1. Identifying Information Needs and Research Priorities for the North Aleutian Basin of Alaska Marine Mammals Working Group
Ihor Hlohowskyj
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. Prioritization 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