4-63

Description of the Affected Environment: Water Quality

ciated PAHs are delivered to the Bight primarily in

aerial fallout, treated domestic waste discharges and

urban runoff. Petroleum aromatic hydrocarbons associated with soot are tightly bound to the particles

and are not readily bioavailable to marine organisms.

These compounds are not accumulated efficiently from

the food and are biodegraded rapidly in the tissues of

most marine animals; therefore, they do not

biomagnify in marine food webs and do not pose a potential hazard to fish that consume biofouling organisms from submerged platform structures.

Another example of a sink, in which pollutants

may bioaccumulate or biomagnify, is Santa Monica

Bay. Years of disposal of DDT, primarily via a sewage

outfall, and other chlorinated hydrocarbons resulted

in contamination of the sediments. Bottom-feeding

fish, such as white croaker, became contaminated,

resulting in public notices advising against eating

these and other fish caught in the Santa Monica Bay

area. Similarly, sewage sludge was discharged via an

outfall in the same area. This discharge ceased in the

mid-1980’s but the problem remained in terms of contamination of fish and other organisms that inhabit

the sea floor.

Effects on water quality from oil spills, can range

from a few days, to several weeks or months, depending on the size of the spill type of oil. Effects on the

water column could occur in the top 10 to 20 m (32 to

64 ft) of the water column, depending on sea state

and the type of oil. Specifically, the effects could include turbidity, biological and chemical oxygen demand

and release of hydrocarbons, such as BETX (benzene,

ethylbenzene, toluene and xylene) and naphthalene.

The slick would be affected by several factors including, wind and wave action, dissolution and volatilization losses. The dissolved components (BETX and

others) make up about 20 to 50 percent of crude oils

and would be subject to dispersion, dilution and volatilization, as well as to degradation via photolysis and

microbial processes. The majority of these low molecular weight aromatic compounds will be lost to volatilization within 24 to 48 hours (Jordan and Payne,

1980). Clean-up actions would also contribute to the

minimization of impacts to water quality.

4.6 BIOLOGICAL RESOURCES

4.6.1 ROCKY AND SANDY BEACH

HABITATS

Rocky beach habitat in this section refers to

the rocky tidepool habitat and its resident algal and

invertebrate communities. Sandy beach habitat refers to the habitat and the communities found on

the surface and inhabiting the sand. Birds, mammals and fishes present or visiting these habitats are

discussed in those specific sections in the EIS.

The Coastal Act of 1976 regulates development

in the coastal zone that includes sandy and rocky

beach habitats. Sandy and rocky beach habitats are

protected through local, State and Federal regulations and programs. County Local Coastal Plans

provide specific protection for sensitive habitats in

their County, limiting development activities that

impact these areas. The California Department of

Fish and Game manages marine resources in the intertidal zone, including commercial species such as

abalone. The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service is the

Trustee for the resources under OPA 90 and would

be responsible for evaluating potential impacts in the

event of an oil spill, along with the California Department of Fish and Game. MMS protects rocky

and sandy beaches from oil and gas activities through

lease stipulations, regulations, inspection procedures

and mitigation measures designed to prevent oil from

reaching and impacting the shoreline, and to minimize beach impacts during pipeline installation.

REGIONAL SETTING

Approximately half of the shoreline from Point

Conception north along the coastline of California is

rocky, forming either broad benches or cliffs (Woodward and Clyde, 1982; Dugan et al., 1998, unpublished). Boulder and cobble beaches are patchily distributed within this same area (Dames and Moore,

1983; Woodward and Clyde, 1982). Within sandy

beach areas between Point Conception and the Santa

Ynez River, dune-backed and bluff-backed beaches

are evenly represented (Dugan et al, 1998, unpublished). North of Point Conception, where strong

and constant wave action prevails, sandy beaches are

found in the lee of each point due to depositional

patterns (NOAA, 1998, unpublished). Along the central coast, rocky shorelines form high cliffs and steep

rocky benches.

South of Point Conception, over three-fourths

of the shoreline is sandy (Dugan et. al., 1998, unpublished). Wave exposure changes dramatically

south of Point Conception with wave heights roughly

half the size of those found to the north, primarily
4-64

Delineation Drilling Activities Offshore Santa Barbara County

due to the protection afforded by the Channel Islands.

Bluff-backed beaches are often ephemeral and lose

their sand seasonally, exposing rocky platforms. Many

beaches are associated with ephemeral creeks and rivers, which dry up in the summer (Dugan et al, 1998,

unpublished). Water temperature in the Santa Barbara Channel is considerably warmer than water north

of Point Conception due to the influence of southern

currents. Rocky and sandy beaches in this area are

heavily visited year-round, especially those proximate

to the coastal cities in Santa Barbara and Ventura

Counties.

The Channel Islands encompassed within the

Channel Islands National Marine Sanctuary and

Channel Islands National Park are noted for their

nearly pristine marine environment and clear waters.

The four northern Channel Islands have been comparatively less visited and impacted by humans than

the adjacent mainland. The wide range of water temperatures, shoreline exposures and substrate types of

the islands create a variety of different habitats

(Chambers, 1991; BLM, 1978). Beaches on the outside or ocean facing side of the islands are subjected

to strong wave action, whereas beaches along the

Channel are calmer providing habitats for a wide range

of species on each island. Most of the island shoreline

is rocky. Rocky substrates on the islands create interesting arches, caves and offshore pinnacles rich

with marine life. Santa Rosa and San Miguel islands

have the largest expanses of sandy beaches of the four

northern islands, though rocky beaches still predominate on both islands.

The Monterey Bay Sanctuary contains among

the most diverse and species-rich invertebrate fauna

in the world (NOAA, 1992), with the widest array of

invertebrate species occurring in the rocky intertidal

habitat of the area. Characteristic species include periwinkles, isopods, barnacles, limpets, sea snails, crabs,

chitons, mussels, sea stars, and anemones. Marine

algae are also diverse and abundant, with over 450

species occurring in the area, including several endemic species.

Rocky Beach Habitat. Tidepool or rocky intertidal habitat on the mainland and islands has been

the subject of numerous research efforts funded by

the Minerals Management Service, the Channel Islands National Park, and other agencies and private

organizations (Ambrose et al, 1994; Chambers, 1991;

Littler, 1978; Woodward and Clyde, 1982; Raimondi

et al., 1998, Richards, 1998). Ongoing monitoring of

rocky intertidal resources in Santa Barbara County

has been the joint venture of MMS, Santa Barbara

County, and the University of California for the past

10 years, and ongoing monitoring of island resources

has been maintained by the National Park Service

since the mid-eighties. Resources such as mussels,

abalone, barnacles, algae, limpets and surf grass are

currently monitored at 61 locations along the Southern California Bight biannually organized through

MARINE (Multi-Agency Rocky Intertidal Network).

Additionally, rocky intertidal monitoring occurs

throughout central and northern California at the

Farallon Islands, Monterey Bay Sanctuary, and sites

and as far north as Alaska through efforts funded by

the Packard Institute (PISCO), the National Park

Service, and the NOAA Marine Sanctuary program.

The most significant change found through

monitoring Central and Southern California in the

past decade is the drastic decline of the black abalone,

(Haliotis cracherodii), once commonly found in large

numbers (Murray and Littler, 1979; Ambrose et al,

1994). This decline is the result of a “withering foot

syndrome”, a fatal bacterial infection that causes the

foot of the abalone to shrink. The spread of the disease is facilitated by warm water, explaining the accelerated spreading of the disease in the 1990’s during El Nino conditions. The National Park Service

first noted a sharp decline of this species on the northern Channel Islands in 1985. MMS-funded monitoring studies first found withered animals at Government Point in 1992 (Ambrose et. al, 1994). Tenera

Environmental identified other withered animals at

Diablo Canyon in the late 1980’s. It is likely that the

presence of the warm water outfall from the power

plant contributed to the bacterial growth at that location. Since 1992, steady declines have crept up the

coast from Government Point to Purisima Point

(Ambrose et. al, 1994; Raimondi et. al, 1996; Raimondi

et. al, 1999). The current population of abalone at

the MMS-funded sites north of Point Conception is

estimated at 5-10% of levels identified in 1991 (pers.

comm., M. Wilson, U.C. Santa Cruz, 2000). The National Park Service estimates that population levels

on the islands are less than 5% of their original level

(pers. comm., D. Richards, NPS, 2001).

Sandy Beach Habitat. Sandy beach habitat

along the California coast has been characterized in

several previous documents (URS, 1987; ADL, 1985;

ADL 1984; MMS; 1983, See Table 4.6.1-1). Sandy intertidal beaches have also been recently characterized

by MMS to better understand shorebird abundance

in Santa Barbara County (Dugan et. al., 1998 unpublished) and Ventura County (Pierson and McCrary,

1999). In general, the common sand crab, (Emerita

analoga) dominates the community along sand

beaches north of Point Conception, with percent cover

as high as 75% (pers. comm., J. Dugan, U.C. Santa

Barbara, 2001). Beaches are characterized by the presence of common sand or mole crabs and spiny sand

crabs (Blepharipoda occidentalis in the intertidal zone,

while flies, beach hoppers (Megalorchestia sp.) and

isopods (Alloniscus spp;) frequent the wrack line

(Ricketts et. al., 1985). Pismo clams (tivela stultorum)

are patchily distributed on intertidal beaches north
4-65

Description of the Affected Environment: Biological Resources

of Point Conception (pers. comm., J. Dugan, U.C. Santa

Barbara, 2001). Island beaches are inhabited by similar assemblages including sand crabs and beach hoppers (Chambers, 1991).

