STUDY TITLE: Update of Select Environmental Information for 

Norton Basin, Chukchi/Hope Basin and Cook Inlet Planning 

Areas for the Alaska Outer Continental Shelf (OCS) Region 

REPORT TITLE: Update of Select Environmental Information for 

Norton Basin, Chukchi/Hope Basin and Cook Inlet Planning 

Areas for the Alaska Outer Continental Shelf (OCS) Region 

CONTRACT NUMBER: 0103CT71930 

SPONSORING OCS REGION: Alaska 

APPLICABLE PLANNING AREAS: Norton Basin, Chukchi/Hope Basin, 

and Cook Inlet 

FISCAL YEARS OF PROJECT FUNDING: 2004, 2005 

COMPLETION DATE OF REPORT: March 25, 2005 

COST: FY 2004:$125,226; FY 2005: $24,729; CUMULATIVE PROJECT 

COST: $149,956 

PROJECT MANAGER: Dale W. Funk 

AFFILIATION: LGL Alaska Research Associates, Inc. 

ADDRESS: 1101 East 76th Avenue, Suite B, Anchorage Alaska 

99518 

PRINCIPAL INVESTIGATOR: Dale W. Funk 

KEY WORDS: Norton Basin, Chukchi/Hope Basin, Cook Inlet, 

Annotated Bibliography, protected species, oil and gas 

development, Environmental Information 

BACKGROUND: The National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA) of 

1969 (42 USC 4321-4347) requires that all federal agencies 

use a systematic, interdisciplinary approach to ensure the 

integrated use of the natural and social sciences in all 

planning and decision making that may have an effect on the 

human environment. To meet the goals established by NEPA 

MMS efforts include, Environmental Impact Statements, 

Environmental Assessment teams, studies that acquire and 

analyze marine environmental data, literature surveys, 

socioeconomic-analysis studies, public conferences and 

special studies. 

OBJECTIVES: The project objective was to conduct specialized 

literature surveys of the primary published literature, the 

gray literature published by industry and government, 

published web pages and other potential sources of new 

scientific information (within the past 5-10 years) on fish, 

marine mammals, marine birds, ecosystems, and human social 

systems that might be affected by oil and gas development on 
the Alaskan Outer Continental Shelf. This information was 

compiled into an annotated ProCite bibliography that 

provides the location (bibliographic reference) and 

description or summary of the new scientific information 

available from the above sources. 

DESCRIPTION: Task 1. Norton Sound Protected Species 

Literature Update (1991-2003): LGL identified new literature 

and other available information on endangered and threatened 

species in the Norton Sound region. We contacted various 

sources at the United States Fish and Wildlife Service 

(USFWS), National Marine Fisheries Service (NMFS), Alaska 

Department of Fish and Game (ADFG) and other sources to 

identify new information on species status, critical 

habitats, and responses of sensitive species to development. 

The review covers new information since the most recent OCS 

Environmental Impact Statement OCS EIS/EA MMS 90-0009, 

Norton Sound OCS Mining Program Final Environmental Impact 

Statement, March 1991 and includes information through 

December 2004. 

Task 2. Chukchi Sea and Hope Basin Literature Update (1991-

2003): LGL conducted a survey to identify new scientific 

literature and other relevant information on fish, marine 

mammals, marine birds, ecosystems, and human social systems 

that might be affected by oil and gas development in the 

Chukchi Sea and Hope Basin OCS Planning Areas. This 

literature survey focused on information that has become 

available since OCS EIS/EA MMS 90-0095, Chukchi Lease Sale 

126 Final Environmental Impact Statement released in January 

1991 and is current through December 2004.

Task 3. Cook Inlet Region Fisheries Literature Update 

(1998-2005): LGL conducted a survey of new literature and 

other scientific information on fisheries that might be 

affected by oil and gas development in the Cook Inlet OCS. 

The literature survey concentrated on information made 

available since the release of OCS EIS/EA MMS 2002-065, Cook 

Inlet Planning Area Oil and Gas Lease Sales 191 and 199 

Draft Environmental Impact Statement, December 2002. This 

survey addressed Cook Inlet specific topics and emphasized: 

(a) Geographic and seasonal distribution and abundance 

of fish in Cook Inlet with emphasis on identifying 

sources of information that can be incorporated by 

MMS into GIS layers for modeling the effects of oil 

spills. 

(b) Geographic and water column locations of Cook 

Inlet salmon between smolt and returning adult. 

(c) Socioeconomics of commercial fishing in Cook 

Inlet, including relationships to offshore oil and 

gas development. 
For all three tasks we prepared annotated bibliographic 

entries for each of the documents and information sources 

identified. The bibliography was produced in Pro-Cite and 

is fully searchable by author, subject, title, and keywords. 

SIGNIFICANT CONCLUSIONS: There is a substantial amount of 

new information associated with each of the Planning Areas. 

Accumulating the information in a searchable database should 

help make the information more accessible. 

STUDY RESULTS: A large number of references to new 

scientific information were catalogued in a ProCite database 

searchable by keywords, authors, subjects, and titles. 

STUDY PRODUCTS: LGL Alaska Research Associates, Inc. 2005. Update of Select 

Environmental Information for the Alaska Outer Continental 

Shelf (OCS) Region: Norton Sound Protected Species 

Literature Update (1991-2004). Final Report and Annotated 

Bibliography on CD prepared by LGL Alaska Research 

Associates, Inc., for the U. S. Department of the Interior, 

Minerals Management Service, Alaska OCS Region, Anchorage, 

AK Contract No. 0103CT71930. 6 pp. + CD. 

LGL Alaska Research Associates, Inc. 2005. Update of Select 

Environmental Information for the Alaska Outer Continental 

Shelf (OCS) Region: Chukchi/Hope Basin Literature Update 

(1991-2004). Final Report and Annotated Bibliography on CD 

prepared by LGL Alaska Research Associates, Inc., for the U. 

S. Department of the Interior, Minerals Management Service, 

Alaska OCS Region, Anchorage, AK Contract No. 0103CT71930. 7 

pp. + CD. 

LGL Alaska Research Associates, Inc. 2005. Update of Select 

Environmental Information for the Alaska Outer Continental 

Shelf (OCS) Region: Cook Inlet Planning Area Literature 

Update (1998-2004). Final Report and Annotated Bibliography 

on CD prepared by LGL Alaska Research Associates, Inc., for 

the U. S. Department of the Interior, Minerals Management 

Service, Alaska OCS Region, Anchorage, AK Contract No. 

0103CT71930. 7 pp. + CD. 

MAP SHOWING AREA OF STUDY: A map showing the location of 

the OCS Planning Areas in Alaska is attached.