Contact: Scott Smullen                   FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
                                         7/28/97

The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration is seeking comment on an application and proposed authorization for ARCO Alaska, Inc. to potentially disturb a small number of marine mammals while conducting oil and gas exploration operations in federal and state waters of Alaska's Beaufort Sea.

Under the Marine Mammal Protection Act, ARCO applied for an authorization to incidentally disturb small numbers of several species of seals and whales as it conducts five and a half months of drilling operations in Camden Bay, Alaska, from November 1997 to May 1998. The disturbance also applies to the transport of ARCO's drilling equipment and other supplies from Prudhoe Bay to Camden Bay, and return.

NOAA's National Marine Fisheries Service has preliminarily determined that if ARCO follows mitigation measures, the proposed activities would result in the harassment of a small number of ringed seals, bearded seals, spotted seals, and possibly bowhead and beluga whales. The harassment would have a negligible impact on these marine mammals stocks, and would not affect their availability of these stocks for subsistence use. The agency has concluded that the drilling and related activities will result, at worst, in a temporary modification in behavior by these marine mammal species. No rookeries, mating grounds, areas of concentrated feedings, or other areas of significance for marine mammals occur within or near the planned area of drilling during the season of operations.

An authorization would require a trained marine mammal observer on board the various transport vessels and around the equipment during set up to search for any species and record their behavior. Observations made during transit to and from Camden Bay would be sent to the National Marine Fisheries Service on a daily basis. Marine mammal interactions are expected to be minimal also during the time of the drilling operations, but the fisheries service would require ARCO to maintain and submit a sightings logbook.

In addition, an authorization would require ARCO to reduce disturbance to marine mammals by following these mitigation measures:

• Move equipment to Camden Bay prior to the westward migration of bowhead whales.

• Complete the supply and construction of the drilling site prior to the start of the Kaktovik subsistence bowhead hunt.

• Maintain shutdown of drilling equipment during bowhead whale migration (until ice in Camden Bay is fully formed).

• Conduct drilling operation during the winter months instead of during the open water season to minimize disturbance to bowhead whales.

• Refrain from drilling near ice pressure ridges or in other areas where ringed seal lairs may be present.

The fisheries service will accept comments on the application and proposed authorization through Aug. 14, 1997, and should be addressed to Michael Payne, Chief, Marine Mammal Division, Office of Protected Resources, NMFS, 1315 East-West Highway, Silver Spring, MD 20910-3225. A copy of the application and an environmental assessment may be obtained by contacting the same office.