implementing 
regulations at 50 CFR 216.104 (a)(13) indicate that requests for 
authorizations must include the suggested means of accomplishing the 
necessary monitoring and reporting that will result in increased 
knowledge of the species and of the level of taking or impacts on 
populations of marine mammals that are expected to be present in the 
planned action area. Effective reporting is critical both to compliance 
as well as ensuring that the most value is obtained from the required 
monitoring.
    Monitoring and reporting requirements prescribed by NMFS should 
contribute to improved understanding of one or more of the following:
     Occurrence of marine mammal species or stocks in the area 
in which take is anticipated (e.g., presence, abundance, distribution, 
density);
     Nature, scope, or context of likely marine mammal exposure 
to potential stressors/impacts (individual or cumulative, acute or 
chronic), through better understanding of: (1) Action or environment 
(e.g., source characterization, propagation, ambient noise); (2) 
affected species (e.g., life history, dive patterns); (3) co-occurrence 
of marine mammal species with the action; or (4) biological or 
behavioral context of exposure (e.g., age, calving or feeding areas);
     Individual marine mammal responses (behavioral or 
physiological) to acoustic stressors (acute, chronic, or cumulative), 
other stressors, or cumulative impacts from multiple stressors;
     How anticipated responses to stressors impact either: (1) 
Long-term fitness and survival of individual marine mammals; or (2) 
populations, species, or stocks;
     Effects on marine mammal habitat (e.g., marine mammal prey 
species, acoustic habitat, or other important physical components of 
marine mammal habitat); and
     Mitigation and monitoring effectiveness.

[[Page 56778]]

