Biological Opinions (ESA Section 7)

Overview

Biological opinions document NMFS' opinion as to whether a Federal action is likely to jeopardize the continued existence of an ESA-listed species, or result in the destruction or adverse modification of species' critical habitat.

Opinions Issued

In the Headquarters office, NMFS consults on two general types of Federal Agency actions:

• actions that are large in scale, such as
  • nationwide, or programmatic, consultations - actions that address a Federal Agency's entire program, rather than each specific action
  • incidental harassment - actions that have a large acoustic footprint and may result in incidental harassment
• directed take of ESA-listed species for scientific research - actions that result in directed take of our listed species

Regional Offices consult on smaller-scale projects; those Opinions can be found on the regional offices web pages (see below).

Nationwide Consultations

• EPA's Vessel General Permit and Small Vessel General Permit
  (November 28, 2012)
• U.S. Coast Guard's National Ballast Water Management Program
  (June 20, 2012)
• U.S. Army Corps of Engineers' Nationwide Permit Program
  (February 15, 2012)
• EPA: Pesticide Biological Opinions
  • Registration of thiobencarb to EPA
    (July 2, 2012)
  • Registration of three dinitroaniline herbicides to EPA
    (May 31, 2012)
  • Archive of EPA Pesticide Opinions (2008-present)
• Archive of NMFS Headquarters Biological Opinions (2010-2011)

Incidental Harassment Authorizations

• Cascadia Thrust Zone northern area and Cascadia Subduction Zone seismic survey
  (July 10, 2012)
• L-DEO Seismic Survey in the Northeast Pacific Ocean: Cascadia Thrust Zone southern survey area
  (June 27, 2012)
• L-DEO Seismic Survey in the Northeast Pacific Ocean: Juan de Fuca Plate study area
  (June 13, 2012)
• Proposal to Issue IHA for South America Seismic Survey by the Scripps Institution of Oceanography
  (May 2, 2012)
• Issuance of IHA Seismic Survey by the Lamont-Doherty Earth Observation Over the Shatsky Rise
  (March 23, 2012)
• Issuance of IHA Seismic Survey by the Lamont-Doherty Earth Observation off the Marianas Islands
  (February 1, 2012)
• Navy HRC LOA 2012-2014: U.S. Navy training exercises in the Hawaii Range Complex
  (January 10, 2012)
• Navy SOCAL LOA 2012-2014: U.S. Navy Training in the Southern California Training Range
  (January 9, 2012)
• Archive of NMFS Headquarters Biological Opinions (2010-2011)

Scientific Research on ESA-Listed Species

• Proposal to Issue Permit 16598 to Inwater Research Group for Research on Sea Turtles
  (July 3, 2012)
• Issuance of Batched Permits 15569, 16111, 16160, and 16163
  (June 4, 2012)
• Proposal to Issue Permit 15802 to Gregg Poulakis for Research on Smalltooth Sawfish
  (June 1, 2012)
• Proposal to Issue Permit 16473 to Ann Pabst for Whale Survey
  (May 30, 2012)
• Proposal to Issue Permit 15420 to NMFS PIFSC for Research on 27 Cetacean Species
  (May 15, 2012)
• Proposal to Issue Permit 16306 for Research on Shortnose Sturgeon
  (May 11, 2012)
• Proposal to Issue Permit 15566-01 to the SCDNR to Authorize Research on Sea Turtles
  (May 3, 2012)
• Permits 15575 and 16109 for research on marine mammals and sea turtles in the Atlantic Ocean from MA to NC
  (May 1, 2012)
• Permit 14118 to Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution for Cetacean Research in the Atlantic and Pacific Oceans
  (April 27, 2012)
• Permit 15634 to NMFS SWFSC for leatherback sea turtle research off the coasts of CA, WA, and OR
  (April 13, 2012)
• Proposal to Issue Permit 14534-02 to NMFS to Conduct Research on Humpback Whales
  (April 6, 2012)
• Permits (multiple) for Atlantic Sturgeon Research
  (April 2, 2012)
• Permit 15672 to Molly Lutcavage for research on leatherback sea turtles off the New England coast in the Atlantic Ocean
  (March 7, 2012)
• Permit 15844 to Susan Boudreau for Glacier Bay National Park and Preserve
  (February 23, 2012)
• Permits 15661 and 15685 and Modification to Permit 10027-04 on sea turtles in nearshore habitats off the Northern Mariana Islands, the Hawaiian Islands, and Palmyra Atoll
  (January 18, 2012)
• Permit 16253 to Bonnie Ponwith, SEFSC
  (January 9, 2012)
• Archive of NMFS Headquarters Biological Opinions (2010-2011)

Archive

• Archive of NMFS Headquarters Biological Opinions (2010-2011)

Region-Specific Biological Opinions

• Alaska Region (AKR) Biological Opinions
• Northeast Region (NER) Biological Opinions
• Northwest Region (NWR) Biological Opinions
• Pacific Islands Region (PIR) Biological Opinions
• Southeast Region (SER) Biological Opinions
• Southwest Region (SWR) Biological Opinions

More Information

• Endangered Species Act (ESA)
  • ESA Section 7: Interagency Consultation

Updated: January 9, 2013