Regulatory Impact Review/Regulatory Flexibility Act Analysis for the Critical Habitat Designation of Cook Inlet Beluga Whale

This Review/Assessment/Analysis addresses the designation of critical habitat in waters of Cook Inlet, Alaska for the population of Cook Inlet beluga whale (Delphinapterus leucas) under authority of the Endangered Species Act of 1973. The document evaluates the economic, socioeconomic, and other costs and benefits of designating critical habitat for the Cook Inlet beluga whale. This will assist the Secretary of Commerce in determining whether the benefits of excluding any particular area outweigh the benefits of including that area in the designation.

Under provisions of the ESA, when a species is listed as endangered, it is necessary for the listing agency to evaluate whether it is possible and appropriate to designate critical habitat for that species. In the final listing, published on October 22, 2008, NOAA Fisheries proposed to designate the critical habitat for the Cook Inlet beluga whale in a future listing, due to a lack of necessary data and information available at that time.