NOAA NEPA Document Database

The Washington State Department of Transportation (WSDOT) is planning to conduct the Coupeville Timber Towers Preservation project at the Coupeville Ferry Terminal on Whidbey Island, WA, which involves in-water pile driving and could affect marine mammals. NMFS is proposing to issue an incidental harassment authorization (IHA) to WSDOT. The Environmental Assessment is to comply with the NEPA for the issuance of an IHA.

NMFS proposes to issue an IHA in 2/1/2016, and would like the EA cleared by PPI by mid January 2016. NMFS will provide a draft EA for review in late August 2015, and a draft final EA for review in December 2015.

The Bergerson Construction is planning to conduct the Front Street Transload Facility construction activity in Newport, OR, which involves in-water pile driving and could affect marine mammals. NMFS is proposing to issue an incidental harassment authorization (IHA) to Bergerson. The Environmental Assessment is to comply with the NEPA for the issuance of an IHA.

We plan to issue the IHA in mid October 2015, so would like to have the final EA cleared by early October. Will provide a draft final EA in mid September.

The proposed action is to implement Spawning Special Management Zones (SMZ) in the South Atlantic EEZ. Harvest, possession, and fishing for species in the snapper grouper fishery management unit would be prohibited in the Spawning SMZs. The objective is to protect spawning fish and habitat and areas were fish spawn.

The Western Pacific Fishery Management Council recommended amending its Fishery Ecosystem Plan for the Mariana Archipelago. If approved by the Secretary of Commerce, Amendment 4 would remove the Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands (CNMI) medium and large vessel (vessels 40 ft and longer) bottomfish prohibited areas. The Council established these prohibited areas in 2008 to prevent large bottomfish vessels based in Guam from traveling to CNMI fishing grounds. At the time, the Council believed that the Guam vessels could compete with CNMI vessels for bottomfish, and potentially deplete CNMI bottomfish stocks. Guam vessels have not traveled to the CNMI, and the Council believes that the prohibited areas are preventing the CNMI bottomfish fishery from achieving optimum fishery yield. The intent of Amendment 4 is to improve the viability of the CNMI bottomfish fishery and achieve optimum yield from the fishery.

The impacts to the physical or biological/ecological environment resulting from shifting sector allocations is discussed in Amendment 28, and is hereby incorporated this document by reference. Withholding part of the commercial quota (Preferred Alternative 2) should not have any impacts on the physical or biological/ecological environment beyond those already addressed in Amendment 28.

The Papahānaumokuākea Marine National Monument (PMNM) has decided to issue one research permit amendment (PMNM-2014-028-A1) and one conservation and management permit (PMNM-2015-028) to Dr. Amy Baco-Taylor of the Florida State University and Mr. Ross Barnes of the University of Hawai‘i for the project entitled: “Use of the autonomous underwater vehicle (AUV) Sentry and research vessel (R/V) Kilo Moana as the support platform for permitted research activities in the Papahānaumokuākea Marine National Monument.” The goal of the project is to examine a series of locations in the far Northwestern Hawaiian Islands (NWHI) to address the hypothesis, based on predictions of low resilience and decadal recovery times for seamounts, that deep-sea coral beds in the NWHI have not recovered despite the end of trawling over 30 years ago. "Environmental Assessment - Papahanaumokuakea Marine National Monument, Northwest Hawaiian Islands, Hawaii The FONSI and other memos were signed on October 30, 2014." The applicant's cruise begins on September 24, so the permits need to be approved by September 18 (the end of the previous week) and shared with the co-managers of the Monument.

Amendment 37 would modify the management unit for hogfish, specify fishing levels based on Scientific and Statistical Committee recommendations for the North Carolina-Georgia and Florida Keys/East Florida stocks of hogfish, and modify or establish management measures. This amendment would create a new stock for the Florida Keys/East Florida region and implement a new rebuilding plan since this stock is determined to be overfished and undergoing overfishing. Therefore, the effects to the human environment could be significant.

The DOT&PF proposes to reconstruct a deteriorating timber dock facility at Kodiak, Alaska. In-water pile driving (including removal of old piles and installation of new piles) is the only portion of the proposed project with potential to incidentally take marine mammals, which would occur from September 30, 2015 through September 29, 2016. DOT&PF has applied for incidental harassment authorization for the incidental take of a single species of marine mammal, western depleted population segment (wDPS) of Steller sea lion, that is listed as endangered under the ESA. Under section 7 of the ESA, DOT&PF and NMFS Office of Protected Resources (OPR), have conducted a joint formal consultation with the National Marine Fisheries Service, Alaska Regional Office, on this proposed Project. NMFS issued its Biological Opinion which concluded that the proposed action is not likely to jeopardize the continued existence of wDPS of Steller sea lions, or destroy or adversely modify designated critical habitat (NMFS 2015).

