NOAA NEPA Document Database

The Proposed Action is to issue an exempted fishing permit (EFP) to allow two vessels to fish with longline gear in the United States EEZ, which is currently prohibited. The impacts to the human environment (e.g., effects of the proposed action on the natural, social, and economic environment), including protected species, were found to be insignificant.

The Sustainable Fisheries Division and the Pacific Fishery Management Council would like the EFP to be issued in the fall of 2016, following ESA Section 7 consultation and a final NEPA analysis.

The Sustainable Fisheries Division will consult with the Protected Resources Division on potential impacts to marine mammals and sea turtles, and with the Fish and Wildlife Service on potential impacts to sea birds. The NEPA and Section 7 analyses related to this proposed action will undergo review by Office of Coastal Management to determine whether to grant a federal consistency review of the action by the California Coastal Commission. Additionally, there is a faction of environmental non-governmental organizations that have expressed a general opposition to longlining activities occurring off the U.S. West Coast.

The action will inform the Services' (NMFS and USFWS) proposed signing of the Agreement and associated ESA Section 7 biological opinions.

The existing US v OR agreement expires December 31, 2017.

NMFS is proposing to designated an ESA 10(j) population, authorize the release, and promulgate regulation for the reintroduction of SR winter-run and CV spring-run Chinook salmon above Shasta Dam. The action is due to a request from the Bureau of Reclamation as part of their compliance with RPA V from the OCAP BO.

Federally unrecognized tribe is in opposition to use of SR winter-run Chinook from Livingston Stone NFH. CDFW will need to designate similar regulations per CESA - State has no commensurate 10(j) regulations

Northwest Innovation Works LLC (NWIW) and the POK propose to design and construct the Kalama Manufacturing and Marine Export Facility (the project) to manufacture and export methanol on approximately 100 acres on the Columbia River at the Port’s North Port site. The in-water work associated with the project, including impact and vibratory pile driving, has the potential to incidentally take marine mammals by Level B (behavioral) harassment.

The proposed IHA has already been published. They are hoping to begin work in August of 2016, and our plan was to complete the EA for the final IHA.

This action will update HMS Essential Fish Habitat (EFH) and evaluate current and new Habitat Areas of Particular Concern, per the requirements of the Magnuson-Stevens Act. This action is largely administrative in nature, and at this time is not anticipated to have implementing regulations. We do not anticipate potential significant impacts to protected species as a result of this action.

This action would allow pelagic longline fishermen into the Florida East Coast Closure in order to assess target and bycatch catch rates in the area. This data will be analyzed after the project to evaluate the effectiveness of the current area. Depending on the results of the project this could lead to a further fishery management action.

This is expected to be controversial with the recreational HMS fishery participants and NGOs interested in the conservation of marine resources.

The Alaska Department of Transportation and Public Facilities (ADOT&PF), is requesting the authorization of take of small numbers of marine mammals including ESA listed Steller sea lion (Eumetopias jubatus) and humpback whale (Megaptera novaeangliae) incidental to pile driving associated with the reconstruction of the Gustavus Ferry terminal in Gustavus, Alaska.

NMFS proposes to specify a 2016 limit of 2,000 metric tons (mt) of longline-caught bigeye tuna for each U.S. Pacific territory (American Samoa, Guam, and the Northern Mariana Islands). NMFS would allow each territory to allocate up to 1,000 mt each year to U.S. longline fishing vessels in a specified fishing agreement that meets established criteria. As an accountability measure, NMFS would monitor, attribute, and restrict (if necessary) catches of longline-caught bigeye tuna, including catches made under a specified fishing agreement. The proposed catch limits and accountability measures support the long-term sustainability of fishery resources of the U.S. Pacific Islands. Although NMFS does not expect the specifications to have potential significant impacts on protected species, we consider information about potential effects in the EA.

Since the 2015 EA and FONSI, NMFS received new information that could influence the environmental effects analysis in the 2015 EA and FONSI. Specifically, the Hawaii-deep set longline fishery exceeded the incidental take statements for green sea turtles, olive ridley sea turtles and the North Pacific loggerhead sea turtle distinct population segment authorized in a NMFS 2014 Biological Opinion. Additionally, on April 6, 2016, NMFS and the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service listed 11 distinct population segments of green sea turtle under the Endangered Species Act. NMFS will also address performance of the Hawaii deep-set longline fishery in 2015, and review scientific evaluations of the effects of two conservation and management measures agreed by the Western and Central Pacific Fisheries Commission on the status of bigeye tuna. Finally, NMFS will address recent interactions between the Hawaii shallow-set pelagic longline fishery and pinnipeds. NMFS will supplement the 2015 EA to help determine whether, in light of this new information, the Hawaii-deep set longline fishery operating under the proposed action in 2016 would result in significant environmental impacts to the human environment. The supplemental EA does not re-evaluate the effects of the proposed action on the longline fisheries in the three U.S. territories because there is no change expected to these fisheries and, therefore, the effects analysis in the 2015 EA remains valid for territory longline fisheries. NMFS does not anticipate any significant effect on the quality of the human environment from this action. NMFS will make a final determination after considering public comments.

The LRS WSEP test objective is to conduct operational evaluations of long range strike weapons and other munitions as part of Long Range Strike WSEP operations to properly train units to execute requirements within Designed Operational Capability Statements, which describe units’ real-world operational expectations in a time of war. The following aspects of the proposed LRS WSEP training activities have the potential to take marine mammals: munition strikes and detonation effects: overpressure and acoustic components.

