5B CONSENT - Laserfiche WebLink

Home

B IOLOGICAL A SSESSMENT A PRIL 2020 S AN L EANDRO T REATMENT W ETLAND P ROJECT S AN L EANDRO, A LAMEDA C OUNTY, C ALIFORNIA P:\TER2001\BA\San Leandro Treatment Plant BA 4‐7‐20.docx (04/07/20) 23 3.3 ESSENTIAL FISH HABITAT EFH are those waters and substrate necessary to fish for spawning, breeding, feeding, or growth to maturity. For the purpose of interpreting the definition of EFH: “waters” include aquatic areas and their associated physical, chemical, and biological properties that are used by fish and may include aquatic areas historically used by fish where appropriate; “substrate” includes 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 a species’ full life cycle. The importance of EFH is not necessarily the presence of federally listed species, but what the habitat contributes to the surrounding environment (i.e., wetlands, near shore ecosystem). All native San Francisco Bay fish species are federally protected under the Magnuson‐Stevens Fishery Conservation and Management Act (Magnuson‐Stevens Act). Amendments to this Act in 1996 require all federal agencies to consult with NMFS regarding any action or proposed action that may adversely affect EFH for federally managed fish species. San Francisco Bay waters adjacent to the Action Area are designated as EFH by NMFS for fish species covered under the Pacific Groundfish FMP, Coastal Pelagic Species FMP, and Pacific Salmon FMP. If it is determined that the project will impact EFH, federal agencies responsible for permitting other aspects of the project (e.g., wetlands) would be required to consult with NMFS as part of their permitting process and an EFH assessment would need to be prepared. No focused fish surveys were conducted as a part of this study. The proposed project may temporarily impact Pacific Coast Salmonids, Pacific Coast Groundfish, and Coastal Pelagic EFH through work related to the replacement or modification of the existing outfall pipe that extends into the tidal slough. As such, this BA will also address potential effects of the Proposed Action on EFH as a result of the proposed outfall work. 3.4 SHELLFISH BEDS The Action Area does not contain any shellfish beds. The tidal slough within the Action Area is not located in shellfish habitat mapped in the San Francisco Bay within the 2010 San Francisco Bay Subtidal Goals Report (California State Coastal Conservancy et al. 2010). No shellfish beds were observed at or near the outfall during the field survey. 3.5 EELGRASS BEDS The Action Area does not contain eelgrass beds. The Action Area is not located within or adjacent to eelgrass beds mapped in the San Francisco Bay Eelgrass Inventory (Merkel & Associates, Inc. 2009).