National Standards for a Protected Species Observer and Data Management Program

Résumé du livre

"This report provides recommendations for the Protected Species Observer and Data Management Program (PSO program) for marine geological and geophysical (G & G) surveys, and recommended actions on key issues for the establishment and management of such a program. The contents of this report are the combined results of discussions held between staff from the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration's (NOAA) National Marine Fisheries Service (NMFS) and the Department of the Interior's Bureau of Ocean Energy Management (BOEM) and Bureau of Safety and Environmental Enforcement (BSEE).1 Improvement of the PSO program for G & G surveys was the topic of a BOEM and workshop on March 26, 2008, in New Orleans, Louisiana, with BOEM, BSEE, NMFS, PSOs, and G & G industry representatives. This workshop identified existing issues with the G & G PSO program, and potential solutions were discussed. As a result of identified federal actions at this workshop, NMFS formed an ad hoc Protected Species Observer Working Group (Working Group) comprised of personnel from NMFS, BOEM, and BSEE, and convened a workshop at the NMFS Southeast Regional Office on June 19, 2008, in St. Petersburg, Florida, to discuss PSO program issues on a national level, resulting in the preparation of this report. Since this report was drafted, BOEM has proposed leasing areas in the Northwest Atlantic that include G & G surveying activities along the U.S. East Coast, as well as G & G activities associated with sand and gravel mining in federal waters. PSOs are expected to play a similar role in the Atlantic, as modeled after the Gulf of Mexico program, once G & G permitting begins. Improvements to PSO programs for G & G surveys would have benefits for stakeholders (NMFS, BOEM, BSEE, industry, and PSOs), enhance the effectiveness of mitigation and monitoring requirements, and increase the integrity of data collected and reported."--Executive Summary