NOAA NEPA Document Database

The purpose of Amendment 10 to the Fishery Management Plan for the Dolphin Wahoo Fishery for the Atlantic (Dolphin Wahoo Amendment 10) is to revise the catch levels [acceptable biological catch (ABC), annual catch limits (ACL)], accountability measures, sector allocations, and management measures for dolphin and wahoo. The revisions to the ABC and ACL include recreational landings from Monroe County, Florida, and incorporate recreational data as per the Marine Recreational Information Program using the Fishery Effort Survey method, as well as updates to commercial and for-hire landings. Management measures address authorized gear, operator card requirement, recreational vessel limits, and allow fillets of dolphin at sea onboard for-hire vessels.

This action would modify the status determination criteria, optimum yield, catch limits, accountability measures, sector allocations, the recreational fishing season, and establish a rebuilding timeline for Gulf gag. The most recent stock assessment for Gulf gag indicated that the Gulf stock was overfished, and overfishing was occurring as of 2019.
The need for this action is to use the best scientific information available to end overfishing of Gulf gag and rebuild the stock to a level commensurate with MSY, consistent with the authority under the Magnuson-Stevens Act.

This action is not expected to have any significant impacts, although the drastic reduction in catch limits contained in this action are expected to reduce economic and social benefits for the fishing community, especially off the west coast of Florida where most Gulf gag are captured. Due to this reduction, this action is expected to be controversial.

The OAR UxS Research Transition Office's proposed action is funding, procurement, and operation of small UAS, in any environment for which NOAA has a mission and potential need for UAS resources to help meet related mission objectives, with operations up to altitudes of 100,000 ft MSL.
Update 7/3/23: The Uncrewed Systems Research Transition Office (UxSRTO) in the Office of Oceanic and Atmospheric Research (OAR) of the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) is often directly or indirectly involved in the funding, procurement, and operation of small Uncrewed Aircraft Systems during the course of its normal office functions. This PEA evaluates the potential impacts on the environment from the types of small UAS platforms and operations commonly supported by the UxSRTO across NOAA, in any environment for which NOAA has a mission and potential need for UAS resources to help meet related mission objectives. The proposed action is not considered to meaningfully contribute to a significant impact based on the scale of operations and type of effects, it will not meaningfully contribute to significant impacts to specific resources, and it is not connected to other actions that have caused or may cause effects to the resources in affected areas.

This draft environmental assessment analyzes an amendment to the BSAI Crab FMP to rebuild the Eastern Bering Sea (EBS) snow crab (Chionoecetes opilio) stock in compliance with section 304(e)(3) of the Magnuson-Stevens Fishery Conservation and Management Act (MSA). A range of alternative rebuilding time frames is considered based on whether or not directed fishing is permitted during stock recovery. The impacts of the alternatives considered on crab resources, fishery participants, habitat, and other components of the human environment are discussed in the analysis.

Continued implementation of the MMHSRP.

This final action will modify Atlantic highly migratory species (HMS) bluefin tuna (bluefin) management measures applicable to the incidental and directed bluefin fisheries through an amendment to the 2006 Consolidated Atlantic HMS Fishery Management Plan (2006 Consolidated HMS FMP). Specifically, this rule will change several aspects of the Individual Bluefin Quota (IBQ) Program, including the distribution of IBQ shares to active vessels only, implementation of a cap on IBQ shares that may be held by an entity, and implementation of a cost recovery program. This rule will also modify bluefin fisheries by discontinuing the Purse Seine category and reallocating that bluefin quota to all of the other bluefin quota categories; capping Harpoon category daily bluefin landings; modifying the recreational trophy bluefin areas and subquotas; modifying regulations regarding electronic monitoring of the pelagic longline fishery as well as green-stick use; and modifying the regulation regarding permit category changes.

L-DEO plans to conduct marine geophysical research of the Blake Plateau, off the southeastern US in the Northwest Atlantic Ocean. The seismic survey will be conducted from the R/V Langseth in summer or fall 2023 and will occur largely within the Exclusive Economic Zone (EEZ) of the U.S., but a portion would also occur within the EEZ of the Bahamas and in International Waters, in water depths ranging from >100 to 5200 meters (m). The survey would tow a 36-airgun array with a discharge volume of ~6600 cubic inches (in3) at a depth of 10–12 m. The project includes use of seismic airguns, which may result in the take, by Level A and Level B harassment, of marine mammals.

This document analyzes alternatives pertaining to an action that could move all species of sculpins in the Fishery Management Plan for Groundfish of the Bering Sea and Aleutian Islands Management Area and the FMP for Groundfish of the Gulf of Alaska to the non-target ecosystem component category. Options are included for a range of the maximum retainable amount of sculpins per metric ton of target groundfish catch, should sculpin management be moved to the ecosystem component in both FMPs. There are no significant (beneficial or adverse) impacts on sculpin stocks or prohibited species catch. The preferred alternative could provide economic benefits to participants in the Bering Sea and Aleutian Islands groundfish fisheries by removing the sculpins harvest from accrual against the 2.0 million metric ton optimum yield cap, thereby allowing larger harvests of other, presently more valuable groundfish target species.