This EA analyzes the potential environmental impacts of establishing a commercial retention limit for small coastal sharks in the Atlantic region. The most recent stock assessment, conducted in 2010, indicates that the Atlantic blacknose shark stock is overfished and experiencing overfishing. NMFS implemented management measures in 2010 to rebuild blacknose sharks and end overfishing; one measure relied in part on fishermen successfully avoiding blacknose sharks while fishing for other small coastal sharks. From 2010 to 2012, landings data support that fishermen avoided blacknose sharks. However, from 2013 to 2015, fishermen in the South Atlantic have rapidly harvested and potentially targeted Atlantic blacknose sharks and landings have exceeded quotas. Due to quota linkages between blacknose and non-blacknose small coastal sharks, these blacknose shark landings have led to the early closure of the entire small coastal shark fishery once the blacknose shark quota is reached. The early closure of the fishery leaves the non-blacknose small coastal shark quota underutilized. The purpose of this action is to maximize the utilization of the non-blacknose small coastal shark quota, while minimizing the mortality and discards of blacknose sharks and other small coastal sharks.

NMFS was petitioned by the Aleut Community of St. Paul Island, Tribal Government to the change the northern fur seal subsistence harvest regulations. NMFS is analyzing the potential direct, indirect, and cumulative impacts on the human environment of the alternative approaches to managing the northern fur seal subsistence harvest on St. Paul Island. The petitioned changes to the harvest regulations fewer regulations and greater reliance on non-regulatory restrictions to allow a longer subsistence harvest period, the use of firearms, and removing the prohibition to harvest pups for subsistence purposes.

This action proposes changes to the management of the Pacific halibut charter fisheries and commercial setline fisheries in International Pacific Halibut Commission Regulatory Areas 2C and 3A in the Gulf of Alaska to promote long-term planning and greater stability in the charter halibut fishery. The alternative under consideration would allow a recreational quota entity (RQE) to be established to represent the common pool of charter anglers in each IPHC regulatory Area 2C and 3A for the potential compensated reallocation of commercial halibut QS. Any halibut QS purchased by an RQE would augment the pounds of halibut for the charter catch limit for that area in that year. Underlying allocations to the charter and commercial halibut sectors would not change.

The restoration activities described in the plan will address natural resource injuries from the Deepwater Horizon oil spill. This restoration plan focuses on lost shoreline recreational use opportunities and is consistent with the Trustees’ programmatic restoration plan.
The restoration plan identifies six preferred projects in Mobile and
Baldwin counties. The total estimated cost of the projects is $70.7
million. The projects include:
Gulf State Park Lodge and Associated Public Access Amenities – $56,300,000Fort Morgan Pier Rehabilitation – $3,075,000Laguna Cove Little Lagoon Natural Resource Protection – $4,400,000Bayfront Park Restoration and Improvement (engineering and design only) – $1,000,000Dauphin Island Eco-Tourism and Environmental Education Area – $4,000,000Mid-Island Parks and Public Beach Improvements (Parcels B and C) – $1,900,000

Alaska Aerospace Corporation (AAC) is applying for a Rule for the take of pinnipeds by Level B Harassment for Steller sea lions and harbor seals and Level A Harassment, serious injury, or mortality for harbor seal pups from 2017-2022 incidental to rocket launch operations. AAC has been issued two previous rules (2011-2016 and 2006-2011).

Final Rule to be issued 2/1/2017

NMFS plans to issue an Incidental Harassment Authorization (IHA) to the Washington State Department of Transportation (WSDOT) to take marine mammals incidental to Mukilteo Multimodal construction project to improve its ferry terminal. A NEPA is needed for the issuance of the IHA.

WSDOT needs to have the IHA by January 2017.

This action considers changes to the monitoring requirements in the Pacific Coast groundfish trawl fishery to reduce costs and increase operational flexibility for groundfish vessels without adversely affecting conservation. The Pacific Coast groundfish fishery occurs off the west coast of the United States and includes a range of vessels that use midwater trawl gear, bottom trawl gear, fish pots, and hook and line to target demersal and pelagic species managed under the Pacific Coast Groundfish Fishery Management Plan (FMP). This action pertains to the limited entry trawl portion of the groundfish fishery, which is managed under a catch share program called the Trawl Rationalization Program. The catch share program currently requires all vessels participating in the program to have 100-percent at-sea and dockside observer coverage to monitor fishing activities at sea and all offloads. This action considers allowing some vessels in the trawl fishery, specifically midwater trawl vessels and fixed gear (pot and hook and line) vessels, to use electronic monitoring (video cameras and associated sensors) in place of human observers to meet at-sea monitoring requirements. There are no significant impacts expected from this action.

The Proposed Action involves issuance of an Endangered Species Act (ESA) Section 10(a)(1)(A) Permit for Enhancement and Scientific Purposes to the United States Fish and Wildlife Service (USFWS) for Implementation of the Sacramento River winter-run Chinook salmon Integrated-Recovery Supplementation Program and Captive Broodstock Program at the Livingston Stone National Fish Hatchery (LSNFH) as described in two Hatchery and Genetic Management Plans (HGMPs).

The proposed action is conditional approval by NOAA and the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency of the proposed Illinois Coastal Nonpoint Pollution Control Program, based on finding that Illinois' program meets many, but not all, of the requirements of section 6217 of the Coastal Zone Act Reauthorization Amendments and related guidance. The PEA evaluates consequences associated with federal approval and state implementation of the program proposed by Illinois, which includes management measures for nonpoint sources related to urban development, marinas and recreational boating, hydromodification, wetlands, riparian areas, and vegetated treatment systems. The PEA concludes that approval of Illinois' program will not result in any significant environmental impacts different from those analyzed in a 1996 Programmatic Environmental Impact Statement for the Coastal Nonpoint Pollution Control Program, from which the PEA is tiered, which concluded that approving state programs would not have significant environmental effects. The proposed action would have no effect on protected species or historic properties.