Identifying Information Needs and Research Priorities for the North Aleutian Basin of Alaska Fish and Fisheries Working Group John Hayse North Aleutian Basin Information Status and Research Planning Meeting Minerals Management Service Anchorage, Alaska November 28—December 1, 2006

2 Meeting Goal Recommend research to support an assessment of the potential environmental impacts of oil and gas development in the North Aleutian Basin program area on marine, coastal, and human resources

3 Working Group Goal Develop specific study profiles in topical area to support assessments related to two proposed lease sales Each lease would require an assessment of different phases of activities –EIS prior to sale –Post-lease EA on exploration activities –EIS of construction and operations MMS will prioritize and fund study projects in the area, beginning in FY07

4 Elements of MMS Study Profiles Need for study and relevance to MMS mission Study objectives including hypotheses to be tested Methods Timing including start date and duration Cost and level of effort

5 Several Types of Studies Can Be Considered Analyses of existing data sets Resource inventories Studies of trends in status and distribution Targeted research to address topical areas Model development Database development

6 Worksheets Will Be Used to Structure Discussions and Arrive at Study Recommendations Impacting factors associated with oil and gas development including duration and spatial extent of impact Identification and prioritization of resources potentially affected by oil and gas development Identification and prioritization of resource attributes potentially affected by oil and gas development Identify and prioritize linkages between impacting factors and resource attributes Identify current state of knowledge of resources and impacts Identify and prioritize studies of resources and impacts

7 Impacting Factors Worksheet

8 Resources Worksheet

9 Resource Attributes Worksheet

10 Linkages Worksheet

11 Information Status Worksheet

12 Recommended Studies Worksheet

13 Considerations for Identifying Information Needs and Recommended Studies Need to view North Aleutian Basin as a “system” of interdependent parts Focus on important parts (resources) of the system that are relevant to assessment of impacts –Which resources could be most affected by oil and gas development actions? –Which activities and impacting factors could have the most important effects? –What other factors could affect the resources of interest? Look for opportunities to identify representative species or groups for study

14 What makes a resource or resource attribute important? –Ecological value Importance to system Sustainability of resource or system Rarity –Economic value –Societal or cultural value What makes an impacting factor important? –Duration –Magnitude –Spatial extent of effect –Importance of the resource affected Prioritization

15 Impact Analysis Terminology  Oil and Gas Development  Activity Phase (e.g., exploration, construction, operations, decommissioning)  Activity (e.g., seismic surveys, drilling, trenching)  Impacting Factor (e.g., noise, disturbance of substrate, traffic, accidents)  Affected Resource (e.g., species, habitats, economy, subsistence use)  Affected Resource Attribute (e.g., species life stage, special use areas, jobs, hunting, recreational fishing)

16 Impacting Factors Impacting factors are those aspects of an action that result in impact Examples: –Noise generated by seismic surveys –Habitat disturbance caused by trenching –Ship traffic during operations

17 Resources Resources are biological, physical, cultural, and socioeconomic components of the Basin Examples: –Sea otter –Groundfish –Nearshore ecological communities –Demographic patterns –Subsistence –Jobs –Public services

18 Resource Attributes Resource attributes are those characteristics of the resource that are of greatest concern or importance for sustainability Examples: –Migration pathways –Food resources –Breeding areas –Important life stages

19 Simple Impact Model Oil and Gas Development Exploration Resources And Resource Attributes Affected Resources And Resource Attributes Affected Resources and Resource Attributes Affected Operation Resources and Resource Attributes Affected Decommissioning Resources and Resource Attributes Affected Seismic Surveys and Test Wells Spills Seismic Surveys and Test Wells Spills Construction Noise Vessel Traffic Spills Noise Vessel Traffic Spills Noise Explosives Vessel Traffic Noise Explosives Vessel Traffic Platform and Production Well Construction Pipeline Trenching Spills Platform and Production Well Construction Pipeline Trenching Spills

20 We Will Focus on a Series of Questions to Arrive at Study Recommendations 1.What aspects of oil and gas development could affect resources in the Basin? 2.What are the important resources of concern in the Basin? 3.What are the important resource attributes for consideration? 4.What are the most important oil and gas impacts that affect resources of concern? 5.How well do we understand each resource in the Basin and the potential effects of oil and gas development?