Marine Mammal Visual Monitoring

    Monitoring must be conducted by NMFS-approved observers. Trained 
observers must be placed from the best vantage point(s) practicable to 
monitor for marine mammals and implement shutdown or delay procedures 
when applicable through communication with the equipment operator. 
Observer training must be provided prior to project start, and shall 
include instruction on species identification (sufficient to 
distinguish the species in the project area), description and 
categorization of observed behaviors and interpretation of behaviors 
that may be construed as being reactions to the specified activity, 
proper completion of data forms, and other basic components of 
biological monitoring, including tracking of observed animals or groups 
of animals such that repeat sound exposures may be attributed to 
individuals (to the extent possible).
    Monitoring must be conducted 30 minutes before, during, and 30 
minutes after pile installation/removal activities. In addition, 
observers must record all incidents of marine mammal occurrence, 
regardless of distance from activity, and must document any behavioral 
reactions in concert with distance from piles being driven or removed. 
Pile installation/removal activities include the time to install or 
remove a single pile or series of piles, as long as the time elapsed 
between uses of the pile driving equipment is no more than 30 minutes.
    At least two land-based PSOs must be on duty during all pile 
installation and removal activities. One PSO must be positioned at the 
ferry terminal to allow full monitoring of the waters within the 
shutdown zones and the closest waters of the Level B harassment 
monitoring zones. An additional PSO will be positioned on the shoreline 
around Auke Bay to observe the larger monitoring zones. Potential PSO 
locations are shown in Figure 2-2 of ADOT&PF's Marine Mammal Mitigation 
and Monitoring Plan.
    PSOs must scan the waters using binoculars, and/or spotting scopes, 
and must use a handheld GPS or range-finder device to verify the 
distance to each sighting from the project site. All PSOs must be 
trained in marine mammal identification and behaviors and are required 
to have no other project-related tasks while conducting monitoring. In 
addition, monitoring must be conducted by qualified observers, placed 
at the best vantage point(s) practicable to monitor for marine mammals 
and implement shutdown/delay procedures when applicable by calling for 
the shutdown to the hammer operator. ADOT&PF must adhere to the 
following observer qualifications:
    (i) Independent observers (i.e., not construction personnel) are 
required;
    (ii) At least one observer must have prior experience working as an 
observer;
    (iii) Other observers may substitute education (degree in 
biological science or related field) or training for experience; and
    (iv) ADOT&PF must submit observer CVs for approval by NMFS.
    Additional standard observer qualifications include:
     Ability to conduct field observations and collect data 
according to assigned protocols;
     Experience or training in the field identification of 
marine mammals, including the identification of behaviors;
     Sufficient training, orientation, or experience with the 
construction operation to provide for personal safety during 
observations;
     Writing skills sufficient to prepare a report of 
observations including but not limited to the number and species of 
marine mammals observed; dates and times when in-water construction 
activities were conducted; dates and times when in-water construction 
activities were suspended to avoid potential incidental injury from 
construction sound of marine mammals observed within a defined shutdown 
zone; and marine mammal behavior; and
     Ability to communicate orally, by radio or in person, with 
project personnel to provide real-time information on marine mammals 
observed in the area as necessary.
    A draft marine mammal monitoring report must be submitted to NMFS 
within 90 days after the completion of pile installation and removal 
activities. It must include an overall description of work completed, a 
narrative regarding marine mammal sightings, and associated PSO data 
sheets. Specifically, the report must include:
     Date and time that monitored activity begins or ends;
     Construction activities occurring during each observation 
period;
     Weather parameters (e.g., percent cover, visibility);
     Water conditions (e.g., sea state, tide state);
     Species, numbers, and, if possible, sex and age class of 
marine mammals;
     Description of any observable marine mammal behavior 
patterns, including bearing and direction of travel and distance from 
pile driving activity;
     Distance from pile driving activities to marine mammals 
and distance from the marine mammals to the observation point;
     Locations of all marine mammal observations; and
     Other human activity in the area.
    If no comments are received from NMFS within 30 days, the draft 
final report will constitute the final report. If comments are 
received, a final report addressing NMFS comments must be submitted 
within 30 days after receipt of comments.
    In the unanticipated event that the specified activity clearly 
causes the take of a marine mammal in a manner prohibited by the IHA 
(if issued), such as an injury, serious injury or mortality, ADOT&PF 
must immediately cease the specified activities and report the incident 
to the Chief of the Permits and Conservation Division, Office of 
Protected Resources, NMFS, and the Alaska Regional Stranding 
Coordinator. The report must include the following information:
     Description of the incident;
     Environmental conditions (e.g., Beaufort sea state, 
visibility);
     Description of all marine mammal observations in the 24 
hours preceding the incident;
     Species identification or description of the animal(s) 
involved;
     Fate of the animal(s); and
     Photographs or video footage of the animal(s) (if 
equipment is available).
    Activities must not resume until NMFS is able to review the 
circumstances of the prohibited take. NMFS would work with ADOT&PF to 
determine what is necessary to minimize the likelihood of further 
prohibited take and ensure MMPA compliance. ADOT&PF would not be able 
to resume their activities until notified by NMFS via letter, email, or 
telephone.
    In the event that ADOT&PF discovers an injured or dead marine 
mammal, and the lead PSO determines that the cause of the injury or 
death is unknown and the death is relatively recent (e.g., in less than 
a moderate state of decomposition as described in the next paragraph), 
ADOT&PF must immediately report the incident to the Chief of the 
Permits and Conservation Division, Office of Protected Resources, NMFS, 
and the NMFS Alaska Stranding Hotline and/or by email to the Alaska 
Regional Stranding Coordinator. The report must include the same 
information identified in the paragraph above. Activities would be able 
to continue while NMFS reviews the circumstances of the incident. NMFS 
would work with ADOT&PF to determine whether modifications in the 
activities are appropriate.

[[Page 56779]]

    In the event that ADOT&PF discovers an injured or dead marine 
mammal and the lead PSO determines that the injury or death is not 
associated with or related to the activities authorized in the IHA 
(e.g., previously wounded animal, carcass with moderate to advanced 
decomposition, or scavenger damage), ADOT&PF must report the incident 
to the Chief of the Permits and Conservation Division, Office of 
Protected Resources, NMFS, and the NMFS Alaska Stranding Hotline and/or 
by email to the Alaska Regional Stranding Coordinator, within 24 hours 
of the discovery. ADOT&PF must provide photographs, video footage (if 
available), or other documentation of the stranded animal sighting to 
NMFS and the Marine Mammal Stranding Network.

