DRAFT ENVIRONMENTAL IMPACT STATEMENT For issuing annual catch limits to the Alaska Eskimo Whaling Commission for a subsistence hunt on bowhead whales for the years 2019 and beyond May 2018 Prepared by U.S. Department of Commerce National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration National Marine Fisheries Service DOC | NOAA | NMFS This page intentionally left blank. Bowhead Whale DEIS | May 2018 ES-ii DOC | NOAA | NMFS Draft Environmental Impact Statement for Issuing Annual Catch Limits to the Alaska Eskimo Whaling Commission for a Subsistence Hunt on Bowhead Whales for the Years 2019 and Beyond May 2018 Lead Agency: U.S. Department of Commerce National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration National Marine Fisheries Service Office of International Affairs and Seafood Inspection Responsible Official: John Henderschedt, Director Office of International Affairs and Seafood Inspection For Further Information Contact: Office of International Affairs and Seafood Inspection Attn: Carolyn Doherty National Marine Fisheries Service 1315 East West Highway, Room 10711 Silver Spring, Maryland 20910 (301) 427-8385 Cooperating Agencies: Alaska Eskimo Whaling Commission Abstract: The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration’s (NOAA) National Marine Fisheries Service (NMFS) proposes to issue annual catch limits to the Alaska Eskimo Whaling Commission (AEWC) to allow continuation of its subsistence hunt for bowhead whales from the Western Arctic stock from 2019 onward, under the Whaling Convention Act (WCA) and the Cooperative Agreement with the Alaska Eskimo Whaling Commission (AEWC), and subject to International Whaling Commission (IWC)-set catch limits. Under the International Convention for the Regulation of Whaling (ICRW), the IWC has adopted management principles for setting subsistence catch limits for the Western Arctic stock of bowhead whales based upon the needs of Native hunters in Alaskan villages and in Russian Federation villages along the Chukotka Peninsula, and may adopt catch limits for specific years. NMFS issues the AEWC the United States’ share of this catch limit. The subsequent hunt is managed under the WCA and the Marine Mammal Protection Act (MMPA), cooperatively by NMFS and the AEWC. The purpose of this action is twofold: to manage the conservation and sustainable subsistence utilization of the Western Arctic stock of bowhead whales (as required under the ICRW, the WCA, the MMPA, and other applicable laws) and to fulfill the Federal Government’s trust responsibility to recognize the cultural and subsistence needs of Alaska Natives. Bowhead Whale DEIS | May 2018 ES-iii DOC | NOAA | NMFS The IWC will conduct its next meeting in September 2018 in Florianopolis, Brazil, and based on the management advice of the IWC Scientific Committee, is likely to adopt a catch limit for 2019 through 2024 or 2025 at the same or similar levels as the previous quota block. This DEIS considers five Alternatives and Alternative 4 is the preferred alternative. Under Alternative 4, NMFS would grant the AEWC the U.S. portion of a maximum annual strike limit of 100 strikes, i.e., 67 annual strikes plus up to 33 unused strikes from previous years which can be carried forward, subject to limits, and added to the annual strike quota of subsequent years. These strike limits would be subject to the U.S. portion of a maximum total of 336 landed whales over any six-year period. This Alternative is preferred because it meets the purpose and need of this action, and it achieves the socio-cultural benefits of the subsistence hunt at minimal environmental cost. Bowhead Whale DEIS | May 2018 ES-iv DOC | NOAA | NMFS This page intentionally left blank. Bowhead Whale DEIS | May 2018 ES-v DOC | NOAA | NMFS DRAFT ENVIRONMENTAL IMPACT STATEMENT FOR ISSUING ANNUAL CATCH LIMITS TO THE ALASKA ESKIMO WHALING COMMISSION FOR A SUBSISTENCE HUNT ON BOWHEAD WHALES FOR THE YEARS 2019 AND BEYOND Prepared by U.S. Department of Commerce National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration National Marine Fisheries Service May 2018 Bowhead Whale DEIS | May 2018 ES-vi DOC | NOAA | NMFS This page intentionally left blank. Bowhead Whale DEIS | May 2018 ES-vii DOC | NOAA | NMFS List of Tables Table Number Table Title Page Number Table ES-1 Bowhead Whale Subsistence Harvest EIS Effects at a Glance ES-xxxii Table ES-2 Summary of Direct, Indirect, and Cumulative Effects of the ES-xxxv Alternatives and Other Activities in the Project Area on Bowhead Whales Table ES-3 Summary of Direct, Indirect, and Cumulative Effects of the ES-xxxviii Alternatives and Other Activities in the Project Area on Other Wildlife Table ES-4 Summary of Direct, Indirect, and Cumulative Effects of the ES-xl Alternatives and Other Activities in the Project Area on the