Impacts of Past OCS Activities on Rocky

and Sandy Beach Habitat: Impacting agents affecting rocky and sandy habitat from past OCS activities

include installation of pipelines connecting offshore

platforms with onshore processing facilities and two

oil spills— the Santa Barbara 1969 blowout and the

Torch pipeline spill in 1997. The rocky and sandy

beaches sustained low impacts due to the installation

of the Point Arguello, Point Pedernales and Santa Ynez

Unit pipelines (pers. comm., J. Storrer 2000) due to

the mitigation measures taken to reduce construction

impacts. The Point Arguello pipeline was a drilled

crossing; mitigation designed to reduce potential impacts to dune habitat. Problems encountered during

construction of the Point Arguello pipeline included

engineering problems with the drilled crossing, removal of willow forests, and introduction of noxious

weeds, but the construction did not result in dune

impacts or impacts to resident snowy plovers (pers.

comm., J. Storrer, 2000). However, during the drilling, part of the bluff collapsed due to oversaturation

of the sediments.

Older pipelines installed from 1963 to 1980

would have been expected to cause temporary impacts

to beaches due to the localized nature of the impact.

In general pipeline corridors have been chosen to mitigate impacts to dune resources and rocky intertidal

resources. Impacts anticipated from pipeline construction in general are displacement, burial, and crushing of invertebrates in the trench corridor.

The Santa Barbara 1969 blowout most heavily

impacted the sandy and rocky intertidal beaches on

the mainland near Platform A, and at Anacapa and

Santa Cruz Islands. Occurrence of oil was documented

on Santa Barbara/Ventura County beaches for six

months after the spill (Santa Barbara News Press).

Sandy and intertidal beaches were studied shortly following the spill (Straughan, 1971) and again a few

years after the spill (URS, 1974). Dawson collected

the primary data on rocky intertidal areas prior to

the spill; Nicholson and Cimberg resampled Dawson’s

sites in areas where oil was recorded from the spill.

Observable effects included impacts to the gooseneck

barnacle Pollicipes polymerus at Carpinteria and East

Cabrillo, smothering impacts of barnacles in the upper intertidal at East Cabrillo, and general declines

in algal abundance in several areas, though these declines may have been influenced by other factors

Table 4.6.1-1. Table of studies relevant to sandy and rocky habitat.

c o

Author and Publication Date Description of Study 

Raimondi, 1998 1997 Torch Oil Spill, an excerpt from Monitoring of Rocky Intertidal 

Resources along the Central and Southern California Mainland 

Engle and Davis, 2000 Ecological Condition and Public Use of the Cabrillo National Monument 

Intertidal Zone 1990-1995 

Engle and Davis, 2000 Baseline Surveys of Rocky Intertidal Ecological Resources at Point Loma, 

San Diego 

Richards and Lerma, 2000 Rocky Intertidal Monitoring, Channel Islands National Park, 1998 Annual 

Report 

Foster et al. , 1988 Causes of Spatial and Temporal Patterns in Rocky Intertidal Communities 

in Central and Northern California 

Ambrose et al., 1992 Shoreline Inventory of Resources in Santa Barbara County 

Ambrose et al., 1995 Rocky Intertidal and Subtidal Resources, Mainland Santa Barbara County 

Engle et al., 1997 Rocky Intertidal Resources in San Luis Obispo, Santa Barbara, and Orange 

Counties; 1997 Annual Report 

Chambers Group, 2000 Santa Barbara County Shoreline Inventory 
4-66

Delineation Drilling Activities Offshore Santa Barbara County

(Nicholson and Cimberg, 1971). The surfgrass community, Phyllospadix, was also heavily hit at Santa

Barbara Harbor (Foster, 1969). URS (1974) identified residual oil contamination of rocks in the cliff

areas westward of the City of Santa Barbara in areas

not cleaned following the blowout. Residual oil deposits were identified at Frenchy’s Cove at Anacapa

Island, on several rocky promontories well above the

splash zone, and in an isolated cove at Point Bennet.

No residual sediment contamination was found in coring operations in the Santa Barbara Harbor, but one

core of the sand bar contained oil which indicates the

possibility of “erratic buried deposits” in the sand bar

(URS, 1974). It is expected that impacts to rocky and

sandy beaches from the Santa Barbara blowout were

patchy and ranged from low to moderate.

Reports disclosing the full impacts from the

Torch Platform Irene pipeline spill in 1997 are not

available. Generally, the spill most heavily impacted

the sandy beach near Surf nearest the origin of the

spill, with light sheen, tarballs and tar patties found

at several other beaches. The rocky intertidal was

less affected; one location was documented as oiled

but other monitored rocky intertidal sites in the vicinity of the spill were not found to be significantly

affected (Raimondi, 1999).

4.6.2 SEAFLOOR RESOURCES

Seafloor resources covered in this section refer

to the biological habitat and communities found on

the ocean floor. These include communities that inhabit the ocean floor near the coastline and benthic

communities found in the deep regions of the ocean.

Kelp bed resources are discussed in Section 4.6.4.

Biological resources living in tidally influenced areas

along the shoreline are discussed in the Sandy and

Rocky Beach Habitat section.

Regulatory Environment. The primary regulation affecting seafloor or benthic resources on OCS

leases is the MMS Biological Lease Stipulation found

in each lease agreement. This stipulation applies to

exploratory and development operations on Federal

leases. If MMS believes that rare, unique, or sensitive populations exist that may be affected by proposed

operations, MMS invokes the provisions of the stipulation. In that case, operators must either conduct a

biological survey over an identified area to document

the biological resources, or move and/or mitigate their

operations in such a way that potentially important

resources would not be affected. Biological surveys

are to be conducted in accordance with Notice to Lessees (NTL) No. 00-P04 codified November 1, 2000.

The NTL describes the survey grid, data to be collected, and reporting requirements. The Biological

Lease Stipulation has been invoked on all leases in

the Bonito Unit, on OCS-P 0421 and OCS-P 0422 in

the Point Sal Unit, on OCS-P 0426 in the Purisima

Point Unit and on OCS-P 0460 in the Gato Canyon

Unit.

MMS also formed the Hard Bottom Committee,

a 14-member group of agencies, fishermen and industry. The Committee provides MMS with data, reviews

biological survey plans and survey reports, and advises MMS on mitigation measures. The Committee

has provided valuable input on the reliability of MMS

data and provided confirmation of several identified

hard bottom features from other data sources.

The National Oceanic Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) is the agency given authority through

the Secretary of Commerce to oversee endangered

species in the benthic environment. Historically, they

have listed two species in the Southern California area,

a limpet (Vema) found at great depths, and a branching purple coral (Allopora californica.) They are also

the Trustees for benthic resources under Federal law

during an oil spill. As a Trustee, NOAA is required to

advise the U.S. Coast Guard during oil spill cleanup

activities and to assess impacts to benthic resources

as a part of the Natural Resource Damage Assessment

(NRDA).

Regional Setting.

Hard, or rocky substrate. Rocky features on

the ocean floor, when compared with sandy bottom

acreage, are uncommon offshore California (ADL,

1984; URS, 1987). Several hundred small rocky platforms and submerged islands can be found in the

nearshore coastline off California, with the incidence

of nearshore rocky areas increasing as you move north

of Point Conception. Several investigators have surveyed nearshore rocky habitats in Santa Barbara

County adjacent to the leases where the delineation

wells are proposed north and south of Point Conception (Ambrose et. al., 1995; MBC, 1980; Littler, 1977;

Chambers, 1982). Common species include cup corals and anenomes. Refer to these references for species lists.

Shallow geohazard surveys conducted on OCS

leases to identify potential drilling hazards can also

be used to identify and locate rocky features. Several

hard substrate features have been identified using

these data. Since OCS leases are three miles offshore

and the Continental Shelf drops off quickly offshore

California, OCS features are in deep water. The deepest feature surveyed in the Basin on an OCS lease

was in 1700 ft of water. Rocky features, or natural

reefs, are important biologically because they may

support stable, long-lived, biologically diverse communities and because they provide a food source for fish

and other organisms. The size of the feature is not as

important as other factors in determining its importance biologically. Important resources are found on

very large features such as the feature offshore Point
4-67

Description of the Affected Environment: Biological Resources

Sal measuring seven miles at its widest point, on much

smaller features such as the feature south of Platform

Hidalgo measuring 34 acres, and on small isolated pinnacles and outcrops.