Negligible Impact Analysis and Determination

    NMFS has defined negligible impact as an impact resulting from the 
specified activity that cannot be reasonably expected to, and is not 
reasonably likely to, adversely affect the species or stock through 
effects on annual rates of recruitment or survival (50 CFR 216.103). A 
negligible impact finding is based on the lack of likely adverse 
effects on annual rates of recruitment or survival (i.e., population-
level effects). An estimate of the number of takes alone is not enough 
information on which to base an impact determination. In addition to 
considering estimates of the number of marine mammals that might be 
``taken'' through harassment, NMFS considers other factors, such as the 
likely nature of any responses (e.g., intensity, duration), the context 
of any responses (e.g., critical reproductive time or location, 
migration), as well as effects on habitat, and the likely effectiveness 
of the mitigation. We also assess the number, intensity, and context of 
estimated takes by evaluating this information relative to population 
status. Consistent with the 1989 preamble for NMFS's implementing 
regulations (54 FR 40338; September 29, 1989), the impacts from other 
past and ongoing anthropogenic activities are incorporated into this 
analysis via their impacts on the environmental baseline (e.g., as 
reflected in the regulatory status of the species, population size and 
growth rate where known, ongoing sources of human-caused mortality, or 
ambient noise levels).
    Pile installation/removal activities associated with the project as 
outlined previously, have the potential to disturb or displace marine 
mammals. Specifically, the specified activities may result in take, in 
the form of Level A harassment and Level B harassment from underwater 
sounds generated from pile driving and removal. Potential takes could 
occur if individuals of these species are present in zones ensonified 
above the thresholds for Level A or Level B harassment identified above 
when these activities are underway.
    The takes from Level A and Level B harassment would be due to 
potential behavioral disturbance, TTS, and PTS. No mortality is 
anticipated given the nature of the activity and measures designed to 
minimize the possibility of injury to marine mammals. Level A 
harassment is only anticipated for harbor porpoise and harbor seal. The 
potential for harassment is minimized through the construction method 
and the implementation of the required mitigation measures (see 
Mitigation section).
    Effects on individuals that are taken by Level B harassment, on the 
basis of reports in the literature as well as monitoring from other 
similar activities, will likely be limited to reactions such as 
increased swimming speeds, increased surfacing time, or decreased 
foraging (if such activity were occurring) (e.g., Thorson and Reyff 
2006; HDR, Inc. 2012; Lerma 2014; ABR 2016). Most likely for pile 
driving, individuals will simply move away from the sound source and be 
temporarily displaced from the areas of pile driving, although even 
this reaction has been observed primarily only in association with 
impact pile driving. The pile driving activities analyzed here are 
similar to, or less impactful than, numerous other construction 
activities conducted in southeast Alaska, which have taken place with 
no known long-term adverse consequences from behavioral harassment. 
Level B harassment will be reduced to the level of least practicable 
adverse impact through use of mitigation measures described herein and, 
if sound produced by project activities is sufficiently disturbing, 
animals are likely to simply avoid the area while the activity is 
occurring. While vibratory driving associated with the planned project 
may produce sound at distances of many kilometers from the project 
site, thus intruding on some habitat, the project site itself is 
located in a busy harbor and the majority of sound fields produced by 
the specified activities are close to the harbor. Therefore, we expect 
that animals annoyed by project sound would simply avoid the area and 
use more-preferred habitats.
    In addition to the expected effects resulting from authorized Level 
B harassment, we anticipate that harbor porpoises and harbor seals may 
sustain some limited Level A harassment in the form of auditory injury. 
However, animals in these locations that experience PTS would likely 
only receive slight PTS, i.e. minor degradation of hearing capabilities 
within regions of hearing that align most completely with the energy 
produced by pile driving, i.e. the low-frequency region below 2 kHz, 
not severe hearing impairment or impairment in the regions of greatest 
hearing sensitivity. If hearing impairment occurs, it is most likely 
that the affected animal would lose a few decibels in its hearing 
sensitivity, which in most cases is not likely to meaningfully affect 
its ability to forage and communicate with conspecifics. As described 
above, we expect that marine mammals would be likely to move away from 
a sound source that represents an aversive stimulus, especially at 
levels that would be expected to result in PTS, given sufficient notice 
through use of soft start.
    The project also is not expected to have significant adverse 
effects on affected marine mammals' habitat. The project activities 
would not modify existing marine mammal habitat for a significant 
amount of time. The activities may cause some fish to leave the area of 
disturbance, thus temporarily impacting marine mammals' foraging 
opportunities in a limited portion of the foraging range; but, because 
of the short duration of the activities and the relatively small area 
of the habitat that may be affected, the impacts to marine mammal 
habitat are not expected to cause significant or long-term negative 
consequences.
    Nearly all inland waters of southeast Alaska, including Auke Bay, 
are included in the southeast Alaska humpback whale feeding BIA 
(Ferguson et al., 2015), though humpback whale distribution in 
southeast Alaska varies by season and waterway (Dahlheim et al., 2009). 
Humpback whales are present within Auke Bay intermittently and in low 
numbers. The area of the BIA that may be affected by the planned 
project is small relative to the overall area of the BIA, and the area 
of suitable humpback whale habitat that is not included in the BIA. The 
southeast Alaska humpback whale feeding BIA is active between March and 
November while the planned project is scheduled to occur between 
January and June, resulting in only four months of overlap. 
Additionally, pile driving associated with the project is expected to 
take only 14 days, further reducing the temporal overlap with the BIA. 
Therefore, the planned project is not expected to have significant 
adverse

