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Management of Krill As an Essential Component of the California Current Ecosystem

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Management of Krill As an Essential Component of the California Current Ecosystem MANAGEMENT OF KRILL AS AN ESSENTIAL COMPONENT OF THE CALIFORNIA CURRENT ECOSYSTEM AMENDMENT 12 TO THE COASTAL PELAGIC SPECIES FISHERY MANAGEMENT PLAN ENVIRONMENTAL ASSESSMENT, REGULATORY IMPACT REVIEW & REGULATORY FLEXIBILITY ANALYSIS SUBMITTED BY: PACIFIC FISHERY MANAGEMENT COUNCIL 7700 NE AMBASSADOR PLACE, SUITE 200 PORTLAND, OREGON 97220-1384 (503) 820-2280 HTTP://WWW.PCOUNCIL.ORG IN CONJUNCTION WITH: DEPARTMENT OF COMMERCE NATIONAL MARINE FISHERIES SERVICE SOUTHWEST REGION FEBRUARY 2008 This document is published by the Pacific Fishery Management Council pursuant to National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration Award Number NA03NMF4410067. COVER SHEET ii MANAGEMENT OF KRILL AS AN ESSENTIAL COMPONENT OF THE CALIFORNIA CURRENT ECOSYSTEM Environmental Assessment and Amendment 12 to the Coastal Pelagic Species Fishery Management Plan Prepared by: Southwest Region, National Marine Fisheries Service (NMFS), and Pacific Fishery Management Council Abstract: The Pacific Fishery Management Council (Council) recommended, and NMFS approved, an amendment to the Coastal Pelagic Species Fishery Management Plan (CPS FMP) to ensure the preservation of a key trophic relationship between fished and unfished elements in the California Current ecosystem by protecting krill resources off the U. S. West Coast. The proposed action would implement Amendment 12 to the CPS FMP by issuing regulations proposed by NMFS that: • Add krill to the management unit species of the CPS FMP • Establish a “prohibited harvest species” category of management unit species in the CPS FMP • Place all species of krill that occur in the EEZ off the U. S. West Coast in the “prohibited harvest species” category • Designate essential fish habitat for krill • Deny the use of the exempted fishing permit process under the CPS FMP to allow krill fishing For Further Information Contact: Dr. Donald McIsaac Mr. Rodney R. McInnis Pacific Fishery Management Council National Marine Fisheries Service 7700 NE Ambassador Place 501 W. Ocean Boulevard Suite 200 Suite 4200 Portland, OR 97220 Long Beach, CA 90802 (503) 520-2280 (562) 980-4000 iii TABLE OF CONTENTS 1.0 INTRODUCTION .................................................................................................................................................. 1 1.1 SUMMARY............................................................................................................................................................ 1 2.0 PROPOSED ACTION........................................................................................................................................ 3 2.1 PURPOSE AND NEED............................................................................................................................................. 5 2.2 MANAGEMENT ISSUES .......................................................................................................................................... 8 2.3 MANAGEMENT OBJECTIVES ................................................................................................................................. 7 2.4 KRILL CONSERVATION AND MANAGEMENT ALTERNATIVES................................................................................ 8 2.5 ALTERNATIVES CONSIDERED BUT NOT ANALYZED FURTHER ............................................................................ 10 3.0 DESCRIPTION OF KRILL RESOURCE AND THE AFFECTED ENVIRONMENT ................................ 11 3.1 KRILL BIOLOGY AND STATUS ............................................................................................................................ 11 3.2 ROLE OF KRILL IN THE ECOSYSTEM OFF THE WEST COAST................................................................................ 32 3.3 ESSENTIAL FISH HABITAT .................................................................................................................................. 38 3.4 KRILL FISHERIES ................................................................................................................................................ 44 3.5 EXISTING MANAGEMENT OF KRILL FISHERIES OFF THE WEST COAST................................................................ 48 3.6 KRILL FISHERIES AND MANAGEMENT IN OTHER AREAS – LESSONS LEARNED .................................................. 49 4.0 PROPOSED ACTION AND ALTERNATIVES AND THEIR IMPACTS .................................................... 57 4.1 IMPACTS OF PROPOSED ACTION ......................................................................................................................... 