Incidental Harassment Authorization Proposed for Marine Mammals During Unalaska Harbor Float Replacement Project

The National Marine Fisheries Service (NMFS) has received a formal request from the City of Unalaska (COU), Alaska, seeking authorization to incidentally take — meaning disturb or harass, not kill — marine mammals during the replacement of harbor floats (floating dock sections) at Robert Storrs Harbor, Sections A and B, in Unalaska, Alaska. The construction activities involved are expected to generate underwater noise and physical disturbance that could affect local marine mammal populations. Under the Marine Mammal Protection Act (MMPA), any entity whose activities may incidentally affect marine mammals must obtain an Incidental Harassment Authorization (IHA) from NMFS before proceeding. NMFS is now opening a public comment period to gather input on whether to issue this IHA to the City of Unalaska. The agency will weigh all comments before issuing a final decision. In addition to the primary one-year IHA, NMFS is also soliciting comments on the potential issuance of a one-time, one-year renewal of the authorization, which could be granted under specific conditions without restarting the full review process, provided all statutory and regulatory requirements are satisfied. No final decision has been made. The public comment process is a mandatory step under the MMPA framework, ensuring transparency and opportunity for scientific, environmental, and community input before any marine mammal take authorization is granted.

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