Absolute relief of the feature is one of the most

important factors in determining whether a given feature is likely to contain undisturbed, long-lived biological communities. Features with “low relief”, (“low

relief” is defined here as less than one meter of expressed biological relief), are typically subject to disturbance from river runoff and sediment deposition.

These lower relief features, or lower relief portions of

features, contain less diverse, shorter-lived communities due to the constant or periodic disturbance by

sedimentation. They are characterized by sediment

tolerant species such as cup corals (for example,

Caryophylla sp. and Paracyathus stearnsii) and brachiopods.

Species such as the anenome, Metridium senile,

and the gorgonian, Lophogorgia, may also be present

at low relief sites if bottom currents regularly expose

the substrate. These latter species can tolerate burial

by sediment once they have reached a certain height

by allowing their respiratory organs to remain above

the shifting sediment. Individually, lower relief habitat is characterized by a less rich biota than those on

higher relief, less disturbed features or parts of features. Ecologically, however, low relief habitat is part

of an important system of natural reefs.

Communities associated with “high-relief” features, (defined as features or portions of features with

greater than one meter of biological relief), are rare.

Even within a given feature or group of identified

rocky features, only a small portion of the habitat (<1-

10%) is likely to contain sufficient relief and bottom

characteristics to support the more sediment sensitive species. Long-lived, highly diverse biological communities found on high-relief features are characterized by the presence of a variety of long-lived organisms such as sponges, corals, and feather stars. The

three dominant phyla encountered on the features include Cnidaria (branching, cup, and encrusting corals and large anemones), Echinodermata (feather

stars, brittle stars, basket stars, and sea urchins) and

Porifera (vase, barrel, and shelf sponges) (Diener and

Lissner, 1995). The presence of large vase sponges,

such as Actinostola callosa, is a good indicator of high

biological relief and strong bottom currents since its

presence indicates a complete lack of disturbance by

sediment cover over time. While the age of many slow

growing species is difficult to visually estimate, biologists surveying high relief areas offshore in the Santa

Maria Basin estimate large sponges to be at least 20-

30 years old (Dames and Moore, 1982). In rare instances, such as on leases in the western Santa Barbara Channel near San Miguel Island, plate sponges

estimated to be over 100 years old have been identified (Benech Biological Associates, 1984). The endangered coral, Allopora California, has been found in a

couple of locations only—on Tanner Cortes Bank and

on reefs contiguous with the Channel Islands.

Analysis of photographs taken during Phase II

of the California Monitoring Program (CAMP) study

yielded 286 separate hard bottom taxa (Diener and

Lissner, 1995). In this study it was determined that

water depth was the most significant factor in determining community structure, and relief of the feature

was the next significant factor. The depth preference

of the 50 most dominant taxa was evident; they were

almost evenly split among three depth zones, with

only14 of the taxa being found in roughly equal densities at each depth. As predicted from visual surveys,

their data confirmed the relationship between water

depth, relief and sediment flux. Most of the shallow

water species preferred low-relief habitats where sediment flux was almost twice as high as on the deep

reefs (Diener and Lissner, 1995).

Due to the high numbers of unidentified species

and incomplete taxonomy for the benthic animals

found in these surveys, MMS funded scientists to publish the taxonomy of all represented phyla. This fourteen-volume detailed color document entitled “Taxonomic Atlas of Benthic Fauna of the Santa Maria Basin and Western Santa Barbara Channel” provides the

complete taxonomy for all phyla discovered during

these surveys (Blake and Lissner, 1993)

Soft Substrate Resources. A total of 1,207 species of soft-substrate deep water benthic invertebrates

were identified in the comprehensive reconnaissance

survey of the Santa Maria Basin and western Santa

Barbara Channel (SAIC, 1986). During the CAMP

Phase II monitoring program, a total of 886 species

were identified from 344 box cores representing 15

phyla (Blake and Lissner, 1993), (Hyland et al., 1990.)

Peracarid crustaceans (34%), polychaetes (31%), and

molluscs (18%) dominate the fauna. Roughly 25 percent of these species were new to science.

Analysis of community parameters such as species richness, diversity, and density indicated that the

Santa Maria Basin supports a rich, highly productive,

benthic invertebrate fauna (Blake, 1993). The highest number of species was found at nearshore stations,

as was the highest species diversity and density. This

decline in species richness with depth is in contrast

to findings along the North Atlantic, where diversity

increases with water depth. The significantly lower

dissolved oxygen levels present in California slope

waters as compared with the East Coast may explain

this difference (Blake and Lissner, 1993).

In their investigation of soft bottom assemblages

in the Santa Maria Basin and western Santa Barbara

Channel, SAIC (1985) found the most distinctive assemblage to be that occurring nearshore along the

shelf in water depths less than 400 feet. This group

was numerically dominated by one species of a brittle

star, (Amphiodia urtica), followed by two polychaete
4-68

Delineation Drilling Activities Offshore Santa Barbara County

worms, (Spiophanes berkeleyorum), and (S.

missionensis).

Nearshore soft bottom benthos north of Point

Conception in water depths less than 100 feet is typical of nearshore sand bottom communities throughout the Southern California Bight (ADL, 1984; Jones,

1969). This community is exposed to frequent or continuous wave action and disturbance. Surveys have

been conducted of the pipeline corridors and onshore

crossing inshore from the Point Arguello platforms

north of Point Conception (Dames and Moore, 1983).

Species lists from analyzed samples compare favorably with historical survey data from earlier investigators (Dames and Moore, 1983). Chambers (1982)

sampled several transects in the Point Conception/

Point Arguello area where worms, Nothria, and clams,

Tellina, dominate the community.

Site Specific Descriptions by Unit. It is anticipated that there will be little important variance

among soft bottom communities in the Project Area.

Site-specific surveys conducted for the platforms and

pipelines for Platform Julius, Platform Irene, and Platform Harmony, as well as the comprehensive biological sampling conducted as part of the regional California Monitoring Program, should be consulted for

additional information and detailed species lists

(McClelland Engineers, 1985; SAIC, 1985; SAIC, 1986;

SAIC and MEC, 1995, Blake, J.A. and A.L. Lissner,

1993). Due to the differences between the types of

rocky features in the Project Area and their habitat,

the following additional discussion is provided.

Point Sal Unit. Potential exposed rocky outcrop

areas are mapped in two locations in the Point Sal

Unit, one at the border between Lease OCS-P 0421

and P 0422, and the other on the northeast corner of

OCS-P 0416. A review of existing shallow hazards

data indicates that the features on the eastern border

of OCS-P 0421 are likely outcrops, since they are associated with identified faults and contain sufficient

relief to support hard bottom communities. Longline

commercial fishing data also indicate that these features contain viable habitat. Based on a review of the

shallow hazards data and commercial fishing data,

potential features on the northeastern corner of OCSP 0416 are not believed to contain viable hard bottom

habitat.

Purisima Point Unit. One isolated feature has

been mapped in the center of Lease OCS-P 0426.

While the size of the feature is small, shallow hazards

data indicates sufficient relief to support hard substrate communities and presence of habitat is corroborated by longline fishermen data (pers. comm, S.

Timoschuk, 2001).

Bonito Unit. The primary area of biological interest in this unit are the deep canyons. One small

and four large canyons traverse the Bonito Unit. Shallow hazards review confirms the presence of very steep

slopes and potential outcrop areas in each canyon,

particularly on the southern wall. In general, outcrop areas are more likely to be located along the steepest portions of the canyon wall, and along the crest of

the canyon. However, longline fishermen records indicate that hard bottom resources exist in the canyon

bottoms as well (pers. comm., S. Timoschuk, 2001).

Isolated outcrops sprinkled through the area,

however, were not found to have sufficient relief to

suspect hard substrate communities. One feature

mapped on OCS-P 0446 was previously surveyed in

1982 by Dames and Moore and found to consist of two

very small pinnacles. The pinnacles did not contain

sensitive resources.

Gato Canyon Unit. The northern half of lease

OCS-P 0460 is identified hard bottom substrate. Confirmation as exposed hard bottom habitat seems likely

given the commercial fishing records for the area.

Impacts of Past OCS Activities on Seafloor

Resources: A total of 328 exploration wells and 886

development wells have been drilled on the OCS since

1963. Of these, roughly 130 were drilled after 1980,

when more became known about the importance of

hard substrate communities. The biological stipulation has been placed on each lease since Lease Sale

No. 35 in 1977 and invoked on over 30 leases.

MMS has protected hard substrate communities

through wellsite avoidance, anchor avoidance and, occasionally, through the barging or monitoring of muds

and cuttings discharges, since the late 1970’s. In the

late 1970’s and early 80’s, the mitigation was focused

on reducing direct impacts to resources from cuttings

discharges and anchor placement. Operators were required to avoid drilling within 1,000 to 1500 feet from

features identified by the agency during the intense

drilling phase in the early 1980’s. These mitigation

measures were also required prior to setting Platforms

Hidalgo, Hermosa, and Harvest. Extensive mitigation was required for the construction of these pipelines and platforms because of their proximity to hard

substrate features. Post-construction surveys were

also required to ensure that impacts had been mitigated properly.

