Final Groundfish Essential Fish Habitat (EFH) Environmental Impact Statement

December 2005: We released our final environmental impact statement (EIS) evaluating a comprehensive strategy to conserve and enhance groundfish essential fish habitat (EFH). It includes identification of EFH and implementation of measures to minimize adverse impacts from fishing.

This EIS is the primary supporting document for Amendment 19 to the Groundfish Fishery Management Plan. This amendment provides for a comprehensive program to describe and protect essential fish habitat for Pacific coast groundfish. The proposed management measures were intended to minimize, to the extent practicable, adverse effects to EFH from fishing. The measures included fishing gear restrictions and prohibitions, areas that would be closed to bottom trawl, and areas that would be closed to all fishing that contacts the bottom.

Cover Graphic 288kb

Cover Sheet, Executive Summary, Table of Contents, Chapter 1 — Purpose and Need, and Chapter 2 — Alternatives 1.4MB

• Chapter 1 — Figures 440kb
• Chapter 2 — Figures 1.7MB

Chapter 3 — Affected Environment 834kb

• Chapter 3 — Figures 4.5MB

Chapter 4 — Environmental Consequences 360kb

• Chapter 4 — Figures 1.9MB
• Chapter 4 — Habitat Tables 418kb
• Chapter 4 — Socio-Economic Tables 47kb

Chapters 5 through 10 148kb

• Chapter 5 — Consistency with the Groundfish FMP
• Chapter 6 — Cross-Cutting Mandates
• Chapter 7 — List of Preparers
• Chapter 8 — Agencies, Organizations, and Persons to Whom Copies of this Statement Were Sent
• Chapter 9 — Acronyms and Glossary
• Chapter 10 — Literature Cited

Chapter 11 — Public Comment 8.6MB

Appendices

Appendix A — Risk Assessment for the Pacific Groundfish

• Page 1-220 7MB
• Pages 221-440 4.9MB
• Pages 441-660 15.7MB

Appendix B — Preliminary Report on Occurrences of Structure-Forming Megafaunal Invertebrates off the West Coasts of Washington, Oregon, and California 2.7MB

Appendix C — Comprehensive Collaborative Alternative Protecting Essential Fish Habitat in the Pacific while maintaining Fisheries 5.1MB

Appendix D — Essential Fish Habitat Meeting Summaries 770kb

Appendix E — Additional Socioeconomic Tables and Figures 1.7MB

Appendix F — Buyout and Establishment of No-Trawl Zones off the Central California Coast 1.2MB

Appendix G — Alternative 10 Draft Environmental Assessment 2.8MB

Appendix H — Updated Groundfish Life Histories Descriptions (can be found in Appendix I)

Appendix I — Groundfish FMP Amendment 19 1.4MB

FMP Appendix A — Description of the Groundfish Fishery (available from the Pacific Fisheries Management Council)

FMP Appendix B1 — Assessment Methodology for Groundfish Essential Fish Habitat 2.3MB

FMP Appendix B2 — Groundfish Life History Descriptions 2.1MB

FMP Appendix B3 — Essential Fish Habitat Text Descriptions 2.1MB

FMP Appendix B4 — Habitat Suitability Probability Maps for Individual Groundfish Species and Life History Stages 50.7MB

FMP Appendix B5 — Research Needs and Data Gaps Analysis for Groundfish Essential Fish Habitat 243kb

FMP Appendix C1 — Description of the Impacts Model for Groundfish Essential Fish Habitat 322kb

FMP Appendix C2 — The Effects of Fishing on Habitat: West Coast Perspective (available as an Appendix to the Risk Assessment above, Appendix A to this EIS, or from the Pacific Fisheries Management Council)

FMP Appendix D — Nonfishing Effects on West Coast Groundfish Essential Fish Habitat and Recommended Conservation Measures (available as an Appendix to the Risk Assessment above, Appendix A to this EIS, or from the Pacific Fisheries Management Council)

Appendix J — Regulatory Impact Review/ Regulatory Flexibility Act/ Magnuson-Stevens Act 303(a)(7) (Practicability) Analysis 432kb

If you have problems downloading these files, please contact Maryann Nickerson, 206-526-4490, to request a CD of the Final EIS.