Biological Opinion (NMFS) for the U.S. Department of the Navy for the Ice Exercise 2026 Arctic project, Prudhoe Bay, Alaska

NMFS Consultation Number:  AKRO-2025-01949

This opinion considers the effects of the Navy’s Ice Exercise (ICEX26) in the winter/spring of 2026. The proposed action involves the establishment of a temporary base camp on Arctic ice in the Beaufort Sea approximately 100–200 nautical miles (nm) north of Prudhoe Bay, Alaska.

The action may affect the threatened Arctic subspecies of ringed seal.

This biological opinion is based on information provided in the July 2025 Biological Assessment and the May 2025 Request for an Incidental Harassment Authorization (IHA). Other sources of information relied upon include clarifying emails between NMFS and Navy staff, stock assessment reports, monitoring reports, and relevant peer reviewed literature. A complete record of this consultation is on file at NMFS’s Anchorage, Alaska office.