ENVIRONMENTAL APPENDIX NORFOLK HARBOR NAVIGATION IMPROVEMENTS GENERAL REEVALUATION REPORT/ ENVIRONMENTAL ASSESSMENT VIRGINIA APPENDIX H ESSENTIAL FISH HABITAT ASSESSMENT May 2018 H-1 NORFOLK HARBOR NAVIGATION IMPROVEMENTS ESSENTIAL FISH HABITAT ASSESSMENT Submitted To: National Oceanographic and Atmospheric Administration National Marine Fisheries Service Greater Atlantic Field Office U.S. Army Corps of Engineers Norfolk District 803 Front Street Norfolk, Virginia 23510 April 27, 2018 H-2 Table of Contents 1.0 INTRODUCTION 1 2.0 PURPOSE, AND NEED 1 3.0 PROJECT SCOPE 1 3.1 Current Norfolk Harbor Project Dredging and Dredged Material Placement/Disposal Practices 2 3.2 Dredging and Dredged Material Placement Practices for the Preferred Alternative 5 3.3 Project Schedule and Dredging Frequencies .............................................. 11 3.4 Region of Influence/Action Area .................................................................. 11 4.0 ESSENTIAL FISH HABITAT 11 4.1 Water column 16 4.1.1 Surface Waters ............................................................................................. 16 4.1.2 Pelagic Waters .............................................................................................. 16 4.1.3 Benthic Waters .............................................................................................. 16 4.1.3.1 Reef Structures ............................................................................................ 17 4.1.3.1 Unconsolidated Bottom (Fine Grained Sediments and Sand) ..................... 18 4.2 Submerged Aquatic Vegetation (SAV) 19 4.3 Wetlands 20 5.0 MANAGED FISH SPECIES 21 5.1 Albacore Tuna ............................................................................................. 21 5.2 Angel Shark ................................................................................................. 21 5.3 Atlantic Butterfish ......................................................................................... 21 5.4 Atlantic Mackerel.......................................................................................... 22 5.5 Atlantic Sea Herring ..................................................................................... 22 5.6 Atlantic Sharpnose Shark ............................................................................ 23 5.7 Atlantic Sturgeon* ........................................................................................ 23 5.8 Blacktip Shark (Atlantic Stock) ..................................................................... 24 5.9 Black Sea Bass ............................................................................................ 24 5.10 Bluefin Tuna ................................................................................................. 25 5.11 Bluefish ........................................................................................................ 25 5.12 Clearnose Skate .......................................................................................... 25 5.13 Cobia ........................................................................................................... 26 H-3 5.14 Common Thresher Shark ............................................................................ 26 5.15 Dusky Shark ................................................................................................ 26 5.16 King Mackerel .............................................................................................. 27 5.17 Little Skate ................................................................................................... 27 5.18 Longfin Inshore Squid .................................................................................. 27 5.19 Monkfish ...................................................................................................... 28 5.20 Northern Shortfin Squid ............................................................................... 28 5.21 Red Drum .................................................................................................... 28 5.22 Red Hake ..................................................................................................... 28 5.23 Sandbar Shark ............................................................................................. 29 5.24 Sand Tiger Shark ......................................................................................... 30 5.25 Scalloped Hammerhead Shark .................................................................... 30 5.26 Scup ............................................................................................................. 30 5.27 Skipjack Tuna .............................................................................................. 31 5.28 Smooth Dogfish ........................................................................................... 31 5.29 Spanish Mackerel ........................................................................................ 31 5.30 Spiny Dogfish ............................................................................................... 32 5.31 Summer Flounder ........................................................................................ 32 5.32 Surf Clam ..................................................................................................... 33 5.33 Tiger Shark .................................................................................................. 33 5.34 Whiting/Silver Hake ........................................................................................ 33 5.35 Windowpane Flounder ................................................................................. 34 5.36 Winter Skate ................................................................................................ 34 5.37 Witch Flounder ............................................................................................. 35 5.38 Yellowfin Tuna ............................................................................................. 35 5.39 Yellowtail Flounder ...................................................................................... 35 6.0 PREY SPECIES 36 6.1 Atlantic menhaden (Brevoortia tyrannus)..................................................... 37 6.2 Bay Anchovy (Anchoa mitchilli) .................................................................... 37 6.3 Silversides (Menidia menidia) ...................................................................... 38 6.4 Blue Crab (Callinectes sapidus)................................................................... 38 6.5 Spot (Leiostomus xanthurus) ....................................................................... 39 6.6 Atlantic Croaker (Micropogon undulates)..................................................... 39 6.7 Weakfish (Cynoscion regalis) ...................................................................... 40 H-4 6.8 White Perch (Morone americana) ................................................................ 41 6.9 Killifish/Mummichog/Mud Minnow (Fundulus spp.) ...................................... 41 7.0 POTENTIAL IMPACTS TO ESSENTIAL FISH HABITAT 41 7.1 Potential Impacts to the Water Column ....................................................... 42 7.1.1 Effects to Habitat Area of Particular Concern (Sandbar Shark) ................... 49 7.2 Potential Impacts to Benthic Habitats .......................................................... 49 7.3 Potential Unexploded Ordinance Impacts.................................................... 50 8.0 CUMULATIVE IMPACTS TO ESSENTIAL FISH HABITAT AND MANAGED SPECIES 51 9.0 BEST MANAGEMENT PRACTICES/MITIGATION MEASURES 51 10.0 CONCLUSIONS 52 11.0 RECENT ENVIRONMENTAL STUDIES AND REPORTS 52 12.0 REFERENCES 54 APPENDIX A 65 List of Figures Figure 1. Location of the Norfolk Harbor (dark blue) that is the subject of this Essential Fish Habitat Assessment. Location of the Norfolk Harbor and Channels outside of the Region of Influence for this project is shown for reference (light blue). ......................................................... 2 Figure 2. Segment 1 includes Atlantic Ocean Channel, Thimble Shoal Channel, and Norfolk Harbor Channel. Authorized dredging depths and the existing dredging depths that have been constructed to date are depicted. .................................................................................................. 6 Figure 3. Segment 2 is Newport News Channel. The authorized dredging depth and the existing dredging depth that has been constructed to date is depicted. Anchorages are also shown for reference. Deepening of Anchorage F is being considered for this project. ................................ 7 Figure 4. Elizabeth River and Southern Branch Navigation Improvements Project from Lambert’s Bend to the Norfolk Southern Lift Bridge. ..................................................................................... 7 Figure 5. Elizabeth River and Southern Branch Navigation Improvements Project from the Norfolk Southern Lift Bridge to the Gilmerton Bridge. ............................................................................... 8 Figure 6. Elizabeth River and Southern Branch Navigation Improvements Project from the Gilmerton Bridge to the Chesapeake Extension. .......................................................................... 8 Figure 7. Implementation of the Preferred Alternative would result in widening of Meeting Area 2, located west of the Chesapeake Bay Bridge Tunnel. ..................................................................