Supplemental Environmental Assessment for Emergency Action to Prohibit Fishing in Waters in the Southeastern United States in Response to the Deepwater Horizon MC252 Oil Spill

摘要

NOAA Fisheries Service proposes this action to amend the emergency regulations published on May 14, 2010 (75 FR 27217) in response to the evolving nature of the Deepwater Horizon MC252 oil spill. This emergency action continues to allow NOAA Fisheries Service to make timely revisions to the area closed to all fishing, and would extend the areas where NOAA Fisheries Service may prohibit United States (US) registered vessels from fishing to include areas of the high seas in addition to areas of the exclusive economic zone (EEZ) that have been affected by the oil spill. While the majority of the oil spill is presently within state waters and the EEZ, the natural variation of the winds and currents may cause oil dispersion into the high seas. This emergency action revises the protocol for opening previously closed areas to fishing for species no. typically consumed by humans (non-consumptive species) such as sponges, liverock, and octocoral. The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) concurs with the implementatiqn of these fisheries closures in oil-affected areas as an appropriate public health measure to prevent potentially unsafe seafood from being harvested and reaching consumers. The FDA considers seafood (fish and shellfish) in oil-affected waters with hydrocarbons above baseline levels to be adulterated. The intent of this emergency action is to prohibit harvest of adulterated seafood while promoting public safety and consumer confidence in seafood products regarding areas affected by the oil spill.