National Marine Fisheries Service Endangered Species Act Section 7 Consultation Biological Opinion Environmental Protection Agency Registration of Pesticides Containing Carbaryl, Carbofuran, and Methomyl Photo Credit: Desmond Maynard NMFS Photo Credit: Tom Maurer USFWS April 20, 2009 Table of Contents Background ........................................................................................................................ 3 Consultation History.......................................................................................................... 6 Description of the Proposed Action................................................................................. 16 The Federal Action ................................................................................................... 16 Carbaryl..................................................................................................................... 22 Carbofuran ................................................................................................................ 27 Methomyl.................................................................................................................. 32 Species Addressed in the BEs................................................................................... 36 Approach to this Assessment ........................................................................................... 38 Overview of NMFS’ Assessment Framework ............................................................... 38 Evidence Available for the Consultation .................................................................. 41 Application of Approach in this Consultation .......................................................... 41 General conceptual framework for assessing risk of EPA’s pesticide actions to listed resources. .................................................................................................................. 43 Problem Formulation ................................................................................................ 43 Risk Characterization................................................................................................ 53 Other Considerations ................................................................................................ 54 Action Area....................................................................................................................... 55 Status of Listed Resources ............................................................................................... 58 Chinook Salmon............................................................................................................ 59 Description of the Species ........................................................................................ 59 Status and Trends...................................................................................................... 60 California Coastal Chinook Salmon ......................................................................... 62 Central Valley Spring-Run Chinook Salmon ........................................................... 66 Lower Columbia River Chinook Salmon ................................................................. 71 Upper Columbia River Spring-run Chinook Salmon................................................ 76 Puget Sound Chinook Salmon .................................................................................. 80 Sacramento River Winter-Run Chinook Salmon...................................................... 85 Snake River Fall-Run Chinook Salmon.................................................................... 88 ii Snake River Spring/Summer-Run Chinook Salmon................................................. 93 Upper Willamette River Chinook Salmon................................................................ 99 Chum Salmon.............................................................................................................. 102 Description of the Species ...................................................................................... 102 Status and Trends.................................................................................................... 104 Columbia River Chum Salmon............................................................................... 105 Hood Canal Summer-Run Chum Salmon............................................................... 109 Coho Salmon............................................................................................................... 115 Description of the Species ...................................................................................... 115 Central California Coast Coho Salmon................................................................... 116 Lower Columbia River Coho Salmon..................................................................... 120 SONCC Coho Salmon ............................................................................................ 124 Oregon Coast Coho Salmon.................................................................................... 128 Sockeye Salmon........................................................................................................... 131 Description of the Species ...................................................................................... 131 Ozette Lake Sockeye Salmon ................................................................................. 133 Snake River Sockeye Salmon ................................................................................. 138 Steelhead..................................................................................................................... 142 Description of the Species ...................................................................................... 142 Central California Coast Steelhead......................................................................... 145 California Central Valley Steelhead ....................................................................... 148 Lower Columbia River Steelhead........................................................................... 152 Middle Columbia River Steelhead.......................................................................... 156 Northern California Steelhead ................................................................................ 161 Puget Sound Steelhead............................................................................................ 164 Snake River Steelhead ............................................................................................ 167 South-Central California Coast Steelhead .............................................................. 172 Southern California Steelhead ................................................................................ 174 Upper Columbia River Steelhead ........................................................................... 177 Upper Willamette River Steelhead ......................................................................... 182 Environmental Baseline ................................................................................................ 186 iii Natural Mortality Factors........................................................................................... 187 Parasites and/or Disease.......................................................................................... 187 Predation ................................................................................................................. 188 Wildland Fire .......................................................................................................... 191 Oceanographic Features and Climatic Variability.................................................. 193 Climate Change....................................................................................................... 194 Anthropogenic Mortality Factors ............................................................................... 195 Baseline Pesticide Detections in Aquatic Environments ............................................ 195 Baseline Water Temperature- Clean Water Act ......................................................... 201 Baseline Habitat Condition......................................................................................... 204 Geographic Regions................................................................................................ 206 Southwest Coast Region.............................................................................................. 207 Land Use ................................................................................................................. 212 Habitat Modification............................................................................................... 218 Mining..................................................................................................................... 219 Hydromodification Projects.................................................................................... 220 Artificial Propagation.............................................................................................. 221 Commercial and Recreational Fishing.................................................................... 221 Alien Species .......................................................................................................... 222 Atmospheric deposition .........................................................................................