Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife representative Corey Niles briefed the Marine Planning Committee on an early-stage plan by Alaska Power & Telephone to land subsea fiber at Westport/Grayland and to strengthen connectivity to the state. Niles said the company has leased a landing site and provided coarse offshore route sketches; the routing and permitting process remain preliminary.

Why it matters: New subsea cable landings can intersect important fishing grounds and habitat areas and may require coordinated engagement with commercial and recreational fishery stakeholders, state and federal agencies, and habitat managers. Committee members urged the company to consult with the Habitat Committee and fishing representatives early in routing and permitting.

Details and context: Niles said the proposal envisions a landing site leased from the city of Westport and multiple potential cable routes; Alaska Power & Telephone plans to build its own landing and offer additional capacity to other cables. He said the concept is several years from construction and that details are being refined. Scott McMullen added the routes shown to agencies were coarse and that more detailed GIS-level routing work has not yet occurred.

Next steps: The Habitat Committee and state staff plan to seek briefings from the company and to request more-detailed routing information to assess fishing interactions and permitting implications as the proposal advances.

Quote: "They're just placeholders probably more than anything," Scott McMullen said of the draft offshore route sketches.