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FEBO 7 2018 Date Issued: Table of Contents 1 Endangered Species Act - Section 7 Consultation PIFSC ASRAMP Cruise 2018 Biological Opinion Action Agency: National Marine Fisheries Service, Pacific Islands Region, Sustainable Fisheries Division Activity: PIFSC American Samoa Reef Assessment and Monitoring Program research cruise. Consulting Agency: National Marine Fisheries Service, Pacific Islands Region, Protected Resources Division NMFS File No. (PCTS): PIR-2017-10255 PIRO Reference No.: I-PI-17-1583-AG Approved By: Michael D. Tosatto Regional Administrator, Pacific Islands Region FEBO 7 2018 Date Issued: Table of Contents 1. Introduction ............................................................................................................................. 4 2. Consultation History ................................................................................................................ 4 3. Description of the Proposed Action......................................................................................... 5 3.1 Cruise Part 1- Miscellaneous Environmental Research ................................................... 6 3.2 Cruise Part 2: Collection of Voucher specimens .......................................................... 15 4. Action Area ............................................................................................................................ 16 5. Evidence Available for the Consultation ............................................................................... 16 6. Status of Listed Species ......................................................................................................... 16 6.1 Species Not Likely to be Adversely Affected by the Proposed Action .............................. 18 6.2 Species Likely to be Adversely Affected ............................................................................ 20 6.2.1. Acropora globiceps...................................................................................................... 20 6.2.2 Acropora jacquelineae ................................................................................................. 22 6.2.3 Acropora retusa ............................................................................................................ 22 6.2.4 Acropora speciosa ........................................................................................................ 23 6.2.5 Euphyllia paradivisa..................................................................................................... 24 6.2.6 Isopora crateriformis .................................................................................................... 24 7. Environmental Baseline ......................................................................................................... 25 8. Effects of the Action .............................................................................................................. 28 8.1 Indirect Effects to ESA-listed coral species resulting from Part 1 of the Cruise. .......... 30 8.2 Direct collection of ESA threatened corals .................................................................... 31 8.2.1 Risk to Acropora globiceps ........................................................................................ 31 8.2.2 Risk to Acropora jacquelineae ................................................................................... 32 8.2.3 Risk to Acropora retusa ............................................................................................. 32 8.2.4 Risk to Acropora speciosa .......................................................................................... 33 8.2.5 Risk to Euphyllia paradivisa ...................................................................................... 33 8.2.6 Risk to Isopora crateriformis ..................................................................................... 34 9 Cumulative Effects ................................................................................................................ 34 10 Integration and Synthesis of Effects .................................................................................. 36 10.1 Acropora globiceps ........................................................................................................... 36 10.2 Acropora jacquelineae ...................................................................................................... 38 10.3 Acropora retusa................................................................................................................. 39 10.4 Acropora speciosa ............................................................................................................. 40 10.5 Euphyllia paradivisa ......................................................................................................... 41 10.6 Isopora crateriformis ........................................................................................................ 42 11 Conclusion ......................................................................................................................... 43 12 Incidental Take Statement.................................................................................................. 44 13 Reinitiation Statement ........................................................................................................ 45 14 Conservation Recommendations ....................................................................................... 45 15 Literature Cited .................................................................................................................. 46 Figure 1. Subsurface Temperature Recorder .................................................................................. 7 Figure 2. Autonomous Reef Monitoring Structures ....................................................................... 8 Figure 3. Calcification Accretion Unit............................................................................................ 8 Figure 4. Bioerosion Monitoring Unit ............................................................................................ 9 Figure 5. Ecological Acoustic Recorder ......................................................................................... 9 Figure 6. Ocean Acidification Diurnal Suite deployed at Jarvis Island. ....................................... 10 Figure 7. Nortek Aquadopp Acoustic Doppler Current Profiler ................................................... 11 Figure 8. Sea Surface Temperature Buoy. .................................................................................... 11 Figure 9. SAMI pH sensor……………………………………………………………………….12 Figure 10. pCO2 sensor……………………………… ................................................................. 12 Figure 11. HOBO oxygen sensor and the the photosynthetically active radiation sensor. ........... 13 Figure 12. Seabird MicroCAT ...................................................................................................... 13 Figure 13. High Frequency Acoustic Recording Package ............................................................ 14 Table 1. Proposed collection of ESA-listed coral species. ........................................................... 15 Table 2. Table of Listed Species in Action Area .......................................................................... 17 Table 3. Amount and extent of take by the proposed action. ....................................................... 44 1. Introduction Section 7(a)(2) of the Endangered Species Act of 1973, as amended (ESA; 16U.S.C. 1536(A)(2)) requires each Federal agency to insure that any action they authorize, fund, or carry out is not likely to jeopardize the continued existence of any endangered or threatened species or result in the destruction or adverse modification of critical habitat of such species. When a federal agency’s action “may affect” an ESA-listed species, that agency is required to consult formally with the National Marine Fisheries Service (NMFS; for marine species or their designated critical habitat) or the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (U.S. FWS; for terrestrial and freshwater species or their designated critical habitat). Federal agencies are exempt from this formal consultation requirement if they have concluded that an action “may affect, but is not likely to adversely affect” ESA-listed species or their designated critical habitat, and NMFS or the U.S. FWS concur with that conclusion (50 CFR 402.14 (b)). If an action is likely to adversely affect a listed species, the appropriate agency (either NMFS or FWS) must provide a biological opinion (opinion) to determine if the proposed action is likely to jeopardize the continued existence of listed species (50 CFR 402.14(e)). “Jeopardize the continued existence of” means “to engage in an action that reasonably would be expected, directly or indirectly, to reduce appreciably the likelihood of both the survival and recovery of a listed species in the wild by reducing the reproduction, numbers, or distribution of that species.” (50 CFR 402.02) This document represents the NMFS’ Opinion of the effects on marine species protected under the ESA under NMFS jurisdiction that may result from the 2018 American Samoa Rapid Assessment and Monitoring Program cruise to be conducted aboard the NOAA vessel Hi‘ialakai by the Pacific Islands Fisheries Science Center (Science Center), Coral Reef Ecosystem Division that is scheduled to take place from February 2018 through early May of 2018. This Opinion is based on the review of the November
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