United States Department of the Interior U.S. FISH AND WILDLIFE SERVICE Anchorage Fish and Wildlife Conservation Office 4700 BLM Road IN REPLY REFER TO: FWS/AFES/AFWCO Anchorage, Alaska 99507-2546 May 26, 2017 Memorandum To: Dr. James Kendall, Bureau of Ocean Energy Management, Anchorage, Alaska From: for Stewart Cogswell, Anchorage Fish and Wildlife Conservation Office, U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, Anchorage, Alaska Subject: Biological Opinion on Lease Sale 244 (Consultation 2016-F-0226) This document transmits the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service’s (Service) biological opinion based on our review of the Bureau of Ocean Energy Management’s (BOEM) proposed oil and gas Lease Sale 244 and its effects on the federally threatened Alaska breeding Steller’s eider (Polysticta stelleri), the federally threatened southwest Alaska distinct population segment (DPS) of northern sea otter (Enhydra lutris kenyoni), and designated critical habitat for the southwest Alaska DPS of northern sea otter, in accordance with section 7 of the Endangered Species Act (ESA) of 1973, as amended (16 U.S.C. 1531 et seq.). We received your July 13, 2016, request for formal consultation on July 26, 2016. We have based this biological opinion on information that accompanied your July 13, 2016, request for consultation, including the Draft Environmental Impact Statement (BOEM 2016a) and biological assessment (BOEM 2016b) for oil and gas activities associated with Lease Sale 244. We can make available a record of this consultation at the Anchorage Fish and Wildlife Office. Consultation History The following is a summary of the consultation history for this project: • July 26, 2016, the Service received a Biological Assessment and request from BOEM to initiate formal consultation for effects caused by activities from oil and gas lease sale 244 in lower Cook Inlet. • August 25, 2016, the Service requested, by letter, additional information from BOEM. • September 7, 2016, Service staff met with BOEM staff to discuss additional information needs. • October 7, 2016, the Service received from BOEM a revised Biological Assessment, which addressed the Service’s August 25th request for additional information. • December 21, 2016, the Service received additional information from BOEM as revisions to the October 7th Biological Assessment. BOEM submitted to the Service their Preferred Alternative from the Cook Inlet LS 244 Final Environmental Impact Statement. • January 10, 2017, the Service acknowledged receipt of BOEM’s additional information, and indicated that this receipt of information on December 21, 2016, constituted the official initiation of formal consultation. Thank you for your cooperation in meeting our joint responsibilities under section 7 of the ESA. If you have questions, please contact Mr. Kevin Foley of our office at [email protected] or (907) 271-2788. Attachment: Biological Opinion BIOLOGICAL OPINION For the Oil and Gas Activities associated with Lease Sale 244 Consultation with Bureau of Ocean Energy Management and Bureau of Safety and Environmental Enforcement Prepared by: Anchorage Fish and Wildlife Conservation Office U. S. Fish and Wildlife Service 4700 BLM Rd Anchorage, AK 99507 26 May 2017 Table of Contents 1 INTRODUCTION ................................................................................................................................ 1 2 THE PROPOSED ACTION ................................................................................................................. 2 2.2 Description of the Proposed Action .............................................................................................. 3 2.3 First Incremental Step ................................................................................................................... 5 2.3.1 Marine Seismic Surveys ........................................................................................................ 5 2.3.2 Geohazard Surveys ............................................................................................................... 9 2.3.3 Geotechnical Surveys .......................................................................................................... 11 2.3.4 Exploration and Delineation Drilling .................................................................................. 11 2.3.5 Oil Spill Response Drills ..................................................................................................... 14 2.3.6 Transportation ..................................................................................................................... 14 2.4 Future Incremental Steps ............................................................................................................ 15 2.4.1 Development Activities ....................................................................................................... 15 2.4.2 Infrastructure Development ................................................................................................ 19 2.4.3 Transportation ..................................................................................................................... 20 2.4.4 Production Activities........................................................................................................... 21 2.4.5 Decommissioning Activities ............................................................................................... 21 2.4.6 Discharges ........................................................................................................................... 22 2.5 Mitigation Measures ................................................................................................................... 23 2.5.1 Lease Sale 244 Stipulations ................................................................................................ 24 2.6 Mitigation Measures Associated with First and Future Incremental Step Activities .................. 26 2.6.1 Seismic Operations ............................................................................................................. 26 2.6.2 Exploration and Delineation Drilling .................................................................................. 32 2.6.3 Opportunities for Intervention and Spill Response ............................................................. 33 3 ANALYTICAL FRAMEWORK FOR THE JEOPARDY AND ADVERSE MODIFICATION DETERMINATIONS ................................................................................................................................. 34 3.1 Jeopardy Determination .............................................................................................................. 34 3.2 Adverse Modification Determination ......................................................................................... 35 4 STATUS OF LISTED SPECIES AND CRITICAL HABITAT ......................................................... 36 4.1 Alaska-Breeding Steller’s Eider .................................................................................................. 36 4.1.1 Range-wide Trends ............................................................................................................. 38 4.1.2 Population Size ................................................................................................................... 38 i 4.1.3 Population Structure ............................................................................................................ 40 4.1.4 Seasonal Distribution Patterns ............................................................................................ 40 4.1.5 Site Fidelity ......................................................................................................................... 44 4.1.6 Life History ......................................................................................................................... 44 4.1.7 Threats to the Species ......................................................................................................... 45 4.1.8 Steller’s Eider Recovery Criteria ........................................................................................ 48 4.2 Southwest Alaska DPS of Northern Sea Otter ............................................................................ 49 4.2.1 Status and Distribution ........................................................................................................ 50 4.2.2 Population Trends ............................................................................................................... 53 4.2.3 Foraging Ecology ................................................................................................................ 55 4.2.4 Threats to the Species ......................................................................................................... 56 4.2.5 Sea Otter Recovery Criteria ................................................................................................ 62 4.3 Northern Sea Otter Critical Habitat ............................................................................................ 62 4.3.1 Critical Habitat Status ......................................................................................................... 62 4.3.2 Threats to Critical Habitat ................................................................................................... 63 5 ENVIRONMENTAL BASELINE ...................................................................................................... 64 5.1 Alaska-Breeding Steller’s