Composite Training Unit Exercises and Joint Task ... - Govsupport.us

COMPTUEX/JTFEX EA/OEA Final Chapter 33.3.2 Ocean Areas (Southern California Operating Area)Marine resources include the offshore, nearshore, and bays and estuaries of the Pacific Ocean adjacent toSouthern California. The offshore ecosystem consists of the open ocean environments over the deeperparts of the continental shelf, the continental slope, and ocean basins. The nearshore ecosystem is definedas the area from the coastal high tide line offshore to a depth of 120 ft. The area is home to a wide varietyof fishes, giant kelp, marine invertebrates, and marine mammals, as well as a large number of sea andshore bird species. The bays and estuaries dotting California’s coastline are partially enclosed bodies ofwater protected from the full force of ocean waves, winds, and storms. Bays are wide inlets orindentations of the ocean, whereas estuaries are inlets containing the terminus of a river or stream. Thedefining feature of an estuary is the mixing of fresh water from upland and riverine sources with oceanicsalt water. The estuary ecosystem forms a zone of transition from land to sea and from fresh to salt water.Important biological resources within the marine environment include a diverse array of plant and animalspecies. For the COMPTUEX/JTFEX analysis, marine resources of concern included EFH, marinemammals, turtles, protected marine environments, and marine flora and fauna generally.EFH is those waters and substrate necessary to fish for spawning, breeding, feeding, or growth tomaturity. Waters include aquatic areas and their associated physical, chemical, and biological propertiesthat are used by fish and may include aquatic areas historically used by fish where appropriate; substrateincludes sediment, hard bottom, structures underlying the waters, and associated biological communities;necessary means the habitat required to support a sustainable fishery and the managed species’contribution to a healthy ecosystem; and “spawning, breeding, feeding, or growth to maturity” covers aspecies' full life cycle (50 CFR 600.10). Adverse effect means any impact that reduces quality and/orquantity of EFH, and may include direct, indirect, site-specific or habitat-wide impacts, includingindividual, cumulative, or synergistic consequences of actions (50 CFR 600.810).Marine mammals of California include cetaceans (whales, dolphins, and porpoises), pinnipeds (seals, furseals, and sea lions), and sea otters. Some are residents, while others pass along the coast during greatmigrations. Gray and humpback whales, for example, feed in Alaskan waters and migrate along the coaston their way to Mexican waters to breed and calf. Blue whales visit during summer to feed on richconcentrations of krill (CDFG, 2001).Four species of sea turtles found in Southern California waters are currently listed as either endangered orthreatened under the ESA. These include loggerhead (Caretta caretta), leatherback (Dernochelyscoriacea), eastern Pacific green (Chelonia mydas agassizii), and olive ridley (Lepidochelys olivacea).None of these species is known to nest on the beaches of Southern California (CDFG, 2001).Protected Environments include Marine Protected Areas (MPAs) to be established by Executive Order(EO) 13158. MPAs may include national marine sanctuaries, fishery management zones, nationalseashores, national parks, national monuments, critical habitats, national wildlife refuges, nationalestuarine research reserves, state conservation areas, state reserves, and many others. MPAs havedifferent shapes, sizes, and management characteristics, and have been established for different purposes.EO 13158 would establish a national inventory of MPAs and directed Federal agencies to avoid harm tothe natural and cultural resources protected by a listed MPA. There are currently no designated MPAsunder the EO and therefore, no further analysis is required.Marine flora and fauna generally represent the diverse array of plants and animals that typically reside inor make use of the varied physical assets of the affected area. Approximately 280 species ofphytoplankton and 669 species of macroalgae are known to occur in California waters. Marine animalsFebruary 2007 3-10