NOAA NEPA Document Database (beta)

"The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration’s (NOAA’s) National Marine Fisheries 
Service (NOAA Fisheries) West Coast Region is developing a programmatic environmental impact statement (PEIS), in accordance with the National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA), to analyze the potential impacts to the human environment that may occur should projects be proposed in one or more Aquaculture Opportunity Areas (AOAs), in federal waters of Southern California and to evaluate the impacts of siting aquaculture in those locations. The intent of this PEIS is to support long-term planning for offshore aquaculture. This PEIS considers a long-term planning effort that is not a regulatory or permitting action and does not propose to authorize or permit any specific aquaculture-related activities or propose to approve any individual aquaculture projects."

NMFS proposes to fund a prey increase program for Southern Resident Killer Whales. The proposed action is to produce additional hatchery Chinook salmon for release into the wild that will provide additional prey in marine waters for the whales. Other alternative uses for the funding are also analyzed. There are significant effects of the alternatives depending upon the resource analyzed.

This DEIS is prepared pursuant to the National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA) to assess the environmental impacts associated with NMFS issuing an incidental take statement (ITS) under section 7 of the Endangered Species Act (ESA) that would exempt take of threatened or endangered ESA-listed species by participants in Southeast Alaska (SEAK) salmon fisheries that are subject to the 2019 Pacific Salmon Treaty (PST) Agreement. This DEIS also assesses the environmental impacts of NMFS funding grants to the State of Alaska (State) to monitor and manage the SEAK salmon fisheries and salmon stocks subject to the 2019 PST Agreement. If warranted, NMFS would issue an ITS, consistent with requirements of the ESA, as part of a consultation on two agency actions related to the 2019 PST Agreement, including the funding to the State. That consultation would conclude with the issuance of a biological opinion (BiOp) that evaluates the effects of those agency actions on ESA-listed species and critical habitat. This DEIS directly responds to a court order and analyzes the effects of the proposed issuance of an ITS for those two agency actions.

The Trustees’ proposed action (preferred alternative) is the Kensington& Tacony Trail (K&T Trail) Living Shoreline and Tacony Boat Ramp Project. The project would transform an eroding shoreline and industrial bulkhead into a naturalized and living shoreline (1,100 linear feet) on a site approximately ¼ mile south of the Metal Bank site. The park project includes: repair and stabilization of the riverbank at the Tacony Boat Launch and a wharf that is directly south along the K&T Trail; integration of living shoreline techniques in the design of the shoreline restoration; creation of a freshwater tidal wetland; and protection of Spatterdock (Nuphar advena) stands found in the work area.

This Environmental Assessment/Regulatory Impact Review/Regulatory Flexibility Act Analysis/Magnuson-Stevens Fishery Conservation and Management Act Analysis (EA/RIR/RFAA/MSA) analyzes a proposed management measure that would apply exclusively to the Pacific Coast groundfish fishery. Specifically, this would remove the Cordell Bank Groundfish Conservation Area (GCA) for all groundfish fisheries and implement a new Groundfish Exclusion Area (GEA) for all groundfish fisheries on the Cordell Bank (50 fm isobath) bottom contact Essential Fish Habitat Conservation Area (EFHCA).  No changes are proposed to the Cordell Bank bottom trawl EFHCA or the bottom contact EFHCA.

"NOAA Fisheries has received an application for a Section 10(a)(1)(A) Enhancement Permit under the Endangered Species Act (ESA) from NOAA’s Southwest Fisheries Science Center Fisheries Ecology Division (SWFSC FED) for the continued implementation of the Southern Coho Salmon Captive Broodstock Program (SCSCBP, or program) in accordance with its Hatchery Genetic Management Plan (HGMP).

FED proposes to operate a genetically managed hatchery program for the restoration of depleted or lost populations of Central California Coast (CCC) coho salmon in the Santa Cruz Mountain Diversity Stratum (SCMDS). The intent of an integrated program is to create conditions wherein the natural environment drives the adaptation and fitness of a composite population of fish that spawns both in a hatchery and in the wild (i.e., naturally).

