The seafood processor UniSea, a subsidiary of Japan’s Nippon
Suisan Kaisha, is seeking federal authorization to take marine mammals
incidental to a dock construction project at its seafood processing facility at
Unalaska.
UniSea made its request to the National Marine Fisheries
Service in mid-December.
NMFS is now requesting comments on its proposal to issue an
incidental harassment authorization to UniSea to incidentally take marine
mammals, by Level B. Harrassment only, during the specified construction
activity. Comments and information must be received no later than Jan. 22.
NMFS is preparing an environmental assessment for the
proposed issuance of an incidental harassment authorization, pursuant to the
National Environmental Policy Act, to determine whether or not this proposed
activity may have significant direct, indirect and cumulative effects on the
human environment.
The environmental assessment will be posted online when
finalized at http://www.nmfs.noaa.gov/pr/permits/incidental/construction.htm
Comments on the application should be addressed to Jolie
Harrison, chief, Permits and Conservation Division, Office of Protected
Resources. Physical comments should be sent to 1315 East-West Highway, Silver
Spring, MD 20910, and electronic comments should be sent to ITP.Carduner@noaa.gov
For further information contact Jordan Carduner, Office of
Protected Resources, at 1-301-427-8401
The company began in 1974, then known as Universal Seafoods,
to participate in the king crab and tanner crab fisheries.
The largest part of the company’s Alaska operations now
consist of processing facilities at Dutch Harbor, which produce surimi, the
frozen fish protein manufactured from pollock, and pollock fillet block
product. UniSea also processes other seafoods, including snow crab, king crab,
cod, halibut, yellowfin sole and herring. And UniSea operates the Grand
Aleutian Hotel in Dutch Harbor, a 112-room facility, and the UniSea Inn.
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