Petition to List Lynn Canal Pacific Herring under the Endangered ...

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Figure 10: Proposed routes of marine vessels, including in the area of Cascade Point herring spawning habitat. (Figure from NMFS 2005a). 46
2. Juneau Access Improvement Project The proposed construction of a major highway from Juneau to Skagway by the State of Alaska and the Federal Highway Administration threatens some of the last remaining spawning areas for Lynn Canal Herring. The Juneau Access Improvements Project (JAIP) is planned to cut along the coastline on the eastern shore of Berners Bay (FHWA 2006a, 2006b). Increased runoff and access will degrade the spawning beds. The Final Environmental Impact Statement (FEIS) for the Juneau Access Improvement Project indicates that Lynn Canal Pacific Herring are a primary concern and an “unresolved issue.” NMFS, EPA, and OHMP have expressed concern that the cumulative marine traffic in Berners Bay associated with Alternatives 3, 4B, and 4D in conjunction with Kensington Mine and Goldbelt activities could have an adverse effect on the Lynn Canal herring stock. Both NMFS and OHMP believe special conservation measures, including no operations during the herring spawning period, would be necessary. (FHWA 2006a: S-18) The Record of Decision for the JAIP selects Alternative 2B (FHWA 2006b). This alternative will consist of a 50.8-mile long highway from the end of Glacier Highway at Echo Cove to a point north of the Katzehin River delta. A new ferry terminal will be constructed at the northern end of the new highway, with shuttle ferry service to both Skagway and Haines from the new terminal (FHWA 2006b). A total of approximately 36 acres of intertidal and subtidal marine habitat will be filled or dredged for construction of Alternative 2B (FHWA 2006b). The impact of the road project on Lynn Canal Herring was analyzed in the FEIS, but highway and shoreline developments are cited as only one factor in the decline of the herring. Use this cumulative threats argument, the JAIP FEIS discounts the negative effects of the proposed highway. Comment: The highway would lead to herring die off in Berners Bay similar to what occurred with the Auke Bay herring fishery. This would result in a collapse to the food-web. Response: The EFH Assessment (Appendix N of the Final EIS) discusses the possible causes of the decline of the Auke Bay herring fishery in relation to the potential for similar impacts in Berners Bay from highway and/or ferry terminal construction and operation. While the cause of the Auke Bay herring decline is unknown, the most likely factors are loss of spawning habitat and overfishing. Alternative 2B would not involve any construction below the high tide line adjacent to herring habitat, and in these locations a vegetated upland buffer will be retained. Also, because most of the land adjacent to Berners Bay herring spawning habitat is under a USFS management plan that does not allow 47
Page 1 and 2:
BEFORE THE SECRETARY OF COMMERCE PE
Page 3 and 4: NOTICE OF PETITION Carlos M. Gutier
Page 5 and 6: TABLE OF CONTENTS Introduction.....
Page 7 and 8: V. Vulnerability to Extinction ....
Page 9 and 10: INTRODUCTION The Lynn Canal populat
Page 11 and 12: define Pacific Herring along North
Page 13 and 14: Lynn Canal Herring Figure 4: Major
Page 15 and 16: Herring schools concentrated at 52
Page 17 and 18: e) Larval and Juvenile Rearing Habi
Page 19 and 20: For a comparison, Abookire et al. (
Page 21 and 22: II. ABUNDANCE AND TREND OF LYNN CAN
Page 23 and 24: Cascade Point and adjacent areas of
Page 25 and 26: (ADFG 2005-Juneau Update #10). A su
Page 27 and 28: Skud (1959) Table 1: Spawning beach
Page 29 and 30: A single DPS that includes the popu
Page 31 and 32: Leon (1993) detected statistically
Page 33 and 34: (USFWS-NMFS 1980: 7). Carlson showe
Page 35 and 36: tolerance optima. Locally different
Page 37 and 38: Sockeye Salmon, Waples et al. (1991
Page 39 and 40: themselves. Likewise, Lynn Canal He
Page 41 and 42: definable area (Booke, 1981); and (
Page 43 and 44: Based on the results of the present
Page 45 and 46: eflect recent colonization historie
Page 47 and 48: demonstration of monophyly, which a
Page 49 and 50: present and threatened destruction,
Page 51 and 52: supplies to and from the mine. The
Page 53: (NMFS 2005: 107). a) Contamination
Page 57 and 58: (Holmberg 1996). The Field Supervis
Page 59 and 60: Figure 11: Cumulative impacts of de
Page 61 and 62: A NMFS species profile for Pacific
Page 63 and 64: The unifying feature between two di
Page 65 and 66: net air-sea CO2 exchange, fishery y
Page 67 and 68: population’s reproductive potenti
Page 69 and 70: Described sounds fall into three ca
Page 71 and 72: The ESA requires the NMFS to use th
Page 73 and 74: Blejwas, K.M. and E.A. Mathews. 200
Page 75 and 76: Hay, D.E., P.B. McCarter, and K.S.
Page 77 and 78: http://www.nwr.noaa.gov/Other-Marin
Page 79 and 80: Defining and implementing best avai
Page 81 and 82: analysis showed that over 99% of th
Page 83 and 84: One important result of this study
Page 85 and 86: Esquimault Harbour / Portage Inlet
Page 87 and 88: studies. However, beyond the genera
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