57 4.2 ALTERNATIVES AND THEIR IMPACTS ................................................................................................................. 59 4.3 RELATIONSHIP TO THE MAGNUSON-STEVENS ACT AND OTHER APPLICABLE LAWS........................................... 73 4.4 COASTAL ZONE MANAGEMENT ACT.................................................................................................................. 76 4.5 ENDANGERED SPECIES ACT ............................................................................................................................... 76 4.6 MARINE MAMMAL PROTECTION ACT ................................................................................................................ 76 4.7 REGULATORY FLEXIBILITY ACT ........................................................................................................................ 76 4.8 EXECUTIVE ORDER 12866 - REGULATORY IMPACT REVIEW (RIR) .................................................................... 78 4.9 NATIONAL ENVIRONMENTAL POLICY ACT (NEPA) ........................................................................................... 78 4.10 PAPERWORK REDUCTION ACT (PRA) .............................................................................................................. 82 4.11 MIGRATORY BIRD TREATY ACT (MBTA)........................................................................................................ 83 4.12 ENVIRONMENTAL JUSTICE ............................................................................................................................... 83 5.0 REFERENCES .................................................................................................................................................... 84 6.0 AGENCIES AND ORGANIZATIONS CONSULTED .................................................................................... 95 7.0 LIST OF FIGURES............................................................................................................................................. 96 8.0 ABBREVIATIONS AND ACRONYMS.......................................................................................................... 118 iv 1.0 INTRODUCTION 1.1 Summary The Coastal Pelagic Species (CPS) fishery in the Exclusive Economic Zone (EEZ) off the U. S. West Coast (e.g., California, Oregon and Washington) is managed under the Coastal Pelagic Species Fishery Management Plan (CPS FMP), which was developed by the Pacific Fishery Management Council (Council) pursuant to the Magnuson-Stevens Fishery Conservation and Management Act (MSA). The CPS FMP was approved by the Secretary of Commerce and was implemented by regulations that can be found at 50 CFR Part 660, Subpart I. The Council has expressed interest in and support for ecosystem-based fishery management programs that recognize the relationships between different components of the marine environment. Whether looking at management of multi-species fisheries or of fisheries for species that are both predators and prey, or at conservation of habitat that is essential for healthy fish stocks, the Council is attempting to incorporate ecosystem conservation principles into its management programs. This ecosystem-based approach was acknowledged by Congress when it reauthorized the MSA in 2006. Congress first noted that "A number of Fishery Management Councils have demonstrated significant progress in integrating ecosystem considerations in fisheries management under the existing authorities provided under this Act." (16 U.S.C. 1801(b)(11)). It also provided the Councils even more explicit authority to include management measures in any fishery management plan "to conserve target and non-target species and habitats, considering the variety of ecological factors affecting fishery populations." (16 U.S.C. 1853(b)(12)). In this context, the Council and NOAA’s National Marine Fisheries Service (NMFS) are interested in preserving key trophic relationships between fished and unfished elements of the food web in order to maintain the integrity of the ecosystem and to minimize the risk of irreversible adverse impacts on managed fish stocks and other living marine resources from adverse impacts. Euphausiids, commonly known as krill, serve as one of the most important channels for the movement of energy through the California Current ecosystem and function as a key forage resource for federally managed fishes including hake, rockfish and salmon (Field and Francis, 2006). Consequently, it is desirable and advantageous to the Council and NMFS’ fishery management objectives to maintain krill stocks within the bounds of natural environmental variability to the extent practicable. At its October 31, 2005 meeting, the Council agreed to complete for public review and comment a draft CPS FMP amendment to conserve and manage krill resources. The Council subsequently took public comment and recommended the conservation and
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