Programmatic Environmental Assessment of Field Operations in the Northeast and Great Lakes National Marine Sanctuaries
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Programmatic Environmental Assessment of Field Operations in the Northeast and Great Lakes National Marine Sanctuaries August 7, 2018 http://sanctuaries.noaa.gov National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration U.S. Secretary of Commerce Wilbur Ross Under Secretary of Commerce for Oceans and Atmosphere and NOAA Administrator RDML Tim Gallaudet, Ph.D., USN Ret. (Acting) Assistant Administrator for Ocean Services and Coastal Zone Management, National Ocean Service Russell Callender, Ph.D. Office of National Marine Sanctuaries John Armor, Director Rebecca Holyoke,Deputy Director Matt Brookhart, Acting Northeast and Great Lakes Regional Director Cover Photo The bow of the two-masted schooner EB Allen, sunk in 1871, and now lies within Thunder Bay National Marine Sanctuary. Photo: Tane Casserley/NOAA, Thunder Bay NMS Table of Contents Table of Contents Acknowledgments ........................................................................................ iii Introduction .................................................................................................. iv 1.0 Purpose and Need ....................................................................................1 1.1 Purpose for the Action ............................................................................... 1 1.2 Need for the Action ..................................................................................... 1 2.0 Description of Proposed Action and Alternatives ................................2 2.1 Alternatives Considered But Not Analyzed in Further Detail .................. 3 2.2 Alternative 1: No Action/ Status Quo ........................................................ 3 2.2.1 Thunder Bay National Marine Sanctuary Projects and Field Operations ................... 6 2.2.2 Stellwagen Bank National Marine Sanctuary Projects and Field Operations .......... 11 2.2.3 Monitor National Marine Sanctuary Projects and Field Operations ......................... 18 2.3 Alternative 2: Status Quo without Voluntary and Precautionary Procedures ...................................................................................................... 24 3.0 Affected Environment .......................................................................... 26 3.1 Thunder Bay National Marine Sanctuary ................................................ 26 3.1.1 Physical Environment .................................................................................................... 26 3.1.2 Biological Environment ................................................................................................. 27 3.1.3 Socioeconomic Environment ........................................................................................ 29 3.1.4 Maritime Heritage and Cultural Environment .............................................................. 30 3.2 Stellwagen Bank National Marine Sanctuary ......................................... 31 3.2.1 Physical Environment .................................................................................................... 31 3.2.2 Biological Environment ................................................................................................. 32 3.2.3 Socioeconomic Environment ........................................................................................ 36 3.2.4 Maritime Heritage and Cultural Environment .............................................................. 38 3.3 Monitor National Marine Sanctuary ......................................................... 39 3.3.1 Physical Environment .................................................................................................... 39 3.3.2 Biological Environment ................................................................................................. 40 3.3.3 Socioeconomic Environment ........................................................................................ 41 3.3.4 Maritime Heritage and Cultural Environment .............................................................. 43 4.0 Environmental Consequences .............................................................. 46 4.1 Alternative 1 .............................................................................................. 47 4.1.1 Physical Environment .................................................................................................... 47 4.1.2 Biological Environment ................................................................................................. 57 4.1.3 Socioeconomic Resources ........................................................................................... 79 4.1.4 Maritime Heritage and Cultural Resources .................................................................. 85 i Table of Contents 4.2 Alternative 2 .............................................................................................. 91 4.2.1 Biological Environment ................................................................................................. 91 4.3 Cumulative Impacts .................................................................................. 91 4.3.1 Cumulative Effects on Physical Environment ............................................................. 92 4.3.2 Cumulative Effects on Biological Environment .......................................................... 93 4.3.3 Cumulative Effects on Socioeconomic Environment ................................................. 94 4.3.4 Cumulative Effects on Maritime Heritage and Cultural Environment ....................... 94 4.4 Conclusions .............................................................................................. 94 5.0 Consultations ....................................................................................... 102 5.1 Magnuson-Stevens Act .......................................................................... 102 5.1.1 Essential Fish Habitat Assessment ............................................................................ 103 5.2 Marine Mammal Protection Act ............................................................. 106 5.3 Endangered Species Act ........................................................................ 108 5.4 National Historic Preservation Act ........................................................ 110 5.5 Executive Order 12989, Environmental Justice ................................... 111 5.6 Executive Order 13158, Marine Protected Areas ................................. 111 5.7 Coastal Zone Management Act .............................................................. 112 6.0 References ............................................................................................ 114 Appendix A: Protected Species Lists ...................................................... 115 Appendix B: List of All ONMS Vessels in Northeast and Great Lakes Region ........................................................................................................ 123 Appendix C: Consultation Letters ......................................................... 124 Appendix D: ONMS BMPs for Vessel Operations ............................... 125 ii Acknowledgments Acknowledgments We would like to thank the following members of the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration Office of National Marine Sanctuaries for preparing this document: Benjamin Cowie-Haskell, Stellwagen Bank National Marine Sanctuary Russ Green, Thunder Bay National Marine Sanctuary Joseph Hoyt, Monitor National Marine Sanctuary Matt Nichols, Policy and Planning Division, ONMS Helene Scalliet, Policy and Planning Division, ONMS Jen Lechuga, Policy and Planning Division, ONMS Paul Ticco, Northeast and Great Lakes region, ONMS Vicki Wedell, Policy and Planning Division, ONMS iii Introduction Introduction The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration’s (NOAA) Office of National Marine Sanctuaries (ONMS) serves as the trustee for the thirteen national marine sanctuaries and two marine national monuments (Figure 1). Together these protected areas encompass more than 600,000 square miles of ocean and Great Lakes waters from Washington State to the Florida Keys, and from New England to American Samoa. National marine sanctuaries are special areas set aside for long-term protection, conservation and management, and are part of our nation’s legacy to future generations. They contain deep ocean habitats of resplendent marine life, kelp forests, coral reefs, whale migration corridors, deep-sea canyons, historically significant shipwrecks, and other underwater archaeological sites. Each sanctuary is a unique place worthy of special protection. Because they serve as natural classrooms, cherished recreational spots and places for valuable commercial activities, national marine sanctuaries represent many things to many people. Organizationally, the national marine sanctuary system is divided into four regions: Northeast and Great Lakes; Southeast, Gulf of Mexico and Caribbean; West Coast; and Pacific Islands. This environmental assessment addresses field operations at the three national marine sanctuaries in the Northeast and Great Lakes Region: Thunder Bay, Stellwagen Bank, and Monitor national marine sanctuaries. Figure 1: The National Marine Sanctuary System iv Introduction The NMSA requires that ONMS develop and periodically review the management plans for each national marine sanctuary (Sec. 304 (a)(2)(A) and Sec. (e)). Since revision of a management plan often constitutes a federal action, ONMS typically analyzes changes to the management plan under the National Environmental