[[Page 56780]]

effects on the southeast Alaska humpback whale feeding BIA.
    In summary and as described above, the following factors primarily 
support our determination that the impacts resulting from this activity 
are not expected to adversely affect the species or stock through 
effects on annual rates of recruitment or survival:
     No mortality is anticipated or authorized;
     The Level A harassment exposures are anticipated to result 
only in slight PTS, within the lower frequencies associated with pile 
driving;
     The anticipated incidents of Level B harassment would 
consist of, at worst, temporary modifications in behavior that would 
not result in fitness impacts to individuals;
     The area impacted by the specified activity is very small 
relative to the overall habitat ranges of all species, does not include 
ESA-designated critical habitat, and only temporally overlaps with the 
southeast Alaska humpback whale feeding BIA for four months of the 
planned six months of activity; and
     The required mitigation measures are expected to reduce 
the effects of the specified activity to the level of least practicable 
adverse impact.
    In addition, although affected humpback whales and Steller sea 
lions may be from a DPS that is listed under the ESA, it is unlikely 
that minor noise effects in a small, localized area of habitat would 
have any effect on the stocks' ability to recover. In combination, we 
believe that these factors, as well as the available body of evidence 
from other similar activities, demonstrate that the potential effects 
of the specified activities will have only minor, short-term effects on 
individuals. The specified activities are not expected to impact rates 
of recruitment or survival and will therefore not result in population-
level impacts.
    Based on the analysis contained herein of the likely effects of the 
specified activity on marine mammals and their habitat, and taking into 
consideration the implementation of the required monitoring and 
mitigation measures, NMFS finds that the total marine mammal take from 
the planned activity will have a negligible impact on all affected 
marine mammal species or stocks.

Small Numbers

    As noted above, only small numbers of incidental take may be 
authorized under Sections 101(a)(5)(A) and (D) of the MMPA for 
specified activities other than military readiness activities. The MMPA 
does not define small numbers and so, in practice, where estimated 
numbers are available, NMFS compares the number of individuals taken to 
the most appropriate estimation of abundance of the relevant species or 
stock in our determination of whether an authorization is limited to 
small numbers of marine mammals. Additionally, other qualitative 
factors may be considered in the analysis, such as the temporal or 
spatial scale of the activities.
    Table 7 demonstrates the number of animals that could be exposed to 
received noise levels that could cause Level A and Level B harassment 
for the planned work in Auke Bay. Our analysis shows that less than 8 
percent of each affected stock could be taken by harassment. The 
numbers of animals authorized to be taken for these stocks would be 
considered small relative to the relevant stock's abundances even if 
each estimated taking occurred to a new individual--an extremely 
unlikely scenario.
    Based on the analysis contained herein of the planned activity 
(including the required mitigation and monitoring measures) and the 
anticipated take of marine mammals, NMFS finds that small numbers of 
marine mammals will be taken relative to the population size of the 
affected species or stocks.

