I. FINDING OF NO SIGNIFICANT IMPACT (FONSI) National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration Administrative Order 216-6 (NAO

• Main Author: Gloucester Ma
• Other Authors: The Pennsylvania State University CiteSeerX Archives
• Format: Text
• Language: English
• Published: 2006
• Subjects: Ocean quahog
• Online Access: http://citeseerx.ist.psu.edu/viewdoc/summary?doi=10.1.1.192.2636; http://www.nero.noaa.gov/nero/hotnews/redtide/Jun%2006%20PSP%20EA%20Final-3%20with%20Figs.pdf

216-6) (May 20, 1999) contains criteria for determining the significance of the impacts of a proposed action. In addition, the Council on Environmental Quality regulations at 40 C.F.R. '1508.27 state that the significance of an action should be analyzed both in terms of “context ” and “intensity. ” Each criterion listed below is relevant in making a finding of no significant impact and has been considered individually, as well as in combination with the others. The significance of this action is analyzed based on the NAO 216-6 criteria and CEQ’s context and intensity criteria. These include: 1) Can the proposed action reasonably be expected to jeopardize the sustainability of any target species that may be affected by the action? Response: The proposed extension of the closures for the Atlantic surfclam/ocean quahog fishery and the Atlantic sea scallop fishery are not anticipated to adversely impact the sustainability of any of these species. The closures would prohibit commercial harvest of these shellfish species within the closure areas. It is possible that fishing effort for whole scallops would shift to outside the PSP Areas of Concern (see Section V of