Notice of Intent to Prepare a Programmatic Environmental Impact Statement for the Identification of Aquaculture Opportunity Areas in Alaska State Waters and Conduct Public Scoping
Summary
NOAA Fisheries published a Notice of Intent to prepare a Programmatic Environmental Impact Statement (PEIS) to evaluate alternatives for identifying Aquaculture Opportunity Areas (AOAs) in state waters within the Gulf of Alaska. The PEIS will evaluate the potential impacts of identifying one or more AOAs in state waters of the Gulf of Alaska and of siting aquaculture facilities (seaweed, shellfish) in those locations. This notice represents the beginning of the 45-day public comment period.
NOAA Fisheries is proposing to analyze the impacts of two alternatives in the PEIS:
- (Alternative 1) a no action alternative
- (Alternative 2) identifying AOAs in one or more of the 77 AOA options described in the Alaska Aquaculture Atlas.
During this public scoping process, interested parties are invited to provide: data, comments, views, information, analysis, alternatives, or suggestions on the proposed action.
The comment deadline is May 28, 2026 for written comments.
The public may submit comments by any of the following methods:
Electronic Submission:
Submit all electronic public comments via the Federal e-Rulemaking Portal. Go to https://www.regulations.gov and enter NOAA-NMFS-2023-0113 in the Search box. Click on the “Comment” icon, complete the required fields, and enter or attach your comments.
Mail:
Submit written information to Jon Kurland, Regional Administrator for Alaska Region NMFS, Attn: Records Office. Mail comments to P.O. Box 21668, Juneau, AK 99802-1668.
Scoping Meetings & Oral Comments:
NOAA Fisheries will hold two virtual scoping meetings for the collection of oral comments at the following dates and times:
- Wednesday, April 22, 2026 | Transcript Link
- Tuesday, April 28, 2026 | Transcript Link
The meetings are open to the public and free to attend. Transcripts and associated slides will be available after the meetings.
Federal Register
- Notice of Intent (91 FR 18832)
Supporting Materials
- The NCCOS Alaska Aquaculture Atlas is a technical document that provides peer-reviewed geospatial planning information and summarizes the methods and analysis used to identify the Final AOA Options.
- The NCCOS Gulf of Alaska Aquaculture Digital Atlas shows the layers for individual maps contained in the marine spatial planning study as well as the locations of the Final AOA Options.