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Ecosystem Components Amendment 4 – Fishery Ecosystem Plan for American Samoa Amendment 5 – Fishery Ecosystem Plan for the Mariana Archipelago Amendment 5 – Fishery Ecosystem Plan for the Hawaii Archipelago --- Ecosystem Components --- Including an Environmental Assessment and Regulatory Impact Review November 1, 2018 Western Pacific Fishery Management Council 1164 Bishop St., Suite 1400 Honolulu, HI 96813 Pacific Islands Regional Office National Marine Fisheries Service National Oceanic & Atmospheric Administration 1845 Wasp Blvd., Bldg. 176 Honolulu, HI 96818 If you need assistance with this document, please contact NOAA Fisheries at (808) 725-5000 Amendment 4 to the Fishery Ecosystem Plan for American Samoa Amendment 5 to the Fishery Ecosystem Plans for the Mariana Archipelago Amendment 5 to the Fishery Ecosystem Plan for Hawaii Ecosystem Components Responsible Federal Agency Responsible Official Pacific Islands Regional Office Michael D. Tosatto National Marine Fisheries Service Regional Administrator National Oceanic & Atmospheric Administration Tel. (808) 725-5000 1845 Wasp Blvd., Bldg. 176 Fax: (808) 725-5215 Honolulu, HI 96818 Regional Fishery Management Council Council Executive Director Western Pacific Fishery Management Council Kitty M. Simonds 1164 Bishop St., Suite 1400 Tel: (808) 522-8220 Honolulu, HI 96813 Fax: (808) 522-8226 Abstract The Western Pacific Fishery Management Council (Council) established the Fishery Ecosystem Plans for American Samoa, the Mariana Archipelago, and Hawaii (FEPs, as amended) to conserve and manage fisheries in the US Exclusive Economic Zone (EEZ, or federal waters) in the Pacific Islands. Currently, the FEPs include thousands of management unit species (MUS), that is, stocks previously considered to be in a federal fishery and needing conservation and management. Under the National Standard (NS) guidelines (50 CFR 600.305 and 600.310) for the Magnuson-Stevens Fishery Conservation and Management Act (Magnuson-Stevens Act), the Council and the National Marine Fisheries Service (NMFS) manage MUS that generally are targets of a federal fishery and caught predominantly in federal waters. Pursuant to NS1, ecosystem component species (ECS) are stocks that are included in an FEP to achieve ecosystem management objectives, but do not require conservation and management (50 CFR 600.305(c)(5)). Based on the NS1 guidelines, the Council proposes to amend the three FEPs to reclassify certain MUS as ECS. Reclassifying certain MUS as ECS would allow the Council and NMFS to better prioritize monitoring, assessment, and management resources on species that are in federal fisheries in need of conservation and management, while preserving the ability to protect the associated role of EC species in the ecosystem and/or to address other ecosystem management issues. The purpose of this action is to improve efficiency of fishery management in the region. Copies of this EA and final rule are found under RIN 0648-BH63 at www.regulations.gov, or by contacting the responsible official or Council at the above addresses. ii Acronyms and Abbreviations ABD – Acceptable Biological Catch ACL – Annual Catch Limit AM – Accountability Measure CFR – Code of Federal Regulations CNMI – Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands DOD – Department of Defense DPS – Distinct Popultaion Segment EA – Environmental Assessment ECEWG – Ecosystem Component Expert Working Group ECS – Ecosystem Component Species EEZ – Exclusive Economic Zone EFH – Essential Fish Habitat ESA – Endangered Species Act FEP – Fishery Ecosystem Plan FMP – Fishery Management Plans FR – Federal Register IFKW – Insular False Killer Whale MFMT – Maximum Fishing Mortality Threshold MHI – Main Hawaiian Islands MMPA – Marine Mammal Protection Act MPA – Marine Protected Area MSST – Minimum Stock Size Threshold MSY – Maximum Sustainable Yield MUS – Management Unit Species NEPA – National Environmental Policy Act NMFS – National Marine Fisheries Service NOAA – National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration NPDES – National Pollutant Discharge Elimination System NS – National Standard NS1 – National Standard 1 OY – Optimum Yield PHCRT – Potentially Harvested Coral Reef Taxa PIFSC – Pacific Islands Fisheries Science Center PIRO – Pacific Islands Regional Office PRIA – Pacific Remote Island Area RFA – Regulatory Flexibility Act RFMC – Regional Fishery Management Council SAFE – Stock Assessment and Fishery Evaluation Report SDC – Status Determination Criteria SSC – Scientific and Statistical Committee US – United States WPFMC – Western Pacific Fishery Management Council (Council) iii Table of Contents 1 INTRODUCTION .............................................................................................................. 1 Background Information on NS1 ................................................................................... 1 Western Pacific Management under NS1 ...................................................................... 3 Purpose and Need for Action ......................................................................................... 4 Proposed Action ............................................................................................................. 5 Action Area .................................................................................................................... 5 Decision(s) to be Made ................................................................................................... 6 Public Involvement ......................................................................................................... 6 2 DESCRIPTION OF THE ALTERNATIVES CONSIDERED .......................................... 6 Development of the Alternatives .................................................................................... 6 2.1.1 Council and SSC Meetings ........................................................................................... 10 Description of the Alternatives ..................................................................................... 13 2.2.1 Alternative 1: No Action (Status Quo/Current Management) ...................................... 13 2.2.2 Alternative 2: Reclassify some of the MUS as ECS (Preferred Alternative) ............... 14 2.2.3 Summary Comparison of Features of Alternatives Considered ................................... 19 Alternatives Considered, but Rejected from Further Analysis ..................................... 22 3 DESCRIPTION OF THE AFFECTED ENVIRONMENT .............................................. 22 Affected Physical Environment .................................................................................... 23 Affected Biological Resources ..................................................................................... 23 3.2.1 Marine Protected Areas ................................................................................................ 23 3.2.2 Affected Target Species, Non-Target Species, Bycatch, Biodiversity, and Protected Species ..................................................................................................................................... 24 3.2.3 Essential Fish Habitat and Habitat Areas of Particular Concern .................................. 24 Socio-economic Setting ................................................................................................ 33 Management Setting ..................................................................................................... 33 4 POTENTIAL EFFECTS OF THE ALTERNATIVES ..................................................... 35 Potential Effects of Alternative 1: No Action (Status Quo) ......................................... 35 Potential Effects of Alternative 2 (Preferred Alternative) ............................................ 35 4.2.1 Effects of Alternative 2 on Physical Environment ....................................................... 35 4.2.2 Effects of Alternative 2 on Biological Resources ........................................................ 36 4.2.3 Effects on Socio-economic Setting .............................................................................. 48 4.2.4 Effects on Management Setting for Species in the FEPs ............................................. 49 Potential Cumulative Effects of the Proposed Action .................................................. 50 4.3.1 Cumulative Effects on the Physical and Biological Environment ............................... 50 4.3.2 Climate Change ............................................................................................................ 51 4.3.3 Other Effects ................................................................................................................. 52 5 SUMMARY OF POTENTIAL EFFECTS ....................................................................... 53 6 PREPARERS, REVIEWERS, AND COORDINATION WITH OTHERS ..................... 56 Preparers and Reviewers .............................................................................................. 56 Coordination with Others ............................................................................................. 56 iv 7 REFERENCES ................................................................................................................. 58 APPENDIX A. MANAGEMENT UNIT SPECIES AND NATIONAL STANDARD 1 FACTORS .................................................................................................................... 61 APPENDIX B. ECOSYSTEM COMPONENT SPECIES .......................................................
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