Notice2025-07029
Draft Aquaculture Opportunity Area Options-Alaska State Waters
Primary source
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Published
April 23, 2025
Issuing agencies
Commerce DepartmentNational Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration
Abstract
NOAA's National Centers for Coastal Ocean Science (NCCOS) collaborated with NOAA NMFS to initiate a marine spatial planning study to identify draft Aquaculture Opportunity Area (AOA) Options within State waters of southeast, southcentral, and southwest Alaska as part of the AOA identification process. An AOA is a defined geographic area that has been evaluated to determine its potential suitability for commercial aquaculture. NOAA is identifying AOAs as directed by Executive Order, "Promoting American Seafood Competitiveness and Economic Growth" (May 7, 2020). This notice invites public comment on the preliminary results of the marine spatial planning study including the identification of draft AOA Options in Alaska State waters. NMFS will consider information received in response to this notice when finalizing the results of the marine spatial planning study, and may or may not identify AOAs after further public participation and review under the National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA).
Full Text
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<title>Federal Register, Volume 90 Issue 77 (Wednesday, April 23, 2025)</title>
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[Federal Register Volume 90, Number 77 (Wednesday, April 23, 2025)]
[Notices]
[Pages 17051-17052]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [<a href="http://www.gpo.gov">www.gpo.gov</a>]
[FR Doc No: 2025-07029]
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DEPARTMENT OF COMMERCE
National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration
[RTID 0648-XE717]
Draft Aquaculture Opportunity Area Options--Alaska State Waters
AGENCY: National Marine Fisheries Service (NMFS), National Oceanic and
Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), Commerce.
ACTION: Notice of availability; request for comments.
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SUMMARY: NOAA's National Centers for Coastal Ocean Science (NCCOS)
collaborated with NOAA NMFS to initiate a marine spatial planning study
to identify draft Aquaculture Opportunity Area (AOA) Options within
State waters of southeast, southcentral, and southwest Alaska as part
of the AOA identification process. An AOA is a defined geographic area
that has been evaluated to determine its potential suitability for
commercial aquaculture. NOAA is identifying AOAs as directed by
Executive Order, ``Promoting American Seafood Competitiveness and
Economic Growth'' (May 7, 2020). This notice invites public comment on
the preliminary results of the marine spatial planning study including
the identification of draft AOA Options in Alaska State waters. NMFS
will consider information received in response to this notice when
finalizing the results of the marine spatial planning study, and may or
may not identify AOAs after further public participation and review
under the National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA).
DATES: Submit your comments on the marine spatial planning study and
draft AOA Options by May 23, 2025. Late submissions may not be
considered. NMFS and NCCOS will hold two virtual listening sessions for
the collection of oral comments at the following dates and times (see
ADDRESSES section for the link to register):
1. Thursday, May 8, 2025, 2 p.m. to 4 p.m. (Alaska Time).
2. Friday, May 16, 2025, 9 a.m. to 11 a.m. (Alaska Time).
ADDRESSES: This document is available on the NMFS Alaska Region website
at: <a href="https://www.fisheries.noaa.gov/action/notice-availability-alaska-draft-aquaculture-opportunity-area-options">https://www.fisheries.noaa.gov/action/notice-availability-alaska-draft-aquaculture-opportunity-area-options</a> and at <a href="https://www.regulations.gov">https://www.regulations.gov</a> by entering docket number ``NOAA-NMFS-2023-0113''
in the Search bar.
You may submit written comments on this document, identified by
NOAA-NMFS-2023-0113, by any of the following methods:
<bullet> Electronic Submission: Submit all electronic public
comments via the Federal e-Rulemaking Portal. Go to <a href="https://www.regulations.gov">https://www.regulations.gov</a> and type NOAA-NMFS-2023-0113 in the Search box.
Click on the ``Comment'' icon, complete the required fields, and enter
or attach your comments.
<bullet> Mail: Submit written comments to Jon Kurland, Regional
Administrator, NMFS, Attn: Records Office, P.O. Box 21668, Juneau, AK
99802-1668.
