Marine Mammals; Incidental Take During Specified Activities; Proposed Incidental Harassment Authorization for Southeast Alaska Stock of Northern Sea Otters in the Queen Charlotte Fault Region, Alaska

Issuing agencies

Abstract

We, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, in response to a request under the Marine Mammal Protection Act of 1972, as amended, from the National Science Foundation and the Lamont-Doherty Earth Observatory, propose to authorize nonlethal, incidental take by harassment of small numbers of the Southeast Alaska stock of northern sea otters between July 1, 2021, and August 31, 2021. The applicants have requested this authorization for take that may result from high- energy seismic surveys in the Queen Charlotte Fault region of Southeast Alaska. Seismic surveys are being conducted to characterize crustal and uppermost mantle velocity structure, fault zone architecture and rheology, and seismicity in the Queen Charlotte Fault. We estimate that this project may result in the nonlethal incidental take of up to 27 northern sea otters from the Southeast Alaska stock. This proposed authorization, if finalized, will be for up to 49 takes of 27 northern sea otters by Level B harassment only. No injury or mortality is expected or will be authorized.