Draft Supplemental Environmental Assessment for Fisheries Research Conducted and Funded by the Southwest Fisheries Science Center

NOAA Fisheries announces the availability of the draft Supplemental Programmatic Environmental Assessment (SPEA) for Fisheries Research Conducted and Funded by the Southwest Fisheries Science Center. Publication of this notice begins the official public comment period for this SPEA. The purpose of this draft SPEA is to evaluate potential changes in the direct and indirect effects of research previously analyzed in the 2015 Southwest Fisheries Science Center (SWFSC) Programmatic Environmental Assessment (PEA) and the 2020 SWFSC SPEA, and new or modified research activities along the U.S. west coast and in the Scotia Sea area off Antarctica. Where necessary, updates to certain information on species, stock status, or other components of the affected environment that may result in different conclusions from the 2015 PEA and 2020 SPEA are presented in this analysis.

Comments

Comments on the draft SPEA may be submitted to Elise Kohli, Environmental Compliance Specialist, at nmfs.swfsc.spea@noaa.gov. Comments sent via email, including all attachments, must not exceed a 10-megabyte file size. Physical comments may be submitted to Aras Zygas, Chief of Staff, at 8901 La Jolla Shores Drive, La Jolla, CA 92307. NOAA Fisheries may not consider comments sent to addresses other than the ones provided here.