Aleutian Islands - Potential Places of Refuge

This webpage was used to assist the workgroup in the development of a document describing Potential Places of Refuge (PPOR) in the Aleutian Islands Geographic Zone. The initial project was completed in September of 2007 and in 2014 was updated and strengthened as a result of recommendations included in the findings from the Aleutian Islands Risk Assessment.

The objective of this project has been to identify docking, anchoring, mooring and grounding locations that may be selected as Potential Places of Refuge in order to enhance the overall response process.

Site Selection Documents

The risk layers map depicts some of the risk factors the workgroup used in selecting potential places of refuge. The workgroup identified candidate sites for potential places of refuge. These sites were researched and the resources and attributes of each were placed in a site assessment matrix and key.

Potential Places of Refuge (PPOR)

Aleutians Islands PPOR Contingency Plan Document (PDF 257K) - includes introduction and references

Primary Project Participants

Alaska Department of Environmental Conservation
Alaska Department of Natural Resources
Alaska Department of Fish and Game
Alaska Marine Pilots Association
Alaska Chadux
Aleutians East Borough
Aleut Marine Mammal Commission
City of Akutan
City of Unalaska
National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA)
Tesoro, Alaska
U.S. Coast Guard, District 17
U.S. Department of the Interior
U.S. Coast Guard COTP Western Alaska
U.S. Coast Guard Unalaska Marine Safety Detachment
U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA)

Invasive Species Considerations

Alien or invasive species include seeds, eggs, spores, or other biological material capable of propagating that species that is not native to an ecosystem. Invasive species commonly are transported in ballast waters and cargo associated oil transport and shipping. During operations any species that are encountered that are suspected to be non-native should be collected and presented to wildlife managers. Additional information on invasive species can be found in the “Useful Websites” section below.

Websites of Interest

Invasive species informative websites:

For More Information

If you have local knowledge about the Aleutian Islands Geographic Zone or for more information or questions pertaining to this project, contact dec.spar.ppor@alaska.gov