The program currently uses both natural-origin (NOR) and captive broodstock as well as the release of juvenile and adult fish to prevent regional extirpation, conserve population genetics, and to maintain a breeding population of CCC coho salmon south of San Francisco. Broodstock for the program are usually collected in SCMDS streams. A small number of outbreeders are used annually to increase genetic diversity. The outbreeders are sourced from the Russian River Coho Salmon Captive Broodstock Program (RRCSCBP) operated at Don Clausen Fish Hatchery (DCFH) in Sonoma County and include NOR fish from the Russian River (Sonoma County) and Lagunitas-Olema Creek (Marin County).

The program releases CCC coho salmon annually into SCMDS streams. Hatchery programs contribute to the recovery of listed salmonid populations by maintaining or increasing the abundance and genetic diversity of the naturally spawning population until it is self-sustaining. The HGMP outlines a four-phased approach for the Program that details a hatchery management strategy from a population preservation phase (Phase 1) to full recovery in SCMDS (Phase 4). Established regional monitoring will provide data to evaluate the program’s status and effects to ESA-listed species, and inform the decision making-body, a technical oversight committee (TOC), on program progress."

This Environmental Assessment analyzes the environmental effects of the National Marine Fisheries Service, Office of Protected Resources’ decision regarding issuance of a Letter of Authorization pursuant to section 101(a)(5)(A) of the Marine Mammal Protection Act, to the California Department of Fish and Wildlife for the take of small numbers of marine mammals incidental to fisheries and ecosystem research conducted by the Interagency Ecological Program in the San Francisco Bay-Delta Estuary.

The EIS will evaluate a range of alternative options for setting and managing red snapper catches at levels that end overfishing and support rebuilding objectives. NMFS will also explore management strategies that increase fishing opportunities for red snapper by transitioning the large number of dead recreational discards to landed catch. The South Atlantic Fishery Management Council was notified of the overfishing status of red snapper on July 23, 2021, and to date, has not taken actions to end overfishing. The Magnuson-Stevens Fishery Conservation and Management Act (MSA) also provides the Secretary of Commerce (Secretary) authority to act if a Council fails to develop and submit to the Secretary, after a reasonable period of time, needed conservation and management measures for a species. The goal is to finalize the Secretarial Amendment and environmental impact statement, as well as implement regulations, before the recreational and commercial fishing seasons open in summer 2025.

Amendment 15 has two broad components: (1) Modification, data collection, and assessment of four commercial longline spatial management areas and (2) Modification of the administration and funding of the HMS pelagic longline electronic monitoring program. Significant impacts are not expected and there are no known issues or problems.

The Trustees are proposing to use the remaining Chevron-Pearl Harbor NRDA case settlement funds to complete the Pouhala Marsh Enhancement Project selected in the Final RP/EA, and to reimburse the Trustees for the costs of additional restoration planning and administration. The project entails 1) the construction of an 8-acre wetland pond 2) and the expansion of waterbird habitat and wetland ecosystems through habitat enhancement activities, including invasive plant species removal/control and native vegetation plantings.

The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) is proposing to designate a national marine sanctuary to manage nationally significant resources off the coast of San Luis Obispo and Santa Barbara counties, California. NOAA has prepared a final environmental impact statement (EIS).

The St. Lawrence River Environment Trustees are proposing the St. Regis River - Skén:nen Park East and West Park Projects and the Raquette River Public Access Project (collectively, the Akwesasne Water Access Projects) as the preferred alternative to compensate the public for ecological and recreational fishing losses resulting from hazardous substance releases to the St. Lawrence River environment.

The proposed action would implement a recent decision adopted by the Commission for the Conservation and Management of Highly Migratory Fish Stocks in the Western and Central Pacific Ocean (WCPFC or Commission). The Commission’s decision changes the WCPFC bigeye tuna catch limit for U.S. longline fishing vessels from 3,554 metric tons (mt) to 6,554 mt.

