94-6047. Environmental Assessment on Reducing California Sea Lion Predation on Wild Winter-Run Steelhead in the Lake Washington Ship Canal

[Federal Register Volume 59, Number 51 (Wednesday, March 16, 1994)]
[Unknown Section]
[Page 0]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 94-6047]


[[Page Unknown]]

[Federal Register: March 16, 1994]


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DEPARTMENT OF COMMERCE
National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration

 

 Environmental Assessment on Reducing California Sea Lion 
Predation on Wild Winter-Run Steelhead in the Lake Washington Ship 
Canal

AGENCY: National Marine Fisheries Service (NMFS), National Oceanic and 
Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), Commerce.

ACTION: Notice of availability and request for comments.

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SUMMARY: This notice announces the availability of an Environmental 
Assessment (EA) that was prepared jointly by NMFS and the Washington 
State Department of Wildlife (WDW). The EA examines the environmental 
consequences of using non-lethal measures to reduce predation by sea 
lions on a depressed winter-run of wild steelhead in the Lake 
Washington drainage system in Washington State. California sea lions 
have consumed over 50 percent of the entire wild steelhead run in Lake 
Washington in recent years reducing the spawning escapement by as much 
as 60 to 70 percent. The proposed action is to implement several 
complementary non-lethal measures to deter and remove California sea 
lions from the area adjacent to the fish ladder below the Ballard Locks 
where migrating wild steelhead are vulnerable to excessive sea lion 
predation. Based on the information in the EA, NOAA has made a finding 
of no significant impact and determined that an environmental impact 
statement need not be prepared in accordance with the National 
Environmental Policy Act (NEPA) and implementing regulations.

DATES: Comments on the EA must be submitted by March 22, 1994.

ADDRESSES: Send comments to J. Gary Smith, Acting Director, Northwest 
Region, NMFS, 7600 Sand Point Way NE, Seattle, WA 98115. Copies of the 
EA are available at this address or can be requested by mail.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT:
Joe Scordino, 206-526-6140.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: The NEPA requires that federal agencies 
conduct an environmental analysis of their actions to determine if the 
actions may affect the environment. Accordingly, NMFS jointly prepared 
with WDW an EA that explores the environmental consequences of 
deterring California sea lions (Zalophus californianus) from the 
entrance to the Lake Washington Ship Canal fish ladder to protect a 
winter-run of wild steelhead (Oncorhynchus mykiss).
    The proposed action is to implement several complementary non-
lethal measures to deter and remove California sea lions from the area 
adjacent to the fish ladder below the Ballard Locks where migrating 
wild steelhead are vulnerable to excessive sea lion predation. The non-
lethal measures will be implemented on a phased approach starting with 
use of an acoustical ``barrier'' downstream of the fish ladder to 
prevent sea lion access to the area where steelhead are most vulnerable 
to predation. The acoustic barrier will be implemented downstream of 
the fish ladder in the Lake Washington Ship Canal by deploying an array 
of underwater sound transducer equipment. These acoustic devices 
operate sequentially at a sound pressure level intended to be 
sufficiently high enough to elicit and maintain an avoidance response 
by California sea lions attempting to enter the spillway/fish ladder 
area to forage on steelhead. Additional non-lethal measures will be 
applied to sea lions that penetrate the barrier or continue to prey on 
steelhead in the Ship Canal beyond the effective range of the devices. 
The additional measures include harassment and potential capture and 
relocation to distant areas within their normal range such as their 
breeding area in the Channel Islands off Southern California. The no 
action alternative is not preferred because of the negative impacts it 
will have on the wild steelhead run over the long term. Capture and 
captive holding was considered but found to be not feasible due to lack 
of holding facilities and the logistics/costs of constructing such 
facilities. Lethal removal is not an option because of the lack of 
clear legal authority under Section 109(h) of the Marine Protection 
Act.
    NOAA has evaluated the environmental consequences of the proposed 
action and has concluded that it is unlikely to result in any 
significant impacts on the human environment and therefore has made a 
finding of no significant impact (FONSI). The EA and FONSI have been 
prepared in accordance with NEPA and implementing regulations at 40 CFR 
parts 1500 through 1508 and NOAA guidelines concerning implementation 
of NEPA found in the NOAA Directives Manual; Chapter 2, Section 10, 
``Environmental Review Procedures'' (49 FR 29644-29657; July 23, 1984). 
In addition, in accordance with Washington State Environmental Policy 
Act, WDW has made a final determination of non-significance pursuant to 
Chapter 232-19 of the Washington Administrative Code.
    Further details or a copy of the EA and FONSI may be obtained from 
the address above.

    Dated: March 4, 1994.
Rolland A. Schmitten,
 Assistant Administrator for Fisheries, National Marine Fisheries 
Service.
[FR Doc. 94-6047 Filed 3-15-94; 8:45 am]
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