Biological Opinion National Marine Fisheries Service, Office of Protected Resources, Permits and Conservation Division Eareckson Air Station Long-term Fuel Pier Repairs, Shemya Island, Alaska

This opinion considers the effects of all the in-water activates including vessel transit of materials and construction barges, instillation of steel H piles and pipe-combi-wall system, and excavation for the new engineered revetment along the western shoreline. Including in water screening for the Military Explosives of Concern (MEC) and the effects of the proposed issuance of an IHA on the endangered western distinct population segment (DPS) Steller sea lion, threatened Mexico DPS humpback whale, the endangered Central American and Western North Pacific humpback whale, endangered sei whale, endangered fin whale, endangered Western North Pacific gray whale, endangered blue whale, endangered North Pacific right whale, endangered Cook Inlet beluga whale, endangered Southern Resident DPS killer whale, and endangered sperm whale. Steller sea lion critical habitat occurs within the project area including three haulouts (Alaid, Nizki, and Shemya) whose 20-kilometer zone spatially overlap with the ensonified zone (or harassment zone). Project dedicated vessel will transit through critical habitat for the Western North Pacific and Central America DPS humpback whales, Cook Inlet beluga whale, and Steller sea lion. Vessel traffic has the potential to transit through critical habitat for Mexico DPS humpback whale, Southern Resident killer whale, and North Pacific right whale. There is no critical habitat designated for sperm whales, fin whales, blue whales, sei whales, or gray whales. No critical habitat has been proposed for the sunflower sea star at this time.

The proposed action will repair the only pier on Shemya Island. The repair to the fuel pier will include installing a steel combination wall system around the current pier, installing an engineered revetment, and setting-up a barge landing zone. The project will also include
project specific vessels expected to start Spring 2024 and expected completion in 2026. The in-water work is expected to occur from April 1, 2024 through March 31, 2025 with project specific vessel transits occurring in 2024, 2025, and 2026.

This opinion is based on information provided in the October, 2023, Biological Assessment (BA) and the proposed IHA. Other sources of information relied upon include consultation communications (emails and virtual meetings, monitoring reports). A complete record of this consultation is on file at NMFS’s Juneau, Alaska office.