NOAA NEPA Document Database

NOAA’s National Marine Fisheries Service (NMFS) intends to provide American Samoa Bottomfish Disaster Relief funds to the American Samoa Division of Marine and Wildlife Resources (AS-DMWR). AS-DMWR proposes to construct a small ice house at its harbor-side offices in Fagatogo, and a boat ramp near the inner southwest terminus of Pago Pago Harbor. NMFS is preparing an environmental assessment (EA) to evaluate potential effects of these small infrastructure projects.

Recreational and tribal fall Chinook salmon and coho salmon fisheries managed by the Idaho Department of Fish and Game, Oregon Department of Fish and Widlife, Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife, and the Nez Perce Tribe, and a resident trout fishery managed by the Oregon Department of Fish and Wildlife in the Snake River Basin. For the ESA-listed fall Chinook salmon fishery impacts to natural-origin fish are determined based on a harvest schedule that reduces impacts as natural-origin abundance decreases.

The proposed action is to issue a scientific research/enhancement permit under the Endangered Species Act to authorize outplanting and monitoring of white abalone along the Southern California coast. The proposed action is not expected to result in significant adverse impacts to the environment.

NWS proposes to reduce the minimum scan angle of the KDLH WSR-88D from the current minimum of +0.5 deg to +0.3 deg
(i.e. 0.2 deg lower than existing) to provide enhanced coverage of the lower portions of the
atmosphere.

NMFS proposes to specify a 2019 catch limit of 2,000 metric tons (t) of longline-caught bigeye tuna for each of the pelagic longline fisheries of American Samoa, Guam and the Northern Mariana Islands. NMFS also proposes to authorize each U.S. territory to allocate up to 1,000 t of its 2,000 t bigeye tuna limit to a U.S. longline fishing vessel or vessels holding a valid permit issued under Title 50, Code of Federal Regulations, Section 665.801 (50 CFR 665.801) and identified in a valid specified fishing agreement with a U.S. territory. The fishery would continue to operate under a catch and allocation program in accordance with the procedures set forth in 50 CFR 665.819.

The Western Pacific Fishery Management Council recommended the proposed limits, which are identical to those that NMFS specified annually from 2014 to 2018. The limits were developed consistent with the process set forth in 50 CFR 665.819. The environmental assessment analyzes a range of potential territorial bigeye tuna catch and allocation limits for fishing years 2019 through 2023, to be annually reviewed by NMFS and the public prior to implementation. The proposed 2019 catch limits and accountability measures and the same limits in subsequent years would continue to support the long-term sustainability of fishery resources of the U.S. Pacific Island, provide funds for fisheries development in U.S. territories and promote the availability of sustainably caught bigeye tuna from U.S. vessels. We expect the territorial allocations made by the territories to be similar to those of previous years and not change the way any U.S. longline fisheries are conducted; therefore, we do not expect any of the alternatives would result in large adverse environmental effects.

"The National Marine Fisheries Service (NMFS) proposes to implement an annual catch limit (ACL) and accountability measures (AMs) for Deep 7 bottomfish in the main Hawaiian Islands (MHI) for fishing years 2018–19, 2019–20 and 2020–21. Each fishing year begins September 1 and ends on August 31 the following year. NMFS monitors Deep 7 bottomfish catches based on data provided by commercial fishermen to the State of Hawaii. If the fishery is projected to reach the annual limit, as an AM, NMFS, would close the commercial and non-commercial fisheries for MHI Deep 7 bottomfish in Federal waters for the remainder of the fishing year. In addition, if NMFS determines that the Deep 7 bottomfish catch exceeded the ACL in a fishing year, NMFS would reduce the Deep 7 bottomfish ACL for the following fishing year by the amount of the overage. NMFS would conduct a subsequent rulemaking action to implement the overage adjustment.

The proposed ACLs of 492,000 lb of Deep 7 bottomfish are based on a 2018 benchmark stock assessment, which shows that the Deep 7 bottomfish stock is healthy. NMFS is preparing an environmental assessment (EA) to evaluate potential effects of the specification. We do not expect the specification to result in changes to the fishery because the fishery has landed an annual average of 274,100 lb Deep 7 bottomfish in the past 5 years and has not been constrained by past ACLs. Therefore, we do not expect large or adverse environmental effects for the annual specifications.
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To meet mission needs and repalce aged facilities, NMFS will demolish and replace the laboratoy and associated structures at the Mukilteo Reserach Lab, Mukilteo, Washington.

The RP/EA addresses the natural resources, including ecological services that were injured or lost due to hazardous substance releases at or from the Lordship Point Gun Club and Raymark Industries Sites, and identifies and evaluates a set of restoration alternatives, including the preferred alternative for restoring the injured natural resources. The projects are expected to compensate the public for interim losses to salt marsh habitat and fish, shellfish, migratory waterfowl and other wildlife resources attributed to both the Lordship Point and Raymark Industries contaminant releases by restoring salt marsh habitat in the Stewart B. McKinney National Wildlife Refuge Great Meadows Marsh Unit in Stratford, Connecticut.