Four important studies have been conducted in

the California OCS which describe the impacts that

have occurred on benthic resources from offshore oil

and gas activities. The first is the California OCS

Monitoring Program (CAMP), a ten-year monitoring

study of the effect of discharges from drilling on Platforms Harvest, Hermosa, and Hidalgo on soft and hard

substrate communities in the Point Arguello area.

The second is a study of benthic communities following exploration operations on OCS leases (MEC Analytical Systems, Inc., 1995). The third is the postconstruction survey of pipeline routes following the

installation of Platforms Hermosa, Harvest and

Hidalgo and their associated pipelines (Marine Research Specialists, 1993). The fourth study was con-
4-69

Description of the Affected Environment: Biological Resources

Author and Publication Date Description of Study 

Ecomar, 1982 Biosurvey for Exploration for a large feature on four leases 20 

miles offshore Pt. Sal 

Nekton, 1981 Biosurvey for Exploration for a large feature on four leases off 

Purisima Point. 

Dames and Moore, 1982 Biosurvey for Exploration for scattered hard bottom on 

multiple leases in the Point Arguello Area 

Dames and Moore, 1982 Biosurvey for proposed platforms in the Santa Ynez Unit 

Chambers, 1982 Biosurvey of State lease sale area at Point Arguello 

Chambers, 1982 Biosurvey of construction through kelp beds in the Santa Ynez 

Unit in western Santa Barbara Channel 

Dames and Moore, 1983 Biosurvey at the proposed Platform Hermosa site and along 

pipeline corridors to shore 

Dames and Moore, 1983 Biosurvey of pipeline alternatives from Platform Hermosa to 

shore at Point Conception and Gaviota 

Nekton, 1983 Biosurvey at the proposed Platform Harvest site and its 

pipelines 

McClelland Engineers, 1984 Biosurvey at the proposed Platform Irene site and pipelines to 

shore 

Dames and Moore, 1984 Biosurvey for the Project Shamrock platform site adjacent to 

Point Arguello (no platform was placed) 

Engineering Sciences, 1984 Biosurvey at the proposed Platform Hidalgo/pipelines 

McClelland Engineers, 1985 Biosurvey at the proposed Platform Julius site (no platform 

installed) 

Benech Biological Associates, 

1986 

Biosurvey for Exploration for a lease adjacent to Point 

Conception 

Benech Biological Associates, 

1986 

Biosurvey for Exploration for 2 leases in the western Santa 

Barbara Channel 

Table 4.6.2-1. Table of studies relevant to seafloor resources.

McClelland Engineers, 1986 Biosurvey for proposed Platform Gail and pipelines 

SAIC, 1986 Reconnaissance survey of the Santa Maria Basin and western 

Santa Barbara Channel including comprehensive sampling of 

soft and hard substrate communities 

McClelland Engineers, 1987 Biosurvey for the proposed Platform Hacienda in Rocky Point 

unit (no platform was placed) 

Kinnetics Inc, 1989 Biosurvey for one lease in the eastern Santa Barbara Channel 

for exploration activities 

Kinnetics, Inc. 1989 Biosurvey for four leases in the western Santa Barbara 

Channel for exploration 

Blake, J.A and A.L.Lissner, 

1993 

Taxonomic Atlas of the Benthic Fauna of the Santa Maria 

Basin and western Santa Barbara Channel 
4-70

Delineation Drilling Activities Offshore Santa Barbara County

ducted in the late 1970’s during the drilling of an exploratory well near a shallow reef in the Tanner-Cortes

Bank.

Anchoring Impacts from Exploration. MEC Analytical Systems, Inc. evaluated the area of anchor impact from exploratory operations occurring between

1968 and 1989 (MEC Analytical Systems, 1995). Conclusions from this study are:

1) In the case of anchoring activities from exploratory drilling, the actual area of impact was

less than 0.5 percent of the identified exposed

hard bottom habitat. Eight wellsites were selected out of 22 potential locations for study.

The wellsite with the least anchor contact on

hard bottom was drilled in 1989 on OCS-P

0512. Of the eight wellsites, which were all on

leases with identified exposed hard substrate

habitat, four wellsites had no scars on the hard

bottom. Of the remaining four wellsites, 0.08

percent, 0.21 percent and 0.11 percent of the

hard bottom substrate within the anchor was

impacted for wellsites studies that were drilled

after 1981, whereas, 0.46 percent was impacted

for the wellsite drilled in 1968. Anchor scope

is defined as the area around the wellsite inclusive of circumference made by the eight anchors.

2) The width of anchor scars ranged from 1.1 m

(3.6 ft) to 7.7 m (25.3 ft); the length from 67 m

(221 ft) to 503 m (1,650 ft). Depth of the scars

was less than one meter.

Conservatively, 10 percent of the exploration

wells drilled in the California OCS were drilled on

leases which contain potential hard substrate. Assuming that the study above is representative, it can

be used to estimate area contacted by anchors. If you

assume that mitigation is totally successful half of the

time as the study indicated, one would assume that

16 wells might have contacted hard bottom substrate.

Based on impact areas from the study, the total area

which might have been impacted from exploratory

anchoring is, therefore, 0.16 km2

 (.06 mi2), or less than

one (0.7) percent of a lease in acreage for all wells

drilled in the OCS to date.

Anchoring Impacts from Development Activities.

Potential impacts from anchoring on hard bottom communities due to development activities can be determined by examining the Point Arguello Development

project. The three Point Arguello platforms and pipelines are the development activities placed nearest

hard substrate on the California OCS. Numerous scattered hard bottom features are found throughout these

leases. Pipelines were carefully woven through an

identified 200 foot-wide permitted pipeline corridor,

but the diameter of the lines being laid required the

lay barge to make three passes through the area to

lay the lines, causing numerous anchoring events in

areas of potential hard bottom. Mitigation measures

placed on their development as described in the Record

of Decision for the EIS required Chevron and Texaco

to avoid all rocky identified hard substrate features

with their anchors and wellsite placements. They were

also required to conduct post-installation surveys of

any anchors contacting hard substrate.

There were 1,085 anchoring events along the

pipeline route to shore from Platform Hermosa. Of

these events, six anchor scars were identified in post

side-scan sonar mosaic data to have contacted hard

substrate (Dunaway and Schroeder, 1989). It is estimated that roughly 2,000 anchoring events occurred

during the installation of the three platforms and three

interplatform pipelines. In this area, 12 scars were

observed to impact hard bottom habitat. Scar widths

varied from 1.1 m (3.5 ft) to 4 m (12 ft). Based on the

post-installation survey (Hardin et al, 1993), less than

1 percent of the anchoring events contacted hard bottom features, causing impacts to habitat, due to the

operator’s avoidance practices. This is a very small

amount of total potential acreage impacted. It is suspected based on the survey data that the anchors that

contacted hard bottom did so because of navigational

error in the geohazards data.

Anchors placed in soft bottom habitat do not impact the biota in the same way since the population is

transient and recovers quickly. Anchor scars in soft

bottom in relatively shallower water, or in coarser substrate, tend to be temporary and last six months to a

year. Anchor scars on finer sediments have more longevity, but the species recolonize and return pre-activity levels in a short amount of time. Residual impacts on the biota from anchoring activities in soft

bottom habitat are unlikely.

Drilling Mud and Cutting Discharge Impacts.

The other primary source of impact from OCS operations on benthic communities is from drilling mud and

cutting discharges. Cuttings fall close to the wellsite

or platform location, even in deep water, due to the

weight of the material. In soft bottom habitat, cuttings discharges, particularly under platforms due to

the mixing mixed with shell debris, could irreversibly

change the community type from a finer grain to

coarser grain associated community. It is likely that

a different group of invertebrates than that inhabiting the original substrate would reestablish the cuttings pile following the drilling of a well or siting of a

platform. This local impact could occur at each

wellsite, with measurable changes occurring under existing platforms where sufficient volume of cuttings

and shells has had the opportunity to accumulate. Additional information about the biological composition

of shell mounds is being currently gathered in two

MMS studies.
4-71

Description of the Affected Environment: Biological Resources

Cuttings could smother hard bottom species if

hard bottom habitat was located close to the wellsite

or platform. Since MMS has relocated wellsites away

from features since 1981, wellsites after that time

would not be expected to have identified impacts to

hard substrate resources from cuttings discharges. It

is possible that wells were drilled close enough to rocky

substrate prior to 1981 to have caused impacts to these

communities. They would have necessarily been in

the Santa Barbara Channel since the first Santa Maria

Basin lease sale was in 1981. Given the reasoning

above for anchoring events, one might conservatively

presume that 16 exploration wells were drilled near

hard bottom features prior to 1981 and could have

impacted them. The Point Arguello platforms are located near hard bottom features and for this reason,

discharges from these platforms were extensively

monitored over a ten-year period as a part of the MMS

California Monitoring Program. This study provides

an excellent review of the cumulative impacts over

hard bottom areas since over 40 wells were drilled in

a four-mile area adjacent to numerous natural reef

features. The cumulative amount of muds measured

would be more than the mud impacts experienced even

during the most intensive exploratory drilling phases.

