(3) Existing onshore support facilities at Prudhoe Bay. 



(4) Smaller environmental risks both offshore and onshore. 



(5) The absence of major commercial fisheries in the Beaufort 

 Sea. 97 



These arguments, of course, reflect Alaska's desire to justify offshore 

 leasing on state-owned lands in the Beaufort Sea. 



5.2.6 Chukchi Sea (Hope Basin) 



Description of the Region 98 



The Chukchi Sea is a shallow body of water lying between the Arctic 

 Ocean and Bering Strait averaging about 145 to 180 ft. in depth. The 

 onshore region is low and marshy with numerous lakes and small streams 

 and is underlain by permafrost. 



Ocean currents in the Bering Strait flow predominately northward 

 from the Bering Sea into the Chukchi Sea and Arctic Ocean. Sea ice 

 coverage in the Chukchi varies greatly from year to year and is not a 

 solid mass; polynyas and leads are present in both the polar and winter 

 pack, and in summer open water areas become extensive along the entire 

 coast, especially in the southern part of the region. The presence or 

 absence of ice affects fish, bird, and mammal movement and behavior in 

 this area. 



Fishery resources of the area are primarily benthic or demersal. 

 Arctic cod, Bering flounder, and sculpins are the predominant species. 

 Salmon runs in the Chukchi support a commercial fishery centered in the 

 Kotzebue area with major escapements to the Kobuk and Noatak river 

 systems. 



57 