EA for issuance of Incidental Take Regulations and associated LOA for construction work at the Port of Alaska Cargo Terminals. This project includes impact and vibratory pile driving of steel pipe piles during April - November 2026 - 2030, and a potential IHA for a sixth year of in-water work (2031). This project has the potential to take Cook Inlet beluga whales by Level B harassment, at numbers approaching the 33% small numbers threshold each year. The CIBW is a species in the spotlight and several NGOs have commented on previous Cook Inlet projects.

The proposed action would prohibit the use of trawl nets, purse seines, and trammel nets for all fishing in federal waters around Puerto Rico, St. Croix, and St. Thomas/St. John, prohibit the use of gillnets for all fishing except for the use of surface gillnets that meet specified requirements for the harvest of non-federally managed fish species in federal waters around Puerto Rico, St. Croix, and St. Thomas/St. John, and require that descending devices are available and ready for use when fishing for reef fish species managed by the Caribbean Fishery Management Council in federal waters around the U.S. Caribbean.

The Trustees' proposed action is Alternative B: Accept General Recycling Habitat Project. Alternative B involves the Trustees accepting the “General Recycling Habitat Project” in settlement from General Recycling to compensate for injuries caused by activities at the General Recycling property on the LDR. The General Recycling Habitat Project is anticipated to create approximately 2.33 acres of new, on- and off-channel marsh, intertidal, riparian, and vegetated slope habitat and protect an additional 0.56 acres of subtidal habitat on and adjacent to the LDR.

The Trustees are proposing an 800-acre terrace field project within Sabine NWR, along with shore based recreational fishing projects, to compensate the public for historical releases of hazardous wastes (PCBs, dioxins, lead, mercury, and other contaminants into) to Bayou d'Inde, a major tributary to the Calcasieu River in Calcasieu Parish, Louisiana.

Framework 12 set management measures and specifications for the skate fishery for the 2024–2025 fishing years. This action decreases the annual catch limit to 32,155 mt (from 37,236 mt in 2023) and the overall total allowable landings to 15,178 mt (from 21,142 mt in 2023). Specifications for fishing year 2025 are projected to be the same as the proposed 2024 limits. The specifications result in a 26-percent decrease in both the bait and wing fisheries’ total allowable landings. The reduced quotas remain higher than landings in the bait and wing fisheries for at least the last three years; therefore, we do not expect the new quotas to be restrictive to the fishery or to result in reductions in revenue. This action also increases possession limits for the wing fishery, removes barndoor skate-specific possession restrictions for the wing fishery, and removes smooth skate-specific possession restrictions for both the bait and wing fisheries.

NOAA’s U.S. Integrated Ocean Observing System (IOOS®) Program Office is proposing to allocate federal funds to the Florida Institute of Technology (FIT) through a sub-contract with the Southeast Coastal Ocean Observing Regional Association (SECOORA). FIT will install an oceanographic high frequency radar (HFR) at Hightower Beach Park. Hightower Beach Park is a municipal park operated by the City of Satellite Beach located within the state of Florida.

The purpose of this EA is to analyze the activities described in the ESA section 10(a)(1)(A) enhancement permit application submitted by U. S. Fish and Wildlife Service (USFWS) and associated Hatchery Genetics Management Plan. The actions of the EA must ensure that the proposed SJRRP activities; (1) work to reintroduce CV spring-run Chinook salmon into the Restoration Area, (2) comply with the Restoration Goal of the Settlement, to restore fish downstream of Friant Dam to ‘good conditions’, and (3) are ESA compliant. According to the Final Recovery Plan for Central Valley Salmon and Steelhead (NMFS 2014), the population of CV spring-run Chinook salmon in the SJRRP Restoration Area is considered a top priority for reintroduction. The proposed action is a necessary regulatory component of this reintroduction effort.