Instructions: Comments sent by any other method, to any other
address or individual, or received after the end of the comment period,
may not be considered by NMFS. All comments received are a part of the
public record and will generally be posted for public viewing on
<a href="https://www.regulations.gov">https://www.regulations.gov</a> without change. All personal identifying
information (e.g., names, address, etc.), confidential business
information, or otherwise sensitive information submitted voluntarily
by the sender is publicly accessible. NMFS will accept anonymous
comments (enter ``N/A'' in the required fields if you wish to remain
anonymous).
Registration for the virtual listening sessions may be completed
here: <a href="https://www.fisheries.noaa.gov/action/notice-availability-alaska-draft-aquaculture-opportunity-area-options">https://www.fisheries.noaa.gov/action/notice-availability-alaska-draft-aquaculture-opportunity-area-options</a>. The meetings are open to
the public and free to attend.
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Alicia Bishop, 323-366-5659,
<a href="/cdn-cgi/l/email-protection#dbbab7b2b8b2baf5b9b2a8b3b4ab9bb5b4babaf5bcb4ad"><span class="__cf_email__" data-cfemail="5435383d373d357a363d273c3b24143a3b35357a333b22">[email protected]</span></a>.
SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:
Directives
NOAA is identifying AOAs as directed by Executive Order 13921 (E.O.
13921), ``Promoting American Seafood Competitiveness and Economic
Growth'' (May 7, 2020). Identifying AOAs under E.O. 13921 is also
consistent with directives in the National Aquaculture Act of 1980 (16
U.S.C. 2801 et seq.) and the NOAA Marine Aquaculture Policy (2011), for
NOAA to facilitate sustainable aquaculture in the United States.
Identifying AOAs is a non-regulatory planning effort.
Purpose
An AOA is a defined geographic area that NOAA has evaluated through
both spatial analysis and the programmatic NEPA process and may be
environmentally, socially, and economically appropriate to support
multiple commercial aquaculture operations. This notice presents the
preliminary results of a marine spatial planning study developed by
NCCOS and informed by NMFS and the State of Alaska, collectively
referred to as the Gulf of Alaska AOA Siting Team, and invites public
comment on the draft AOA Options within the southeast, southcentral,
and southwest study areas in Alaska State waters as described in the
study. The preliminary results of the marine spatial planning study
used a scoring and ranking process to narrow the results to 97 draft
AOA Options that have high relative suitability scores. In Alaska, the
draft AOA Options include areas:
<bullet> Up to 4,000 acres per study area for subtidal shellfish
and seaweed aquaculture; and
<bullet> Up to 100 acres per study area for intertidal shellfish
aquaculture.
All draft AOA Options occur within Alaska State waters (less than 3
nautical miles from shore) up to 61 meters (200 feet) in depth, and
meet aquaculture species environmental tolerances and gear thresholds
as detailed in the marine spatial planning study. The draft NMFS/NCCOS
marine spatial planning study, An Aquaculture Opportunity Analysis for
the Gulf of Alaska (available at <a href="https://coastalscience.noaa.gov/data_reports/aquaculture-opportunity-analysis-gulf-of-alaska">https://coastalscience.noaa.gov/data_reports/aquaculture-opportunity-analysis-gulf-of-alaska</a>)
summarizes the methods and analysis used to develop the draft AOA
Options and related suitability modeling efforts. This marine spatial
planning study does not reflect any agency decision on the location of
an AOA or foreclose the agency's ability to evaluate alternate
locations. The information within this marine spatial planning study
will be used as one source to assist the agency in identifying AOA
alternatives that may be evaluated in a draft PEIS, and ultimately, in
identifying AOAs. This marine spatial planning study was developed for
the specific purpose of preliminarily
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identifying locations that might be suitable for locating AOAs and
includes limitations specific to that purpose.
Neither the draft AOA Options, nor the AOAs, if any are identified,
are pre-permitted sites. Aquaculture can occur within or outside of
these areas and each project will be required to comply with all
applicable Federal and State laws and regulations regardless of
location.
