DRAFT ENVIRONMENTAL IMPACT STATEMENT BOTTOMFISH AND SEAMOUNT GROUNDFISH FISHERIES IN THE WESTERN PACIFIC REGION August 2003 Responsible Agencies: Western Pacific Fishery Management Council NMFS Southwest Region 1164 Bishop Street Pacific Islands Area Office Suite 1400 1601 Kapiolani Blvd., Suite 1110, Honolulu, HI 96813 Honolulu, HI 96814-4700 Contact: Contact: Kitty M. Simonds Sam Pooley Executive Director Acting Regional Administrator Telephone: (808) 522-8220 Telephone: (808) 973-2937 Abstract: The Western Pacific Regional Fishery Management Council has the responsibility to prepare a fishery management plan for any fishery requiring conservation and management in the U.S. Exclusive Economic Zones around the State of Hawai#i, the Territories of American Samoa and Guam, the Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands and the various islands and atolls known as the U.S. Pacific remote island areas. In 1986, a fishery management plan for the bottomfish and seamount groundfish fisheries in the Western Pacific Region was approved by the Secretary of Commerce. The plan has been amended six times, but until now there has not been a comprehensive environmental impact statement to assess the issues and management options for these fisheries. This environmental impact statement presents an overall picture of the environmental effects of existing fishery activities as conducted under the fishery management plan. It also evaluates the impacts of a range of reasonable management alternatives in order to characterize their relative environmental effects and provide a clear basis for choice among options by the public, the Council and the National Marine Fisheries Service. The analyses include assessments of the biological, economic and social impacts that would result from alternative regulatory regimes for management of the bottomfish and seamount groundfish fisheries in the Western Pacific Region. Draft Environmental Impact Statement Bottomfish and Seamount Groundfish Fisheries in the Western Pacific Region Prepared for Western Pacific Regional Fishery Management Council 1164 Bishop Street, Suite 1405 Honolulu, Hawai#i 96813 Prepared by URS Corporation 615 Pi#ikoi Street, Suite 900 Honolulu, Hawai#i 96814 25 August 2003 ABBREVIATIONS AND ACRONYMS APA Administrative Procedure Act HINWR Hawaiian Islands National Wildlife ASG American Samoa Government Refuge BMUS Bottomfish Management Unit HIR Hawaiian Islands Reservation Species HMSRT Hawaiian Monk Seal Recovery BO Biological Opinion Team CFR Code of Federal Regulations ICB Information Collection Budget cm Centimeters IRFA Initial Regulatory Flexibility CNMI Commonwealth of the Northern Analysis Mariana Islands kg Kilograms CPUE Catch Per Unit Effort km Kilometers CVM Contingent Valuation Method lb Pounds CZMA Coastal Zone Management Act LOF List of Fisheries DAWR Division of Aquatic and Wildlife LORAN Long Range Aid to Navigation Resources, Government of Guam m Meters DBEDT Department of Business, Economic MBTA Migratory Bird Treaty Act Development and Tourism, State of MHI Main Hawaiian Islands Hawai#i MMPA Marine Mammal Protection Act DFW Division of Fish and Wildlife, MPA Marine Protected Area CNMI MSA Magnuson-Stevens Fishery DMWR Department of Marine and Wildlife Conservation and Management Act Resources, American Samoa MSST Minimum Stock Size Threshold Government MSY Maximum Sustainable Yield DOD United States Department of NAFTA North American Free Trade Defense Agreement EA Environmental Assessment NDSA Naval Defense Sea Areas EEZ Exclusive Economic Zone NEPA National Environmental Policy Act EFH Essential Fish Habitat nm Nautical Miles EIS Environmental Impact Statement NMFS National Marine Fisheries Service EO Executive Order NMFS-HL NMFS, Southwest Fisheries Center, ESA Endangered Species Act Honolulu Laboratory FCZ Fishery Conservation Zone NOAA National Oceanic and Atmospheric FFS French Frigate Shoals Administration FLPMA Federal Land Policy and NOI Notice of Intent Management Act NWHI Northwestern Hawaiian Islands fm Fathoms NWR National Wildlife Refuge FMP Fishery Management Plan NWRSAA National Wildlife Refuge System FOIA Freedom of Information Act Administration Act FR Federal Register OMB Office of Management and Budget FRFA Final Regulatory Flexibility OSP Optimum Sustainable Population Analysis PBR Potential Biological Removal ft Feet PIAO Pacific Islands Area Office FWCA Fish and Wildlife Coordination Act (NMFS) GATT General Agreement on Tariffs and PRA Paperwork Reduction Act Trade PRIA Pacific Remote Island Area GPS Global Positioning System RFA Regulatory Flexibility Act HAPC Habitat Areas of Particular Concern RIN Regulatory Identifier Number HDAR Division of Aquatic Resources, RIR Regulatory Impact Review State of Hawai#i SBREFA Small Business Regulatory Enforcement Fairness Act i October 16, 2003 SEIS Supplemental Environmental Impact Statement SFA Sustainable Fisheries Act SPR Spawning Potential Ratio SWR State Wildlife Refuge TSLA Territorial Submerged Lands Act USCG United States Coast Guard USFWS United States Fish and Wildlife Service VMS Vessel Monitoring System WpacFIN Western Pacific Fisheries Information Network WPRFMC Western Pacific Regional Fishery Management Council ii October 16, 2003 TABLE OF CONTENTS ABBREVIATIONS AND ACRONYMS ........................................... i TABLE OF CONTENTS ....................................................... iii LIST OF TABLES ............................................................ xi LIST OF FIGURES .......................................................... xiii SUMMARY ......................................................... Summary-1 CHAPTER 1: PURPOSE AND NEED FOR THE ACTION .......................... 1-1 1.1 INTRODUCTION .................................................. 1-1 1.2 NEED FOR THE PROPOSED ACTION ................................ 1-1 1.3 SCOPE OF THIS ENVIRONMENTAL ANALYSIS ....................... 1-4 1.3.1 The Scoping Process ......................................... 1-4 1.3.2 Issues Addressed in this Environmental Impact Statement ........... 1-4 1.3.2.1 Related Ongoing Federal Actions ....................... 1-5 1.3.3 Actions and Issues Considered But Not Addressed in this Environmental Impact Statement .......................................... 1-5 1.4 RELEVANT LAWS AND EXECUTIVE ORDERS ....................... 1-6 CHAPTER 2: DESCRIPTION OF THE ALTERNATIVES ........................... 2-1 2.1 INTRODUCTION .................................................. 2-1 2.2 ALTERNATIVE DESCRIPTIONS ..................................... 2-1 2.2.1 Alternative 1 (Preferred Alternative): No Action ................... 2-1 2.2.2 Alternative 2: Immediate Cessation of Bottomfish Fishing in the NWHI ........................................................ 2-1 2.2.3 Alternative 3: Phase-out of Bottomfish Fishing in the NWHI ......... 2-1 2.2.4 Alternative 4: Adaptive Management Through Zoning .............. 2-2 2.2.4.1 Description of Alternative 4A .......................... 2-3 2.2.4.2 Description of Alternative 4B .......................... 2-4 2.3 CURRENT BOTTOMFISH AND SEAMOUNT GROUNDFISH FISHERY MANAGEMENT REGIME ....................................... 2-9 2.3.1 Overview of the FMP and Amendments .......................... 2-9 2.3.2 Management Unit Species .................................... 2-9 2.3.3 Management Area and Subareas ............................... 2-11 2.3.4 Regulations ............................................... 2-13 2.3.5 Pending Management Measures ............................... 2-18 2.3.5.1 Permit Renewal Requirements and Transferability Restrictions ................................................. 2-18 iii October 16, 2003 2.3.5.2 Procedure for Issuance of New Mau Zone Limited Access Permits ................................................. 2-20 2.3.5.3 Western Pacific Community Development Program ........ 2-20 2.3.5.4 Revisions of Bycatch and Overfishing Provisions and Fishing Community Definitions .............................. 2-21 2.3.5.5 Inclusion of the Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands and U.S. Pacific Remote Island Areas in the Bottomfish and Seamount Groundfish FMP ........................... 2-21 2.3.5.6 Fifty Mile Area Closure and 50 Foot Size Limit for Vessels Targeting Bottomfish within EEZ Waters Surrounding Guam 2-22 2.4 SUMMARY AND COMPARISON OF IMPACTS BY ALTERNATIVE ...... 2-23 CHAPTER 3: AFFECTED ENVIRONMENT ..................................... 3-1 3.1 TARGET SPECIES ................................................. 3-1 3.1.1 Life History Overviews ....................................... 3-1 3.1.1.1 Bottomfish ......................................... 3-1 3.1.1.2 Seamount Groundfish ................................ 3-2 3.1.2 Status of the Stocks .......................................... 3-2 3.1.2.1 Bottomfish ......................................... 3-2 3.1.2.1.1 Maximum Sustainable Yield ................... 3-2 3.1.2.1.2 Spawning Potential Ratio ...................... 3-3 3.1.2.1.3 Overfishing Criteria .......................... 3-6 3.1.2.2 Seamount Groundfish ................................ 3-6 3.2 BYCATCH ....................................................... 3-7 3.2.1 MSA Definitions and Requirements ............................. 3-7 3.2.2 Available Estimates of Catch and Mortality ....................... 3-8 3.2.3 Anticipated Improvements to Management Measures .............. 3-11 3.3 PROTECTED SPECIES ............................................ 3-11 3.3.1 Marine Mammals .......................................... 3-12 3.3.1.1