Feds OK Sea Otter Harassment for Alaska Harbor Pile-Driving
Published Date: 8/11/2026
Notice
Summary
We, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (FWS), in response to a request under the Marine Mammal Protection Act of 1972, as amended, from the City of Unalaska, propose to authorize incidental take by harassment of small numbers of Southwest Alaska stock northern sea otters (Enhydra lutris kenyoni) for a period of up to 1 year from the date of issuance. The applicant has requested this authorization for take by harassment that may result from activities associated with pile driving and marine construction at the Robert Storrs Harbor in Unalaska, Alaska. This proposed authorization, if finalized, would be for incidental take by Level A harassment and Level B harassment of northern sea otters from the Southwest Alaska stock. We invite comments on the proposed incidental harassment authorization and the accompanying draft environmental assessment from the public, Tribes, and local, State, and Federal agencies.
Analyzed Economic Effects
4 provisions identified: 0 benefits, 3 costs, 1 mixed.
FWS proposes 1‑year sea otter IHA
The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service proposes to authorize incidental take by harassment of small numbers of Southwest Alaska northern sea otters for a period of up to 1 year from the date of issuance. The proposed take would be from pile driving and marine construction at Robert Storrs Harbor in Unalaska, Alaska, and would include both Level A (injury) and Level B (behavioral) harassment.
Estimated harassment counts for sea otters
The FWS estimated specific harassment event counts for the project: Level A harassment events rounded to totals by activity (examples include 2 events for demolition, 8 for impact pile installation, and 15 for rock‑socket installation) and Level B harassment estimates that include a large component from impact pile driving (up to 264 events for impact installation). These estimates are based on sea otter density (maximum used 22.745 sea otters/km2), ensonification modeling, and the planned activity days.
Operational mitigation requirements for project
Project operators must follow mitigation measures during construction, including a 10‑meter (33 ft) physical interaction shutdown zone around sea otters and maintaining a minimum vessel distance of 100 meters (328 ft) from all sea otters. Pile‑driving activities are limited to up to 100 non‑consecutive days over the 1‑year authorization period, and specific pile counts and sizes are defined (e.g., removal of 33 steel piles ≤ 40.6 cm (16 in) and installation of 44 permanent steel piles ≤ 61.0 cm (24 in)).
Subsistence uses: no significant overlap expected
The FWS states the planned project area does not significantly overlap current subsistence sea otter harvest areas within Unalaska city limits and does not anticipate precluding access to hunting areas. The agency will conduct outreach with potentially affected communities and the City of Unalaska will develop a plan of cooperation if any conflicts regarding subsistence use are identified.
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