Requested Information From Interested or Affected Parties
Commenters should be as specific and detailed as possible to help
NMFS understand and address comments, including whether your comment
pertains to a particular part of the Alaska marine spatial planning
study. NMFS recognizes that some information requested below may be
considered privileged or confidential, or contain information about
historical resources. If you determine that the information you wish to
submit may fall under these categories, please do not submit comments
via <a href="http://regulations.gov">regulations.gov</a>, rather contact the agency (contact
<a href="/cdn-cgi/l/email-protection#dcbdb0b5bfb5bdf2beb5afb4b3ac9cb2b3bdbdf2bbb3aa"><span class="__cf_email__" data-cfemail="badbd6d3d9d3db94d8d3c9d2d5cafad4d5dbdb94ddd5cc">[email protected]</span></a>) to discuss options for submission. All
submissions to <a href="http://regulations.gov">regulations.gov</a> will be considered public.
NMFS requests comments regarding the following conditions,
feasibility, and historic or current activities within or around the
Alaska Draft AOA Options:
1. Is there any additional information not included in the marine
spatial planning study for one or more of the draft AOA Options that
could limit their relative economic and technical suitability? For
example:
[cir] Are there additional thresholds that should be applied to
finalize Alaska draft AOA Options, such as, but not limited to: a
maximum distance from port or shore and/or minimum/maximum water depth?
[cir] Are the Alaska draft AOA Options in areas where water quality
and biotoxin samples can be collected and transported to the Alaska
Department of Environmental Conservation's Environmental Health Lab in
Anchorage within the minimum time frames required?
[cir] Are there specific environmental conditions or other factors
that may limit farm access, the number of practical harvest days, gear
deployment, or general viability, etc. that have not been considered?
2. Are there geological, geophysical, biological, or bathymetric
conditions associated with any of the Alaska draft AOA Options that are
not documented in the marine spatial planning study which may impact a
site's viability for aquaculture development? For example, do any of
the sites contain seafloor features that would restrict anchoring gear?
3. Is there any additional information not documented in the marine
spatial planning study regarding the identification of historic
properties, or archaeological and cultural resource sites on the seabed
or shoreline overlapping with the Alaska draft AOA Options? This
includes potential nearshore and coastal archaeological sites or other
historic properties within the areas described in this notice and
onshore historic properties, Traditional Cultural Places, or cultural
resource sites not documented in the marine spatial planning study that
may impact a site's viability for aquaculture development (contact
<a href="/cdn-cgi/l/email-protection#1e7f72777d777f307c776d76716e5e70717f7f30797168"><span class="__cf_email__" data-cfemail="badbd6d3d9d3db94d8d3c9d2d5cafad4d5dbdb94ddd5cc">[email protected]</span></a> for options on how to submit privileged,
confidential, or historical resources information).
4. Is there any additional existing spatial information not
included in the marine spatial planning study about potentially
conflicting uses of one or more of the Alaska draft AOA Options,
including navigation (commercial shipping and recreational vessel use),
fisheries (commercial, recreational, and subsistence), habitat,
protected species, or other potential conflicts (contact
<a href="/cdn-cgi/l/email-protection#1475787d777d753a767d677c7b64547a7b75753a737b62"><span class="__cf_email__" data-cfemail="98f9f4f1fbf1f9b6faf1ebf0f7e8d8f6f7f9f9b6fff7ee">[email protected]</span></a> for options on how to submit privileged,
confidential, or historical resources information)?
5. Is there other relevant socioeconomic, cultural, biological,
and/or environmental spatial data and information not documented in the
marine spatial planning study?
Responses to this request are voluntary. Respondents need not reply
to all questions.
Accessing Documents
Electronic copies of the marine spatial planning study An
Aquaculture Opportunity Analysis for the Gulf of Alaska prepared for
this action are available from <a href="https://www.regulations.gov">https://www.regulations.gov</a> or from the
NMFS Alaska Region website at <a href="https://www.fisheries.noaa.gov/action/notice-availability-alaska-draft-aquaculture-opportunity-area-options">https://www.fisheries.noaa.gov/action/notice-availability-alaska-draft-aquaculture-opportunity-area-options</a>.
Authority: E.O. 13921.
Date: April 8, 2025.
Danielle Blacklock,
Director, Office of Aquaculture, National Marine Fisheries Service,
National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration.
[FR Doc. 2025-07029 Filed 4-22-25; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 3510-22-P
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