IHA is due to Applicant by 9/30/15

This EA is part of the national NMFS OST Environmental Compliance Incidental Take Authorization Process. The proposed primary action for PIFSC is the implementation of fisheries and ecosystem research activities for the next five years. The proposed secondary action is the issuance of proposed regulation and subsequent Letters of Authorization under section 101(a)(5(A) of the MMPA.

NMFS leadership has instructed us to have the EA and incidental take authorizations completed by the end of FY16.

The National Marine Fisheries Service proposes to issue a 2-year Special Coral Reef Ecosystem Fishing Permit that would authorize Kampachi Farms, LLC, to fish for a coral reef ecosystem management unit fish species in a floating pen moored about 5.5 nm off the west coast of the Island of Hawaii in about 6,000 ft of water. This environmental assessment analyzes the potential impacts of this proposed action on the human environment.

This Environmental Assessment analyzes the environmental impacts of the National Marine Fisheries Service, Office of Protected Resources proposal to issue an Incidental Harassment Authorization to Lamont-Doherty Earth Observatory, for the taking, by Level A and Level B harassment, of marine mammals, incidental to a marine geophysical survey in the Atlantic Ocean, 2016.

Maintenance of an existing wharf involving removal and replacement of deteriorated pilings.

Permit must be issued prior to 12/1/2015.

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This action establishes specifications (i.e., catch limits) for the commercial and recreational summer flounder, scup, and black sea bass fisheries for fishing years 2016-2018. No significant impacts on protected species or any other VEC is anticipated.

NMFS proposes to approve, under the ESA 4(d) rule for salmon and steelhead, multiple programs at 10 hatchery facilities along the Oregon Coast. The programs rear and release salmon, steelhead, and trout, and all the programs are currently operating.

This action was initially being evaluated in a draft EA. Due to increased scrutiny of hatchery actions on the West Coast, we are noticing our intent to instead prepare an EIS. To date, there has been little discussion from local entities about the proposed action.

The DWH Trustees are proposing implementation of the first phase of the Florida Coastal Access Project (Project) as Phase V of Early Restoration. The Project first phase involves the acquisition and/or enhancement of four coastal project locations in the Florida Panhandle, and the primary goal is to enhance the public’s access.

This action modifies several recreational fishery management measures for Gulf of Maine cod and haddock, including daily bag limits, size limits, and seasonal possession restrictions. This action is necessary to increase recreational catch of cod and haddock in a manner that allows the recreational fishery to achieve optimum yield without exceeding catch limits. This action would have negligible impacts to protected species

The framework document incorporates an Environmental Assessment, Regulatory Impact Review, Initial Regulatory Flexibility Analysis, and the Stock Assessment and Fishery Evaluation Report analyzing the impacts of the proposed Framework 27 measures. If approved, Framework 27 will set scallop fishery management allocations for the 2016 fishing year, including the annual catch limits and annual catch targets for the limited access and limited access general category (LAGC) fleets, and set default 2016 fishing year allocations. In addition, Framework 27 would create a new rotational closed area south of Closed Area II to protect small scallops. In addition, it would open the northern portion of the Nantucket Lightship Access Area (NLSN) to the LAGC fleet and transfer 19 percent of the LAGC access area trips from the Mid-Atlantic Access Area (MAAA) to NLSN.

Framework 27 includes only the fishery specifications for 2016 and default 2017, and generally the specifications are not controversial. However, the Council’s recommendation to allocate exclusive access to northern portion of the Nantucket Lightship Access Area to the Limited Access General Category fleet has created controversy between the Limited Access and Limited Access General Category fleets. However, this proposal appears to be consistent with the Scallop FMP and the Magnuson-Stevens Fishery Conservation and Management Act

NMFS proposes to issue an Incidental Harassment Authorizations to the SA Exploration, Inc. under the MMPA for the taking of small numbers of marine mammals, incidental to 3D ocean bottom nodes seismic survey in the U.S. Beaufort Sea during 2016 Arctic open-water season.

Framework Adjustment 55 to the Northeast Multispecies FMP considers catch limits for 20 groundfish stocks for the 2016-2018 fishing years, and adjusts the groundfish at-sea monitoring program.