Hawaii FEP - Western Pacific Fishery Council

9. The best land management practices should be used to control topsoil erosion andsedimentation.DredgingImpacts• Infaunal and bottom-dwelling organisms• Turbidity plumes• Bioavailability of toxic substances• Damage to sensitive habitats• Water circulation modificationConservation Measures1. To the maximum extent practicable, dredging should be avoided. Activities that requiredredging (such as placement of piers, docks, marinas, etc.) should be sited in deep-waterareas or designed in such a way as to alleviate the need for maintenance dredging.Projects should be permitted only for water-dependent purposes, when no feasiblealternatives are available.2. Dredging in coastal and estuarine waters should be performed during the time framewhen MUS and prey species are least likely to be entrained. Dredging should be avoidedin areas with submerged aquatic vegetation and coral reefs.3. All dredging permits should reference latitude–longitude coordinates of the site so thatinformation can be incorporated into Geographic Information Systems (GIS). Inclusionof aerial photos may also be required to help geo-reference the site and evaluate impactsover time.4. Sediments should be tested for contaminants as per the EPA and U.S. Army Corps ofEngineers requirements.5. The cumulative impacts of past and current dredging operations on EFH should beaddressed by federal, state, and local resource management and permitting agencies andshould be considered in the permitting process.6. If dredging needs are caused by excessive sedimentation in the watershed, those causesshould be identified and appropriate management agencies contacted to assure action isdone to curtail those causes.7. Pipelines and accessory equipment used in conjunction with dredging operations should,to the maximum extent possible, avoid coral reefs, seagrass beds, estuarine habitats, andareas of subaquatic vegetation.Marine MiningImpacts• Loss of habitat function210