Cumulative impacts from the drilling of Point Arguello

wells resulted in no significant impacts that could be

linked to the discharges. Refer to the Impacts to Seafloor Resources Section for additional discussion.

Given the above information, it is expected that

impacts from drilling past exploratory and development wells have been low to seafloor resources. Impacts included temporary increases in turbidity, alteration of habitat in localized areas, and crushing and

smothering of resources in localized areas.

4.6.3 KELP BEDS

Kelp beds are an important and distinct community found nearshore in shallow waters. Kelp beds

are important because they provide vertical water column habitat for many types of adult and juvenile fish,

marine mammals such as the sea otter, and other

marine animals. Kelp beds are located in the photic

zone; that is, where the sunlight penetrates the water. Other subtidal resources on soft and hard bottom habitat are covered in the seafloor resources section.

The California Department of Fish and Game

regulates activities in kelp beds, including the kelp

harvesting, commercial fishing and boating activities

that potentially impact these resources, since kelp beds

are found in State waters. The National Park Service

monitors, protects and restores kelp bed resources

found within the Channel Islands National Park. The

National Park Service works with NOAA to establish

reserves within the park and sanctuary to encourage

healthy kelp bed growth.

Regional Setting. Large kelp beds have been

identified in waters up to 1 mile offshore in the area

from Point Conception and Gaviota (ADL, 1984.) and

at San Miguel, Santa Rosa and Anacapa Islands. Historically, the kelp bed on the south side of San Miguel

has extended out to a mile from the island (pers. comm.

Lerma, 2001). Kelp, (primarily Macrocystis pyrifera)

is more likely to survive in protected nearshore areas. On the mainland this would include areas such

as the lee of the points north of Point Conception,

and in the coves or bays south of the Point. Kelp usually attach to rock outcrops or cobbles to stay in place,

but in the Santa Barbara Channel, waters are so calm

that kelp plants can become established in sandy

subtidal regions, by attaching themselves to worm

tubes (Chambers, 1991). Many species normally associated with rocky substrate are found in this habitat due to the unusual presence of kelp.

The size of the kelp beds is highly variable and

dependent on environmental and anthropogenic factors. Kelp is very sensitive to changes in water temperature, dying back substantially during El Nino

warm water events and reestablishing during cooler

water periods. As natural predators, the red and

purple sea urchin have a dramatic effect on determining the health of a given kelp forest. In many areas,

purple urchins have become overabundant forcing out

reestablishment of kelp. In the National Park

Service’s monitoring in 1999 they found 11 of their

16 sites were dominated by echinoderms. The purple

urchin was dominant at all but two sites; sea cucumbers and the brittle star were also dominant at two

sites occupied by purple urchins (Kelp Forest Inquirer,

2000).

Areas dominated by urchins are called “urchin

barrens” due to the imbalance between urchins and

kelp and other algae. During warm water years, both

kelp and urchins die off, but the urchins fare better

than the kelp. Urchins will forage large areas, move

into the intertidal, and will forage a wide range of species if kelp is not available. Because urchins can survive the warm water periods, when the cooler water

returns in urchin barrens, kelp cannot reestablish,

even though water temperature is optimal for kelp.

Santa Barbara Island and non-reserve parts of

Anacapa Island are urchin barrens and have not come

back despite a recent influx of cool water. Ironically,

commercial urchin fishing, since they specifically fish

for red urchins, exacerbate the problem by reducing

the competition between red and purple urchins and

eliminating the natural urchin predators such as

sheephead. This is evidenced by the monitoring of

kelp beds within and outside no-take reserves at

Anacapa Island and that fact that the beds within the

reserve retain healthy kelp communities (pers. comm.,

D. Lerma, 2001, J. Engle, 2001).
4-72

Delineation Drilling Activities Offshore Santa Barbara County

In response to cooler waters for the past three

years, kelp is making a comeback on the southern and

western shores of San Miguel Island, on the south side

of Santa Rosa Island (pers. comm., D. Lerma, NPS

2001) and at several locations along the mainland.

There is generally a lag effect between introduction

of cooler waters bringing kelp recruits, and the increase in urchins, which also prefer cooler waters.

While the kelp has recruited well to the south side of

Santa Rosa in the past couple of years, increases in

urchins were observed this year indicating the sites

are in the process of becoming urchin barrens (pers.

comm., D. Lerma, 2001)

Impacts of Past Offshore OCS Oil and Gas Activities. The primary source of impact on kelp resources from OCS activities is from development construction activities in nearshore waters. The pipelines for the Santa Ynez Unit in the eastern Santa

Barbara Channel and the Gaviota outfall line are examples of activities that affected kelp resources in

nearshore waters. Impacts to the kelp bed were localized and temporary since kelp was able to reestablish following construction. Impacts were low.

4.6.4 FISH RESOURCES

Regional Setting: Marine fishes in the major

habitats of the Santa Barbara Channel and Santa

Maria Basin have been described in detail in previous

studies and environmental documents (e.g., ADL,

1984; MBC, 1986; CalCOFI, 1996; Dailey et al., 1993;

Love et al., 1999; Horn and Allen, 1978; Miller and

Lea, 1972). At least 554 species of California marine

fishes inhabit or visit California waters. The high

species richness is probably due to the complex topography, convergence of several water masses, and

changeable environmental conditions (Dailey et al.,

1993). Point Conception is widely recognized as a faunal boundary with mostly cold-water species found to

the north and warm-water species found to the south,

though extensive migrations do occur as a result of

fluctuating environmental conditions. In fact, warmand cool-water events in the Southern California Bight

(SCB) affect fish recruitment and can alter the composition of some fish assemblages for years (Love et

al., 1985, 1986). The SCB is located in the transition

area between Pacific subarctic, Pacific equatorial, and

North Pacific central water masses, and the fish fauna

contains representatives from each of these sources.

Of the 554 species of California marine fishes, 481

species occur in the SCB (Horn, 1974).

Spawning in marine fish species is variable, but

can be generalized. The reproductive cycle of species

with northern affinities, such as Pacific hake and olive rockfish, in the SCB generally peaks from winter

to spring. The reproductive cycle of species with southern affinities like kelp bass and queenfish, will generally peak from spring to summer. Some fish species

like splitnose rockfish and northern anchovy spawn

throughout the year. Spawning periods can also be

governed by lunar and diel cycles. Grunion, for example, spawn on the first few nights following each

new and full moon of the spring and summer. And

queenfish spawn from late afternoon to evening, especially during the first quarter of the moon.

Migrations are common among marine fishes

and are usually related to feeding and reproduction.

Dover sole migrate into deep water in winter to spawn

and into shallow water in the summer to feed.

Scorpionfish migrate offshore to spawning grounds

from May through August. In the fall, Pacific hake

migrate from feeding grounds off the Pacific Northwest to winter spawning grounds off southern California and Baja California. Other species, such as kelp

bass and garibaldi move little during their lives. Thus

life histories of the fishes of the SCB are very diverse.

The fish offshore California occur in two main

regions; the pelagic (open ocean) zone, and the benthic

(bottom of the ocean) zone. Although these designations are useful, the regions overlap, and there are

several zones within each of these regions. For example, the pelagic region is made up of three specific

zones; epipelagic (from surface to depths of 200m),

mesopelagic (depths between approximately 200 to

1000 m) and bathypelagic (depths gretaer than 1000

m). And the benthic zone includes soft-bottom habitat, hard-bottom habitat, low and high relief features

all of which harbor specific species of fish.

Pelagic Fishes. The pelagic realm is the largest

habitat in the SCB and the home of 40 percent of the

species and 50 percent of the families of fish. The pelagic zone includes the water column covering the shelf

and the upper 150 to 200 m of water overlying the

slope and deep basins. The fish from this zone represent a mix of permanent residents and periodic visitors. The important pelagic species of southern and

central California include: northern anchovy, albacore

tuna, jack mackerel, Pacific mackerel, Pacific bonito,

Pacific sardines, Pacific whiting, Pacific herring,

salmon, steelhead trout, swordfish, and thresher

shark.

The epipelagic zone is euphotic, and temperatures fluctuate diurnally and seasonally. Northern

anchovy, Pacific sardine, jack mackerel, Pacific mackerel, and Pacific hake are residents of the epipelagic

zone of the California Current system. From spring

through fall, the epipelagic zone of the SCB is inhabited by Pacific saury, bluefin tuna, yellowtail, and many

large, solitary predators that emigrate from tropical

and oceanic areas (Dailey, 1993). Most of these species are widely distributed in the SCB, and it is unlikely that oil and gas operations will harm enough

individuals, their prey, or habitat to significantly de-
4-73

Description of the Affected Environment: Biological Resources

crease its population size. However, northern anchovy

are of concern since their restricted distributions during parts of their life cycle make them vulnerable to

impacts from oil and gas activities.

