Biological Opinion National Marine Fisheries Service, Office of Protected Resources, Permits and Conservation Division Port of Alaska North Extension Stabilization Step 1, Anchorage, Alaska

This opinion considers the effects of pile driving activities, including
vibratory and impact pile driving. These actions have the potential to affect the endangered
Cook Inlet beluga whale (Delphinapterus leucas), threatened Mexico distinct population
segment (DPS) humpback whale (Megaptera novaeangliae), endangered Western North Pacific
(WNP) DPS humpback whale, endangered Western DPS Steller sea lion (Eumetopias jubatus),
and Cook Inlet beluga whale critical habitat. There is no critical habitat for Mexico or WNP
DPS humpback whales or Steller sea lions in the action area. The nearest critical habitat for
the Mexico and WNP DPS humpback whale is located over 200 kilometers (km) from the action
area (86 FR 21082, April 21, 2021), as is the nearest Steller sea lion critical habitat (58 FR
45269, August 27, 1993). The Port of Alaska is considered outside the range of the proposed
Sunflower sea star (Pycnopodia helianthoides).

This opinion is based on information provided in the IHA application, the proposed IHA (88 FR
76576, November 6, 2023), and the POA’s Biological Assessment. Other sources of information
relied upon include consultation communications (emails and virtual meetings), recent
consultations completed in the same region, previous monitoring reports, and marine
mammal surveys conducted in Cook Inlet. A complete record of this consultation is on file at
NMFS’s Anchorage, Alaska office.