Unmitigable Adverse Impact Analysis and Determination

    There are no relevant subsistence uses of the affected marine 
mammal stocks or species implicated by this action. Therefore, NMFS has 
determined that the total taking of affected species or stocks would 
not have an unmitigable adverse impact on the availability of such 
species or stocks for taking for subsistence purposes. The planned 
project is not known to occur in an important subsistence hunting area. 
It is a developed area with regular marine vessel traffic. However, 
ADOT&PF plans to provide advanced public notice of construction 
activities to reduce construction impacts on local residents, ferry 
travelers, adjacent businesses, and other users of the Auke Bay ferry 
terminal and nearby areas. This will include notification to local 
Alaska Native tribes that may have members who hunt marine mammals for 
subsistence. Of the marine mammals considered in this IHA application, 
only harbor seals are known to be used for subsistence in the project 
area. If any tribes express concerns regarding project impacts to 
subsistence hunting of marine mammals, further communication between 
will take place, including provision of any project information, and 
clarification of any mitigation and minimization measures that may 
reduce potential impacts to marine mammals.
    Based on the description of the specified activity, the measures 
described to minimize adverse effects on the availability of marine 
mammals for subsistence purposes, and the required mitigation and 
monitoring measures, NMFS has determined that there will not be an 
unmitigable adverse impact on subsistence uses from ADOT&PF's planned 
activities.

National Environmental Policy Act

    To comply with the National Environmental Policy Act of 1969 (NEPA; 
42 U.S.C. 4321 et seq.) and NOAA Administrative Order (NAO) 216-6A, 
NMFS must review our action (i.e., the issuance of an incidental 
harassment authorization) with respect to potential impacts on the 
human environment.
    This action is consistent with categories of activities identified 
in Categorical Exclusion B4 (incidental harassment authorizations with 
no anticipated serious injury or mortality) of the Companion Manual for 
NOAA Administrative Order 216-6A, which do not individually or 
cumulatively have the potential for significant impacts on the quality 
of the human environment and for which we have not identified any 
extraordinary circumstances that would preclude this categorical 
exclusion. Accordingly, NMFS has determined that the issuance of the 
IHA qualifies to be categorically excluded from further NEPA review.

Endangered Species Act (ESA)

    Section 7(a)(2) of the Endangered Species Act of 1973 (ESA: 16 
U.S.C. 1531 et seq.) requires that each Federal agency insure that any 
action it authorizes, funds, or carries out is not likely to jeopardize 
the continued existence of any endangered or threatened species or 
result in the destruction or adverse modification of designated 
critical habitat. To ensure ESA compliance for the issuance of IHAs, 
NMFS consults internally, in this case with the Alaska Regional Office, 
whenever we propose to authorize take for endangered or threatened 
species.
    NMFS Alaska Region issued a Biological Opinion to NMFs Office of 
Protected Resources on October 3, 2019, which concluded the issuance of 
an IHA to ADOT&PF is not likely to jeopardize the continued existence 
of wDPS Steller sea lions or Mexico DPS humpback whales or adversely 
modify critical habitat because none exists in the area.

[[Page 56781]]

Authorization

    NMFS has issued an IHA to ADOT&PF for conducting pile installation 
and removal activities at the Auke Bay ferry terminal between January 
1, 2020 and December 31, 2020, provided the previously mentioned 
mitigation, monitoring, and reporting requirements are incorporated.

    Dated: October 17, 2019.
Donna S. Wieting,
Director, Office of Protected Resources, National Marine Fisheries 
Service.
[FR Doc. 2019-23080 Filed 10-22-19; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 3510-22-P