Northern anchovy is the most abundant epipelagic fish of the bight. The central population of northern anchovy occurs in the SCB. Much of the population occurs inshore in the northern part of the bight

during the fall. The fish move offshore and southeast

with the onset of spawning in late winter. The northern and offshore limits of spawning are determined

by cold, upwelled water advected from north of Point

Conception into the SCB. The southern limit of

spawning is determined by low phytoplankton pigment

levels (Dailey, 1993). The largest schools occur within

40 km (25 miles) of the coast over deep water, often

over escarpments and submarine canyons. During

daylight hours of summer and fall months, large compact schools may be found at depths of 110-183 meters

(360-600 feet). The schools rise to the surface at night

and disperse. As the night passes, they tend to school

more tightly until dawn, when they return to deeper

waters. In spring, many small schools are found at

the surface during the day while the fish tend to scatter over a wide area at night. From April to June,

extremely large dense surface schools, containing up

to several tons, form during daylight hours and disperse or move into deeper water at night. Anchovies

reach reproductive maturity in 1-2 years and generally live 3-4 years. Anchovies are filter feeders and

feed on various kinds of plankton.

Another species that is abundant in the epipelagic zone and is vulnerable to impacts is the market

squid. Squid are not fish but are included in this section since they are managed under the Coastal Pelagics

Fishery Management Plan (FMP) of the Pacific Fishery Management Council. Market squid ranges from

British Columbia to central Baja California. Although

during most of their life cycle squid are widely distributed offshore, squid congregate inshore in very

large numbers during spawning. Spawning occurs in

about January or February in southern California and

about April in the Monterey Bay area. Monterey Bay

and the northern Channel Islands are the most important spawning areas, but large spawning aggregations are known to occur along the entire coast from

San Diego to Monterey. Squid live one to two years

and die after one spawning season.

Less is known about the fish in the mesopelagic

and bathypelagic zones. Typical mesopelagic species

of the area include blacksmelt, northern lampfish,

viperfish, and the lanternfish (Cross and Allen, 1993).

Bathypelagic species of the area include dragonfish,

hatchetfish, and bristlemouth (Cross and Allen, 1993).

Demersal Fishes. The benthic zone can be broken down into four habitat types: offshore, rocky shallow, sandy shallow and vertical relief. The offshore

benthic environment is beyond the major direct impacts of tidal, wave, beach, and shoreline processes. It

is usually sandy or muddy, but rocky outcroppings do

occur. The species common to this zone are: flatfishes,

lingcod, some rockfishes, cods, and sablefish. The shallow, rocky bottom benthic environment includes

tidepools, and subsurface rocky outcrops. Significant

vertical relief is common. Rockfish, lingcod, sculpins,

blennies, and eels are all typical residents. The shallow, sandy bottom benthic environment is affected by

wave, tide, and shoreline processes and is constantly

moving and changing. Common residents include

skates, rays, smelts, surfperches, and flatfish. Vertical relief benthic areas, including kelp beds and

manmade structures are reef-like with gradients oriented more vertically than horizontally. The habitat

may reach from the sea floor to the sea surface. Fishes

of both pelagic and benthic habitats are associated with

these areas. Common species include kelp bass, senorita, blacksmith, rockfishes, and surfperches. Estuaries and wetlands, natural and artificial hardbottom

features, kelp beds and harbors represent important

habitat for demersal species.

Demersal fish distributions are generally based

on depth or depth-related factors (Bence et al., 1992;

Wakefield, 1992; Caillet et al., 1992). Depth distributions for common demersal fishes of the bight are summarized in table 4.6.4-1.

As with the epipelagic fishes, the demersal species of concern are those with restricted distributions

during a significant part of their life cycle. In the Santa

Barbara Channel and Santa Maria Basin, demersal

fishes are generally widely distributed and thus it is

unlikely that oil and gas operations will harm enough

individuals, their prey, or habitat to significantly decrease its population size. Recent studies, however,

have reported significant declines with certain rockfish species (Love et al., 1998; Ralston, 1998). While

specific species, areas, and reasons for the decline have

been debated, there is little doubt that rockfish biomass and commercial harvests have decreased since the

1960’s (Bloeser, 1999). One rockfish species, Sebastes

pausispinis or bocaccio, is presently a candidate species for listing under the Endangered Species Act

(ESA). Presently it has no protection status under

the ESA.

Threatened and Endangered Species. Of the marine fishes occurring in the SBC and SMB, two (tidewater goby and the Southern California Evolutionarily Significant Unit (ESU) of west coast steelhead)

are listed as endangered under the Endangered Species Act. The biology of these species in the project

area is discussed in detail in the biological evaluation

prepared for the Endangered Species Act Section 7

consultation on the Rocky Point Unit development

project (MMS, 2000). That information is incorporated by reference in this document (section 5.2.9.9,
4-74

Delineation Drilling Activities Offshore Santa Barbara County

Threatened and Endangered Fish) and is summarized

below.

The steelhead, Oncorhynchus mykiss, are migratory anadromous rainbow trout. The Southern ESU

steelhead inhabits streams and rivers from the Santa

Maria River south to Malibu Creek, California

(Behnke 1992, Burgner et al., 1992). The critical habitat for steelhead includes all river reaches and estuarine areas accessible to listed steelhead in coastal river

basins from the Santa Maria Basin to Malibu Creek.

In the Point Arguello area, this would include the

Santa Ynez River, San Antonio Creek, and the Santa

Maria River, and perhaps Jalama and Cañada Honda

Creeks. Only winter steelhead occur along the southcentral coast. Winter steelhead enter their home

streams from November to April to spawn. Juveniles

migrate to sea usually in spring. Steelhead can migrate extensively at sea.

The tidewater goby, Eucyclogobius newberryi, is

found in shallow coastal lagoons, stream mouths and

shallow areas of bays in low salinity waters. The northern population of tidewater goby is found along coastal

areas from Del Norte County south to Los Angeles

County. Since 1994, the northern population of tidewater gobies has rebounded sharply. This population

of gobies are quite resilient and have a great ability to

disperse and re-colonize areas from which they were

previously eliminated (FWS News Release, June 24,

1999). Early summer1999, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife

Service proposed to delist that population, while maintaining the endangered designation for the southern

population.

Essential Fish Habitat.Under Section 305 (b) (2)

of the Magnuson Fishery Conservation and Management Act (16 U.S.C. 1801 et seq) as amended by the

Sustainable Fisheries Act on October 11, 1996, Federal agencies are required to consult with the Secretary of Commerce on any actions that may adversely

affect Essential Fish Habitat (EFH). The Department

of Commerce published an interim final rule (50 CFR

Part 600) in the Federal Register (December 19, 1997,

Volume 62, Number 244) that detailed the procedures

under which Federal agencies would fulfill their consultation requirements. As set forth in the regulations,

EFH Assessments must include: 1) a description of

the proposed action; 2) an analysis of the effects, including cumulative effects, of the action on EFH, the

managed species, and associated species by life history stage; 3) the Federal agency’s views regarding

the effects of the action on EFH; and 4) proposed mitigation if applicable.

Section 600.920 (h) describes the abbreviated

consultation process the Minerals Management Service (MMS) is following for the proposed project described in Section 2.0. The purpose of the abbreviated

consultation process is to address specific Federal actions that may adversely affect EFH, but do not have

the potential to cause substantial adverse impacts.

The Pacific Fishery Management Council

(PFMC) manages 90 species of fish under three Fishery Management Plans: 1) Coastal Pelagics Fishery

Management Plan; 2) Pacific Salmon Fishery Management Plan; and 3) Pacific Groundfish Fishery

Management Plan (table 4.6.4-2).

The marine environment offshore Point Conception is especially rich in fish species because this area

constitutes a transition zone between southern warmtemperate, subtropical waters and northern cold-temperate waters. The area also provides a wide variety

of habitats created by many banks, ridges, and deepsea basins. Nearly all of the species managed by the

council can be found within the project area during

their life cycle. Therefore, this analysis will be broad

in scope and will discuss the effects of the identified

impacting sources on a wide range of fish prey and

forage, fish habitats, and fish species.

The EFH regulations also direct the Councils to

consider a second, more limited designation for each

Water Depth

50 – 200m 200 – 500m 500 – 1200m 1200 – 3200m

Sand Dabs

Citharichthys sordidus

Sablefish

Anoplopoma fimbria

Thornyheads

Sebastolobus spp.

Rattail

Coryphaenoides filifer

English sole

Pleuronectes vetulus

Pacific hake

Merluccius productus

Pacific hake

Merluccius productus

Thornyheads

Sebastolobus spp.

Rex sole

Errex zachirus

Slickhead

Alepocephalus tenebrosus

Slickhead

Alepocephalus tenebrosus

Finescale coddling

Antimora microlepis

Rockfish

Sebastes spp.

Eelpouts

Lycenchelys jordani

Rattail

Coryphaenoides filifer

Eelpouts

Lycenchelys jordani

Pink surfperch

Zalembius rosaceus

Rockfish

Sebastes spp.

Plainfin midshipman

Porichthys notatus

Thornyheads

Sebastolobus spp.