Sociocultural Environment Table 3.4-1 AEWC Community Population and Ethnicity 2000-2010 83 Table 3.4-2 Portion of AEWC Community Residents Living Below Poverty Level 84 Table 3.5-1 Estimated Edible Pounds of Bowhead Whale 2007 – 2017 86 Table 3.5-2 Community Subsistence Harvest Levels by Species Group (Pounds 87 per Capita) Table 3.5-3 Proportion of Subsistence Food Provided by Taxa 88 Table 3.5-4 Rates of Participation in Bowhead Subsistence Activities 89 Table 4.1-1 Criteria for Determining Impact Level for Effects on Bowhead 116 Whales Table 4.1-2 Criteria for Determining Impact Level for Effects on Other Wildlife 117 Table 4.1-3 Criteria for Determining Impact Level for Effects on Socio-cultural 118 Resources Table 4.1-4 Past, Present, and RFFAs Considered in the Impact Analyses 124 Table 4.1-5 RFFAs Considered in the Cumulative Impact Analyses 126 Table 4.6.3-1 Percentage occurrence of observed reactions by spring-migrating 160 bowhead and beluga whales to helicopter and fixed-wing aircraft, overall and by aircraft altitude and lateral distance Table 4.6.6-1 Past, Present, and Reasonably Foreseeable Future Actions Related to 169 Mining in the Project Area Table 4.11-1 Summary of Direct, Indirect, and Cumulative Effects of the 199 Alternatives and Other Activities in the Project Area on Bowhead Whales Table 4.11-2 Summary of Direct, Indirect, and Cumulative Effects of the 202 Alternatives and Other Activities in the Project Area on Other Wildlife Table 4.11-3 Summary of Direct, Indirect, and Cumulative Effects of the 204 Bowhead Whale DEIS | May 2018 ES-viii DOC | NOAA | NMFS Alternatives and Other Activities in the Project Area on the Sociocultural Environment Bowhead Whale DEIS | May 2018 ES-ix DOC | NOAA | NMFS List of Figures Figure Number Figure Title Page Number Figure 1.1.2-1 Historic and Current Bowhead Whaling Villages in Alaska, Canada, 2 and the Russian Federation. Figure 3.2-1 Circumpolar area occupied by the four bowhead whale stocks 30 Figure 3.2.1-1 Abundance estimates for the Western Arctic stock of bowhead 32 whales, 1978-2011 (Givens et al. 2013), as computed from ice- based counts, acoustic data, and aerial transect data collected during bowhead whale spring migrations past Point Barrow, Alaska. Figure 3.2.1-2 Annual number of Western Arctic bowhead whales landed and 37 struck by Alaska Native villages in Alaska, 1998-2016. Figure 3.2.1-3 Range map for Western Arctic bowhead whales based on satellite 38 telemetry data. Figure 3.2.1-4 Core-use areas of Western Arctic bowhead whales (n = 54) tagged 40 with satellite transmitters (2006-2011). Figure 3.2.3-1 Number of bowhead whales landed by subsistence hunters in 44 the U.S., Canada and the Russian Federation, 1974-2016. Figure 3.2.4-1 Blubber concentrations of PCBs and DDTs determined in male 49 bowhead whales sampled in 1992 and 1993. Figure 3.2.7-1 Increase in Arctic vessel activity from 2008-2013 52 Figure 3.2.7-2 Vessel track lines for vessels of 400 gross tons or greater 53 (excluding fishing vessels), with proposed United States and Russian Federation two-way vessel traffic routes in the Bering Strait and Bering Sea shown in red. Figure 3.5-1 Bowhead whale subsistence use areas. U.S. Beaufort and Chukchi 92 Seas. 2011. Figure 3.5.2-1 Summary of the number of bowhead whales landed by year in 99 each village between 1974 and 2016. Figure 3.5.2-2 Total of Western Arctic bowhead whales landed by AEWC villages 101 from 1974-2016. Figure 3.5.2-3 Efficiency of the Western Arctic bowhead whale subsistence hunt, 104 1973- 2016 Figure 4.6.3-1 Received levels of underwater sound from (A) Bell 212 helicopter 159 and (B) Twin Otter fixed-wing aircraft flying directly overhead vs. aircraft altitude, hydrophone depth, and (for Twin Otter) airspeed. Bowhead Whale DEIS | May 2018 ES-x DOC | NOAA | NMFS List of Acronyms and Abbreviations 2-D two-dimensional 3-D three-dimensional AAC Alaska Administrative Code ABF Alaska Board of Fisheries ACIA Arctic Climate Impact Assessment ADF&G Alaska Department of Fish and Game AEWC Alaska Eskimo Whaling Commission AGIA Alaska Gasline Inducement Act AMAP Arctic Monitoring and Assessment Programme AOGCM Atmosphere-Ocean Global Climate Model APP Alaska Pipeline Project ASAMM Aerial Survey of Arctic Marine Mammals ASAP Alaska Stand Alone Gas Pipeline AWI Animal Welfare Institute AWSC Alaska Waterways Safety Committee BCBS Bering-Chuckchi-Beaufort Seas Bcf billion cubic feet BOEM Bureau of Ocean Energy Management BOEMRE Bureau of Ocean Energy Management, Regulation and Enforcement BPXA BP Exploration BWASP Bowhead Whale Aerial Survey Project CAA Conflict Avoidance Agreement Cd cadmium CEQ Council on Environmental Quality CFR Code of Federal Regulations CI Confidence Interval cm centimeters CO2 carbon dioxide COP ConocoPhillips Company COPA ConocoPhillips