RECEIVED 12/28/2017 PUBLIC INFORMATION OCS PERMIT 18-01 Resource Evaluation, AOCSR Hillcorp Alaska, LLC LOWER COOK INLET 2018 AIRBORNE GRAVITY AND MAGNETIC DATA SURVEY ENVIRONMENTAL EVALUATION DOCUMENT Hilcorp Alaska, LLC 3800 CenterPoint Drive, Suite 1400 Anchorage, Alaska 99503 Submitted December 28, 2017 RECEIVED 12/28/2017 PUBLIC INFORMATION OCS PERMIT 18-01 Resource Evaluation, AOCSR Hillcorp Alaska, LLC Page intentionally left blank RECEIVED 12/28/2017 PUBLIC INFORMATION OCS PERMIT 18-01 Resource Evaluation, AOCSR Hillcorp Alaska, LLC CONTENTS ACRONYMS ........................................................................................................................................................... iii 1. INTRODUCTION ........................................................................................................................................... 1 1.1 Survey Design ........................................................................................................................................... 1 1.2 Aircraft ..................................................................................................................................................... 3 1.2.1 Fixed Wing .............................................................................................................................. 3 1.2.2 Helicopter ............................................................................................................................... 4 1.3 Dates, Duration and Region of Activity .................................................................................................... 4 2. AFFECTED ENVIRONMENT AND ENVIRONMENTAL CONSEQUENCES ........................................................... 5 2.1 Physical Environment ............................................................................................................................... 5 2.1.1 Climate and Meteorology ....................................................................................................... 5 2.1.2 Physical Oceanography, Bathymetry, and Geology ............................................................... 7 2.1.4 Water Quality ....................................................................................................................... 10 2.1.5 Acoustic Environment .......................................................................................................... 11 2.1.5.1 Aircraft Noise from the Proposed Survey ......................................................... 12 2.1.5.2 Aircraft Noise from the Proposed Survey ......................................................... 12 2.2 Biological Environment .......................................................................................................................... 12 2.2.1 Invertebrates and Lower Trophic Organisms ....................................................................... 12 2.2.2 Fish and Shellfish .................................................................................................................. 13 2.2.2.1 Essential Fish Habitat ........................................................................................ 13 2.2.3 Marine Mammals ................................................................................................................. 14 2.2.3.1 Humpack Whale................................................................................................ 14 2.2.3.2 Minke Whale..................................................................................................... 16 2.2.3.3 Killer Whale ....................................................................................................... 16 2.2.3.4 Gray Whale ....................................................................................................... 17 2.2.3.5 Cook Inlet Beluga Whale ................................................................................... 18 2.2.3.6 Harbor Porpoise ................................................................................................ 20 2.2.3.7 Dall’s Porpoise .................................................................................................. 20 2.2.3.8 Harbor Seal ....................................................................................................... 21 2.2.3.9 Steller Sea Lion ................................................................................................. 22 2.2.3.10 Northern Sea Otter ........................................................................................... 23 2.2.3.11 General Effects of Noise on Marine Mammals ................................................. 24 2.2.3.12 Potential Effects of Aircraft Sound on Marine Mammals ................................. 25 2.2.3.13 Measures to Mitigate Impacts to Marine Mammals ........................................ 26 2.2.4 Birds ...................................................................................................................................... 26 2.2.4.1 Potential Effects on Birds .................................................................................. 29 2.3 Sociocultural Environment ..................................................................................................................... 29 RECEIVED 12/28/2017 PUBLIC INFORMATION OCS PERMIT 18-01 Resource Evaluation, AOCSR Hillcorp Alaska, LLC 2.3.1 Fishing .................................................................................................................................. 29 2.3.1.1 Commercial Fishing ........................................................................................... 29 2.3.1.2 Personal Use Fisheries ...................................................................................... 30 2.3.1.3 Sport Fisheries .................................................................................................. 31 2.3.1.4 Potential Effects on Fisheries ........................................................................... 33 2.3.2 Subsistence Activities ........................................................................................................... 33 2.3.2.1 Subsistence Use of Marine Mammals .............................................................. 33 2.3.2.2 Subsistence Fisheries ........................................................................................ 35 2.3.2.3 Potential Effects on Subsistence Activities ....................................................... 35 2.3.3 Recreation and Tourism ....................................................................................................... 36 2.3.4 Environmental Justice .......................................................................................................... 36 3. REFERENCES .............................................................................................................................................. 37 FIGURES Figure 1 Map of Project Area ...................................................................................................................... 2 Figure 2. Example of Gravity Gradiometry Data Results. ............................................................................. 3 Figure 3. Example of Fixed Wing Magnetic Data Results. ............................................................................ 3 Figure 4 Fixed Wing Aircraft Used to Collect Gravity and Magnetic Data ................................................... 4 Figure 5 Rotor Wing Aircraft Used to Collect Gravity and Magnetic Data. ................................................. 4 Figure 6 Cook Inlet Bathymetry ................................................................................................................... 8 TABLES Table 1 Cook Inlet Meteorology ................................................................................................................ 6 Table 2 Summary of Received Sound Levels, the Distance to the Noise and the Frequency of Various Noise Sources in Cook Inlet. ........................................................................................................ 11 Table 3 Essential Fish Habitat in Project Area .......................................................................................... 13 Table 4 Marine Mammals in Project Area ................................................................................................ 14 Table 5 Birds Occurring in and Adjacent to the Cook Inlet Lease Sale 244 .............................................. 27 Table 6 2017 Commercial Harvest Estimates of Groundfish in the Cook Inlet ........................................ 29 Table 7 Personal Use Fisheries in Cook Inlet ............................................................................................ 30 Table 8 Sport Fisheries in Lower Cook Inlet ............................................................................................. 32 Table 9 Marine Mammal Co-Management Groups ................................................................................. 34 Table 10 Subsistence Fisheries in Cook Inlet .............................................................................................. 35 RECEIVED 12/28/2017 PUBLIC INFORMATION OCS PERMIT 18-01 Resource Evaluation, AOCSR Hillcorp Alaska, LLC ACRONYMS °C Degrees Celsius 4MP Marine Mammal Monitoring and Mitigation Plan AAAQS Alaska Ambient Air Quality Standards AAC Alaska Administrative Code ADEC Alaska Department of Environmental Conservation ADF&G Alaska Department of Fish