White croaker

Genyonemus lineatus

Table 4.6.4-1. Depth distribution of Demersal Fish common to Central California.
4-75

Description of the Affected Environment: Biological Resources

species in addition to Essential Fish Habitat. Habitat

Areas of Particular Concern (HAPC) are described in

the regulations as subsets of EFH which are rare, particularly susceptible to human-induced degradation,

especially ecologically important, or located in an environmentally stressed area. Designated HAPC are

not afforded any additional regulatory protection under the Act; however, federal projects with potential

adverse impacts to HAPC’s will be more carefully scrutinized during the consultation process. Currently,

only Amendment 14 to the Pacific Coast Salmon Plan

has addressed HAPC for chinook, coho, and pink

salmon.

It is generally accepted that salmon spawn and

rear primarily in stream reaches with a slope less than

4-5 percent (Lunetta et al. 1997), while they migrate

through much steeper stream reaches. Furthermore,

recent research has indicated that fall-spawning

anadromous salmonids are found primarily in planebed, pool-riffle, and forced-pool riffle stream channels,

which are channel types less than 4 percent slope

(Montgomery and Buffington 1997, Montgomery et

al., In prep.). Stream reaches greater than 4 percent

slope are not frequently utilized by chinook, coho, or

pink salmon for spawning and rearing, because of their

high bed load transport rate, deep scour, and coarse

substrate (Montgomery et al., In prep.). Therefore,

the protection and restoration of salmon habitat

should focus on pool-riffle, plane bed, and forced-poolriffle channels. Furthermore, any activity adjacent

to or upstream of activity that could influence the

quality of these important reaches or channels should

be evaluated. Other vulnerable habitats that are in

need of protection and restoration are off-channel rearing areas (e.g., wetlands, oxbows, side channels,

sloughs) and estuarine and other near-shore marine

areas. Submarine canyons and other regions of pronounced upwelling are also thought to be particularly

important during El Niño events (N. Bingham, Pacific Coast Federation of Fishermen’s Associations,

pers. comm.) and may need additional consideration

for protection. Because pink salmon enter freshwater primarily to spawn and juveniles spend little to no

time in freshwater, adequate spawning habitat is critical to sustaining productive pink salmon populations.

Therefore, it is important that pink salmon spawning

areas and estuarine rearing areas receive adequate

protection.

Impacts of Past and Present OCS Activities.

OCS oil and gas activities began off southern California in the late 1960s (Galloway, 1997). Section 4.0

provides information on current offshore infrastructure and levels and types of activities. Several reviews

have been made of the possible cumulative impacts of

these activities on biological resources in the region

(Van Horn et al., 1988; Bornholdt and Lear, 1995, 1997;

MMS, 1996). Furthermore, several studies have examined the effects of OCS activities on fish resources

of the study area (Imamura et al., 1993; Love et al.,

1999).

Seismic surveys. Since 1963, more than 400 geological and geophysical surveys, including both 2-D

and 3-D seismic surveys, have been conducted in the

Santa Barbara Channel and Santa Maria Basin (table

4.0.1-2), and many others have occurred in state waters. Most of these surveys occurred during the 1970’s

and 1980’s; the most recent seismic survey offshore

southern California was the Exxon 3-D seismic survey conducted in the western Santa Barbara Channel

in 1995 (MMS, 1995). Several studies have examined

the effects of seismic energy on various life stages of

fish (e.g., Dalen and Knutsen, 1986; Falk and

Lawrence, 1973; Greene, 1985; Holliday, et al., 1987;

Kostyuchenko, 1973; Pearson, et al., 1987; Turnpenny

and Nedwell, 1994). The studies indicate that direct

damage to adult fishes is mainly to the swimbladder

and at fairly close ranges to the air gun. Any direct

mortality to adults, eggs, and larvae would only have

occurred very close to the airgun arrays—within 5-20

ft of the source. Some short-term behavioral changes

may have occurred, but would not have caused a significant impact to the fish resources of the survey area.

Pelagic fishes, such as anchovies, mackerel, sharks,

and barracuda, generally swim away from or would

avoid the area during the seismic survey. Demersal

fishes, such as rockfishes, flatfishes, and ling cod would

either flatten to the bottom or leave the area during

the survey. These behavioral changes would have been

short-term and the fishes would have returned to the

area once the survey was completed.

Oil spills. One major OCS-related oil spill occurred in the study area in the Santa Barbara Channel in 1969. No effects on fish populations were noted

by the California Department of Fish and Game

(CDFG). A temporary reduction in fish catch after

February 1969 was due more to the difficulties associated with fishing in oiled waters than to oil-related

fish kills (Straughan, 1971). Ebeling et al. (1971) also

found no noticeable effects on fish in the SBC after

the spill. The NAS (1985) concluded that “a direct

impact on fishery stocks has not been observed.” Since

1971, when formal tracking of all OCS spills was initiated, 841 OCS-related oil spills have occurred in the

Pacific Region (see section 4.0). However, almost all

of these (99 percent) have been very small (less than

50 bbl), although five ranged in size from 50 to 163

bbl. No impacts to marine fish resources have been

reported from these spills.

Effluent discharges. Effluent discharges are

regulated by EPA under the General NPDES permit.

The permitted discharges are based on water quality

criteria determined outside the 100 m radius mixing

zone beyond each platform’s discharge pipe. However, the discharge pipes are located directly beneath

the platforms where up to 39 species Federally managed in the Pacific Groundfish Fishery Management
4-76

Delineation Drilling Activities Offshore Santa Barbara County

Table 4.6.4-2. Species managed by the PFMC.

Coastal Pelagics Fishery Management Plan

Northern Anchovy

Pacific Sardine

Pacific Mackerel

Jack Mackerel

Market squid

Pacific Salmon Fishery Management Plan

Chinook Salmon

Coho Salmon

Pink Salmon

Pacific Groundfish Fishery Management Plan

Butter sole

Curlfin sole

Dover sole

English sole

Flathead sole

Pacific sanddab

Petrale sole

Rex sole

Rock sole

Sand sole

Starry flounder

Arrowtooth flounder

Ratfish

Finescale codling

Pacific Rattail

Leopard shark

Soupfin shark

Spiny dogfish

Big skate

California skate

Longnose skate

Pacific ocean perch

shortbelly rockfish

Widow rockfish

Aurora rockfish

Bank rockfish

Black rockfish

Black-and-yellow rockfish

Blackgill rockfish

Blue rockfish

Bocaccio

Bronzespotted rockfish

Brown rockfish

Calico rockfish

California scorpionfish

Canary rockfish

Chilipepper

China rockfish

Groundfish cont.

Copper rockfish

Cowcod rockfish

Darkblotched rockfish

Dusky rockfish

Flag rockfish

Gopher rockfish

Grass rockfish

Green blotched rockfish

Greenspotted rockfish

Greenstriped rockfish

Harlequin rockfish

Honeycomb rockfish

Kelp rockfish

Mexican rockfish

Olive rockfish

Pink rockfish

Quillback rockfish

Redbanded rockfish

Redstriped rockfish

Rosethorn rockfish

Rosy rockfish

Rougheye rockfish

Sharpchin rockfish

Shortraker rockfish

Silvergrey rockfish

Speckled rockfish

Splitnose rockfish

Squarespot rockfish

Starry rockfish

Stripetail rockfish

Tiger rockfish

Treefish

Vermilion rockfish

Yelloweye rockfish

Yellowmouth rockfish

Yellowtail rockfish

Longspine thornyhead

Shortspine thornyhead

Cabezon

Kelp greenling

Lingcod

Pacific cod

Pacific whiting

Sablefish
4-77

Description of the Affected Environment: Biological Resources

Plan have been documented. Several of the species

are in decline due to various factors.

Biotic surveys of California platforms indicate

that many different species of fish and invertebrates

can be found on the current platform structures. MMS

is currently funding research to determine whether

platforms concentrate existing stocks, or provide new

habitat, which may increase the numbers within a

species. However, there is not any sound scientific

evidence to support the idea that platforms enhance

or reduce regional stocks of marine fish species. The

primary reason for this conclusion is that the 27 platforms represent a tiny fraction of the available hard

substrate in the SCB. Thus, for the majority of species any regional effects from lethal and sub-lethal

impacts due to effluent discharges are likely to be very

small and not even detectable empirically. However,

because species differ greatly in life history, population dynamics, and geographic distribution, it is possible that effluent discharges could have a more substantial effect on some key species. These species of

special concern could include several rockfish species

whose low abundance has triggered severe restrictions

on harvest and stock rebuilding plans. Bocaccio, for

example, is estimated to have declined to about 1 percent of virgin biomass. Love et al. (2000) reported

that Platform Gail had a density of adult bocaccio an

order of magnitude greater than the average density

found on 61 natural reefs in appropriate depths.