EA analyzes the potential environmental impacts of a range of possible annual catch limits (ACL) for Hawaii Kona crab, as well as several accountability measures (AM) that would address any overages of catch limits. The ACL and AM support the long-term sustainability of fishery resources of the U.S. Pacific Islands.

We intend to publish proposed 2017 specifications and draft EA with a 15-day public comment period in November 2017, with final specifications to follow.

Updated: This EA analyzes the potential environmental impacts of a range of possible annual catch limits (ACL) for Hawaii Kona crab, as well as several accountability measures (AM) that would address any overages of catch limits. The ACL and AM support the long-term sustainability of fishery resources of the U.S. Pacific Islands.

We intend to publish proposed 2017 specifications and draft EA with a 15-day public comment period in November 2017, with final specifications to follow.

This EA was used to support implementation of an ACL and AM for 2019. A new FONSI was created for this decision, and was signed on April 2, 2020.

The Mid-Atlantic Fishery Management Council (Council) and the Atlantic States Marine Fisheries Commission (Commission) are developing a joint action to consider potential modifications to the allocations of the black sea bass commercial quota among the states of Maine through North Carolina. This amendment will also consider whether the state allocations should be added to the Council's Fishery Management Plan. Currently, they are only included in the Atlantic States Marine Fisheries Commission's Fishery Management Plan.

Atlantic mackerel and butterfish specifications for 2021-2022 and longfin squid specifications for 2021-2023.

Implement the Marine National Monument integrated management plan using the preferred alternative 3 whereby the monument managers prioritize the activities to be funded and executed on an annual basis. Monument managers include the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, NOAA/NMFS, and the Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands (CNMI)Government.

No affect to listed species or habitat is foreseen if Monument visitors submit a permit application and comply with the conditions of the permit when accessing Monument waters.

NOAA proposes to designate the Mallows Bay-Potomac River as a National Marine Sanctuary in the state of Maryland. The designation is expected to help conserve at-risk, nationally-significant shipwrecks and associated maritime heritage resources through the promulgation regulations and development of a management plan that includes both regulatory and non-regulatory actions.

NOAA proposes to expand, as appropriate, the Flower Garden Banks National Marine Sanctuary (FGBNMS) boundary and apply existing regulations and management plan actions in these areas. The DEIS includes analyzes five alternatives for implementing the proposed actions. The five alternatives range in size from 56 square miles to 935 square miles, including a no action alternative representing the current size of the sanctuary.

The Mid-Atlantic Fishery Management Council and the Atlantic States Marine Fisheries Commission, in consultation with NOAA’s National Marine Fisheries Service, proposes to adopt and implement Amendment 21 to the Summer Flounder, Scup, and Black Sea Bass Fishery Management Plan (FMP), also known as the Summer Flounder Commercial Issues Amendment, pursuant to the Magnuson-Stevens Fishery Conservation and Management Act (MSA). This Final Environmental Impact Statement (FEIS) presents a range of alternatives under consideration in this amendment, which address the amendment purposes outlined in the document. The proposed action is to modify the state allocation of summer flounder commercial quota. This amendment also proposes revisions to the FMP objectives for summer flounder (applicable to both the recreational and commercial summer flounder fisheries). This amendment also considers additional commercial summer flounder fishery management issues, including federal commercial moratorium permit qualification criteria for summer flounder and modifying the list of framework provisions within the FMP; however, the preferred management alternatives include making no changes to these issues. This document also includes a detailed description of the affected environment and valued ecosystem components, and analyses of the impacts of the measures under consideration on the affected environment. It addresses the requirements of the National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA), the MSA, the Regulatory Flexibility Act (RFA), and other applicable laws.

In this action, the Gulf of Mexico (Gulf) Fishery Management Council (Council) would modify the Gulf state-specific red snapper annual catch limits (ACL) with the intent that the combined private angling component ACLs would not exceed the total private angling component quota ACL established by NMFS and the Council. Preferred Alternative 2 would modify the state-specific red snapper private angling component ACLs using the conversion ratios developed by NOAA Office of Science and Technology and the Gulf states, and recommended by the Council’s Scientific and Statistical Committee (SSC). These ACL modifications would not take effect until January 1, 2023.

Because the Preferred Alternative would not take effect until 2023, current measures, which have allowed the ACL (and preliminarily the overfishing limit) to be exceeded in 2019 and 2020, would remain in place. Thus, the proposed rule may allow the fishery to exceed the ACL and OFL prior to implementation.

Upon implementation, this proposed rule would have variable effects on the Gulf states, with three states expecting have similar or slightly increased ACLs, while two states are expecting to have substantially reduced ACLs. The reduced ACLs in these states are expected to result in greatly reduced fishing opportunities and catch in these states, and will likely result in reduced economic benefits to these states and affected fishing communities.

Mid-Atlantic Fishery Management Council (MAFMC); Fisheries of the Northeastern United States; Scoping Process
Referred to at the "Squid Capacit Amendment" - this action would reduce latent effort in the squid fishery. Action is still under development by MAFMC.

Action considers adjustments to commercial state-by-state quota allocations and requalification of summer flounder moratorium permits.