NATIONAL MARINE FISHERIES SERVICE ENDANGERED SPECIES ACT SECTION 7 BIOLOGICAL OPINION Title: Biological Opinion on the National Science Foundation-funded seismic survey in the North Pacific Ocean, and issuance of an Incidental Harassment Authorization pursuant to section 101(a)(5)(D) of the Marine Mammal Protection Act (MMPA) Consultation Conducted By: Endangered Species Act Interagency Cooperation Division, Office of Protected Resources, National Marine Fisheries Service, National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, U.S. Department of Commerce Action Agency: National Science Foundation-Division of Ocean Sciences and the National Oceanic Atmospheric Administration National Marine Fisheries Service-Office of Protected Resources- Permits and Conservation Division Publisher: Office of Protected Resources, National Marine Fisheries Service, National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, U.S. Department of Commerce Approved: Donna S. Wieting Director, Office of Protected Resources Date: ________________ Consultation Tracking number: FPR-2018-9269 Digital Object Identifier (DOI): https://doi.org/10.25923/x4cz-m017 This page left blank intentionally NSF Seismic Survey in the North Pacific Ocean and NMFS IHA Issuance Tracking No. FPR-2018-9269 TABLE OF CONTENTS Page 1 Introduction ........................................................................................................................... 1 1.1 Background ...................................................................................................................... 2 1.2 Consultation History ........................................................................................................ 2 2 The Assessment Framework ................................................................................................ 3 3 Description of the Proposed Action ..................................................................................... 5 3.1 Proposed Activities: National Science Foundation .......................................................... 6 3.1.1 Main Hawaiian Islands: Survey Overview and Schedule ......................................... 6 3.1.2 Emperor Seamounts: Survey Overview and Schedule ............................................. 6 3.1.3 Source Vessel Specifications .................................................................................... 7 3.1.4 Air Gun Description .................................................................................................. 7 3.1.5 Ocean Bottom Seismometer Deployment ................................................................. 8 3.1.6 Multibeam Echosounder, Sub-bottom Profiler, and Acoustic Doppler Current Profiler ....................................................................................................................... 9 3.1.7 Mitigation and Monitoring ...................................................................................... 10 3.2 Proposed Activities: NMFS Permits and Conservation Division’s Incidental Harassment Authorization ........................................................................................................ 13 4 Action Area .......................................................................................................................... 13 5 Interrelated and Interdependent Actions ......................................................................... 17 6 Potential Stressors ............................................................................................................... 17 7 Species and Critical Habitat that May be Affected ......................................................... 17 7.1 Species Not Likely to be Adversely Affected ................................................................ 19 7.1.1 Western Distinct Population Segment Steller Sea Lion and Critical Habitat ......... 19 7.1.2 Hawaiian Monk Seal Critical Habitat ..................................................................... 21 7.1.3 Elasmobranchs—Oceanic Whitetip Shark and Giant Manta Ray .......................... 23 7.1.4 Southern Distinct Population Segment Green Sturgeon ......................................... 25 7.1.5 Designated Critical Habitat not in the Action Area ................................................ 26 8 Species and Critical Habitat Likely to be Adversely Affected ........................................ 26 8.1 Status of Species and Critical Habitat Likely to be Adversely Affected ....................... 27 8.1.1 Blue Whale.............................................................................................................. 28 8.1.2 Fin Whale ................................................................................................................ 31 8.1.3 Sei Whale ................................................................................................................ 34 8.1.4 Sperm Whale ........................................................................................................... 36 8.1.5 False Killer Whale Main Hawaiian Islands Insular Distinct Population Segment 39 8.1.6 Gray Whale ............................................................................................................. 43 i NSF Seismic Survey in the North Pacific Ocean and NMFS IHA Issuance Tracking No. FPR-2018-9269 8.1.7 North Pacific Right Whale ...................................................................................... 47 8.1.8 Humpback Whale Western North Pacific Distinct Population Segment ................ 50 8.1.9 Hawaiian Monk Seal ............................................................................................... 54 8.1.10 Loggerhead Sea Turtle North Pacific Ocean Distinct Population Segment ........... 57 8.1.11 Leatherback Sea Turtle ........................................................................................... 60 8.1.12 Olive Ridley Sea Turtle .......................................................................................... 63 8.1.13 Green Sea Turtle North Pacific Distinct Population Segment ................................ 67 8.1.14 Hawksbill Sea Turtle ............................................................................................... 70 9 Environmental Baseline ..................................................................................................... 73 9.1 Climate Change .............................................................................................................. 74 9.2 Oceanic Temperature Regimes ...................................................................................... 76 9.3 Disease ........................................................................................................................... 77 9.4 Invasive Species ............................................................................................................. 78 9.5 Pollution ......................................................................................................................... 78 9.5.1 Marine Debris ......................................................................................................... 79 9.5.2 Pesticides and Contaminants................................................................................... 80 9.5.3 Hydrocarbons .......................................................................................................... 81 9.6 Scientific and Research Activities .................................................................................. 82 9.7 Commercial Fisheries and Incidental Capture ............................................................... 83 9.8 Historic and Current Harvest .......................................................................................... 85 9.9 Vessel Strike ................................................................................................................... 87 9.10 Anthropogenic Sound ..................................................................................................... 89 9.11 Synthesis of Baseline Impacts ........................................................................................ 91 10 Effects of the Action ............................................................................................................ 91 10.1 Stressors Associated with the Proposed Action ............................................................. 92 10.1.1 Pollution by Oil or Fuel Leakage ............................................................................ 92 10.1.2 Vessel Strike ........................................................................................................... 93 10.1.3 Disturbance from Engine Noise .............................................................................. 93 10.1.4 Gear Entanglement .................................................................................................. 94 10.2 Mitigation to Minimize or Avoid Exposure ................................................................... 94 10.3 Exposure Analysis .......................................................................................................... 94 10.3.1 Exposure of Endangered Species Act-Listed Whales to Airguns ........................... 98 10.3.2 Exposure of Endangered Species Act-Listed Pinnipeds to Airguns ..................... 103 10.3.3 Exposure of Endangered Species Act-Listed Sea Turtles to Airguns ................... 104 10.3.4 Exposure of Main Hawaiian Islands Insular False Killer Whale Critical Habitat to Airguns ..............................................................................................................