Biological Opinion Alaska Marine Lines’ Lutak Dock RoRo Modification Project, Lutak Inlet, Haines, AK (POA-2019-00108)

The action agencies in this document are NMFS, Office of Protected Resources Permits and Conservation Division and the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, Alaska District, Regulatory Division. The NMFS Division proposes to issue an incidental harassment authorization permitting Marine Mammal Protection Act Level B take of western Distinct Population Segment Steller sea lions and Mexico Distinct Population Segment humpback whales. The Corps of Engineers proposes to issue a Department of the Army permit to authorize removal and installation of structures in navigable waters of the United States.  These authorizations are associated with Alaska Marine Lines’ proposal to replace the existing degraded roll-on/roll-off steel cargo bridge ramp on the west side of the existing Lutak Dock. The dock is located approximately four miles north of Haines, Alaska, in Lutak Inlet. The work window is between mid-June and the end of October 2020.  The consulting agency for this proposal is NMFS’s Alaska Region (AKR). This document represents AKR’s biological opinion on the effects of this proposal on endangered and threatened species and designated critical habitat.