California American Water is proposing to construct up to ten subsurface slant wells and a desalination plant to produce approximately 9.6 MGD of desalinated water. The slant wells will be located in coastal dunes west of Marina, CA and extend beneath the sea floor of MBNMS. Brine will be discharged through an existing outfall used by the Monterey Regional Water Pollution Control Agency.

Action is the issuance of the 10(a)(1)(A) permit. The Fall Creek Hatchery (FCH) Hatchery and Genetic Management Plan (HGMP) is a fairly standard HGMP, and it is a continuation of an existing HGMP for Iron Gate Hatchery (IGH). FCH, about 7 miles upstream of IGH, will replace IGH when Iron Gate Dam is removed at the end of 2023/beginning of 2024. The HGMP is just for ESA listed coho salmon, and the production target of 75,000 coho salmon will remain the same at FCH that it was at IGH.

The FCH will be a revitalization of an existing facility and construction activities and any Section 106 concerns are covered under the dam removal consultation, so the NEPA only needs to cover the production of coho salmon at FCH and any associated impacts.

The proposed action is a rule to modify existing limits on fishing effort by U.S. purse seine vessels in the U.S. exclusive economic zone and on the high seas between the latitudes of 20° N. and 20° S., in the area of application of the Convention on the Conservation and Management of Highly Migratory Fish Stocks in the Western and Central Pacific Ocean (Convention). In addition, the proposed action would adjust the 2022 bigeye tuna catch limit in the area of application of the Convention (Convention Area) for U.S. longline commercial fishing vessels to 3,358 metric tons, due to an overage of the 2021 catch limit. The proposed action would clarify that adjustments to the purse seine fishing effort limits or longline bigeye tuna catch limits could occur each year, due to any overage of the prior year’s limit. The proposed action also would modify the following: the process for closing the fishery once NMFS expects the effort limits will be reached; the requirement to submit daily purse seine fishing effort reports; and the process for adjusting established annual catch and effort limits in the Convention Area.

Sufficincy Analysis and FONSI for final approval of MI coastal nonpoint pollution control program

This Environmental Assessment analyzes the environmental impacts of the National Marine Fisheries Service, Office of Protected Resources’ proposal to issue an amendment to Scientific Research Permit No. 22156-04 to Douglas Nowacek, Ph.D., to paintball mark two cetacean species during research.

Amendment 53 would modify management of South Atlantic gag and black grouper. Actions for gag include establishing a rebuilding plan, revising annual catch limits, annual optimum yield (OY), sector allocations, management measures, and recreational accountability measures. Amendment 53 would also modify recreational management measures for black grouper. Amendment 53 would end overfishing of South Atlantic gag, rebuild the stock, and achieve OY while minimizing, to the extent practicable, adverse social and economic effects.

NMFS issues this final rule to implement Amendment 122 to the Fishery Management Plan (FMP) for Groundfish of the Bering Sea and Aleutian Islands Management Area (BSAI). Amendment 122 establishes the Pacific Cod Trawl Cooperative Program (PCTC Program or Program), a limited access privilege program (LAPP) to harvest Pacific cod in the BSAI trawl catcher vessel (CV) sector. The PCTC Program allocates Pacific cod harvest quota to qualifying groundfish License Limitation Program (LLP) license holders and qualifying processors and requires participants to form cooperatives to harvest the quota. This action is necessary to increase the value of the fishery, minimize bycatch to the extent practicable, provide for the sustained participation of fishery-dependent communities, ensure the sustainability and viability of the resource, and promote safety and stability in the harvesting and processing sectors. There are no known issues or problems with this project.

This action proposes and assesses the impacts of implementing ownership caps in Lobster Management Areas 2 and 3, trap cap reductions in Area 3, and mandatory harvester reporting coastwide.

The purpose of this action is to implement commercial quotas and recreational harvest limits (RHLs) for the summer flounder and scup fisheries for 2024-2025. These measures are necessary to prevent overfishing and ensure that annual catch limits (ACLs) are not exceeded.

This action implements final Atlantic bluefish catch limit specifications for the 2024 fishing year and projects specifications for fishing year 2025, as recommended by the Mid-Atlantic Fishery Management Council. This action is necessary to establish allowable harvest levels for the stock to prevent overfishing and promote rebuilding, using the best scientific information available. This rule also informs the public of the expected specifications for fishing year 2025.

This document evaluated the impacts of taking emergency action to revise the Gulf of Maine haddock ABC for the groundfish fishery for fishing year 2023.