4.6.5 MARINE AND COASTAL BIRDS

The marine and coastal bird population of the

eastern Pacific Ocean off southern California, where

the proposed delineation drilling activities would be

located, is both diverse and complex, being composed

of as many as 195 species (Baird, 1993). Most of these

birds are afforded protection under the Migratory Bird

Treaty Act of 1918. The Migratory Bird Treaty Act,

which is enforced by the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, prohibits the take, possession, import, export,

transport, selling, purchase, barter, or offering for sale,

purchase or barter, any migratory bird, their eggs,

parts, and nests, except as authorized under a valid

permit (50 CFR 21.11). Threatened and endangered

birds, which are protected under the Endangered Species Act, are discussed in section 4.6.7.

The marine and coastal birds of the project area,

which extends from the Point Sur in the north to the

Palos Verde Peninsula in the south, has been described

in detail in previous studies and environmental documents (e.g., Sowls et al., 1980; Briggs et al., 1981; 1983;

1987; Hunt et al., 1981; A.D. Little, 1984; 1985; URS,

1986; Carter et al., 1992; Baird, 1993). Information

on the at-sea distribution and abundance of seabirds

is based largely on MMS-funded ship and aerial surveys conducted by researchers at the Center for Marine Studies, University of California, Santa Cruz.

Surveys of seabirds in the Southern California Bight

portion of the project area were conducted from 1975-

1978 (Briggs et al., 1981), while surveys of the northern portion (north of Point Conception) of the project

area were conducted from 1980-1983 (Briggs et al.,

1983). Both of these studies are summarized in Briggs

et al. (1987). The data from these studies have been

computerized, standardized, and compiled in the Marine Mammal and Seabird Computer Database Analysis System (ECI, 1992). This computer database was

used extensively in the following discussion of seabird distribution and abundance in the project area.

Information on nesting seabirds is based on surveys

conducted for MMS by the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service. The first of these was conducted from 1979-1980

(Sowls et al., 1980), while the second and most recent

was conducted from 1989-1991 (Carter et al., 1992).

Information on shorebirds is from Garrett and Dunn

(1981), Baird (1993), Lehman (1994), and McCrary

and Pierson (in prep.).

Of the many different types of birds that occur

in the project area, two groups are generally the most

sensitive to the potential impacts of OCS development:

seabirds (e.g., loons, grebes, shearwaters, sea ducks,

and gulls) and shorebirds (e.g., sandpipers and plovers). Other types of birds, such as waterfowl and

marshbirds (herons and egrets) may be vulnerable

when they occupy coastal wetlands and estuaries.

While some of these breed in the area, others may

spend their non-breeding or “wintering” period there

or may simply pass through during migration.

Seabirds. Seabirds, as compared to shorebirds,

are probably the most sensitive to OCS activities and

accidental oil spills, especially those that breed in the

area. Seabirds can be divided into four major groups

based on habitat use, behavior, and/or phylogenetic

relationships: nearshore, pelagic, breeding species, and

non-breeding gulls.

1) Nearshore species are those that generally occupy relatively shallow waters close to shore. While

in central and southern California, these species spend

almost their entire time on the water surface and are

particularly vulnerable to oil spills. In the project area,

the most common nearshore species are: loons (redthroated - Gavia stellata, common - Gavia immer, and

pacific - Gavia pacifica), western grebe (Aechmophorus

occidentalis), and surf scoter (Melanitta perspicillata).

In central and southern California, nearshore species

occur in highest numbers during the winter months;

relatively few remain during the summer. Based on

information in the Marine Mammal and Seabird Computer Database Analysis System (ECI, 1992), the density of nearshore species in the project area averages

about 5 birds/km2 (1.9 birds/mile2

) (range = 0-240
4-78

Delineation Drilling Activities Offshore Santa Barbara County

birds/km2; 0-92.7/mile2). However, about 80 percent

of these birds are usually found within 8 km (5 miles)

of the mainland shore, and average densities can be

much higher in this area. Although at least some of

these birds are found along the entire coastline of both

the mainland and Channel Islands, important concentrations occur off the City of Ventura (Ventura County)

and between Point Sal and Purisima Point in northern Santa Barbara County in the general vicinity of

the Point Sal and Purisima Point Units. Somewhat

lower concentrations of nearshore species also occur

in the Channel Islands National Marine Sanctuary,

especially along the northern side of the Channel Islands.

2) Pelagic species are those that generally occupy

deeper waters than nearshore species and may be

found far from shore. These species spend much of

their time on the water surface or diving into the water for food, and are very vulnerable to oil spills. In

the project area, the most common offshore species

are: shearwaters (sooty - Puffinus griseus, blackvented - Puffinus opisthomelas, and pink-footed -

Puffinus creatopus), northern fulmar (Fulmarus

glacialis), phaloropes (red - Phalaropus fulicaria and

red-necked - Phaloropus lobatus), jaegers (pomarine -

Stercorarius pomarinus and parasitic -Stercorarius

parasiticus), and common murres (Uria aalge). Although the period of highest density varies from species to species, at least some individuals are present

in the project area at any time. Based on information

in the Marine Mammal and Seabird Computer Database Analysis System (ECI, 1992), the density of pelagic species in the project area averages about 21

birds/km2 (8.1 birds/mile2

) (range = 0-2,232 birds/km2;

0-861.8/mile2). Although these species are generally

widespread, important concentrations within the

project area occur in the eastern Santa Barbara Channel; in the Channel Islands National Marine Sanctuary, especially the area between Santa Cruz and Santa

Rosa Island; and along the coast, north of Point

Arguello. This latter area of concentration includes

the waters of the Point Sal and Purisima Point Units.

3) Breeding species are those that nest on the

Channel Islands, and along the mainland from Point

Conception north; few, if any, seabirds nest on the

mainland south of Point Conception (Carter et al.,

1992). Most of the seabird nests in southern California occur within the Channel Islands National Park,

which affords a high level of protection to breeding

seabirds. In the project area, the most common breeding species are: storm-petrels (leach’s - Oceanodroma

leucorhoa, ashy - Oceanodroma homochroa, and black

- Oceanodroma melania), California brown pelican

(Pelecanus occidentalis), cormorants (Brandt’s -

Phalocrocorax penicillatus, double-crested -

Phalocrocorax auritus, and pelagic - Phalocrocorax

pelagicus), western gull (Larus occidentalis), and

alcids (pigeon guillemot - Cepphus columba, Cassin’s

- Ptychoramphus aleuticus and rhinoceros auklet -

Cerorhinca monocerata) (see table 4.6.5-1 for a complete list of all breeding seabirds). Location, number

of nests, and at-sea densities vary greatly from species to species (table 4.6.5-1). Although breeding phenology also varies from species to species, one or more

species is generally conducting some aspect of reproduction (nest building, egg laying, chick rearing, etc.)

from April through August. In 1989-1991, the total

breeding seabird population of the project area was

estimated at over 100,000 birds or about 16 percent

of the total for all of California (from Carter et al.,

1992).

The current pattern of breeding seabird abundance, species composition, and distribution in southern California is the result of many different factors,

including human disturbance, habitat loss, climate

changes, and major climate events (e.g., El ni–o

events). Ranching activities that occurred in the past

on several of the Channel Islands resulted in the loss

of nesting habitat, and some species (e.g., Cassin’s

auklets on Santa Barbara Island) may never fully recover (H. Carter, USGS, pers. comm.). The introduction of domestic cats and rats to many of the offshore

islands has resulted in the loss of eggs, nestlings, and

adult birds. More recently, DDT use resulted in a

major decline in brown pelican reproduction and possibly other species as well. Although the long-term

effects on breeding populations are unknown, many

thousands of seabirds were lost in the 1969 Santa

Barbara Oil Spill. In recent years, although the reasons are not fully understood, several breeding seabirds have increased in abundance (pelagic cormorant

and Brandt’s cormorants, western gulls, pigeon

guillemots), while others (Xantus’ murrelet, Cassin’s

auklet) have declined (H. Carter, USGS, pers. comm.).

Although the effects of El ni–o events on seabirds in

southern California is not well understood, cormorants

nesting in the Channel Islands may suffer higher adult

mortality and lower reproductive success during El

ni–o periods (H. Carter, pers. comm.). One indication

that the marine environment of southern California

may have actually improved for at least some seabirds

in recent years is that one species which may have

never nested in southern California, the rhinoceros

auklet, is now breeding there (Carter et al., 1992).

Another species, the tufted puffin, which has not

nested in southern California for many years, has now

returned (Carter et al., 1992).

4) Many gulls and terns (excluding western gull

and least tern which are covered under breeding species), although an important component of the central and southern California avifauna, do not readily

fit into any of the above categories. Some are coastal

in nature (e.g., ring-billed gull - Larus delawarensis),

while others remain far offshore (e.g., arctic tern -
4-79

Description of the Affected Environment: Biological Resources

Sterna paradisaea). The most common gulls and terns

in the project area are: California (Larus californicus),

ring-billed, Heerman’s (Larus heermanni), and

Bonaparte’s gull (Larus philadelphia) and forster’s

(Sterna forsteri), caspian (Sterna caspia), and elegant

tern (Sterna elegans). Based on information in the

Marine Mammal and Seabird Computer Database

Analysis System (ECI, 1992), the density of non-breeding gulls and terns in the project area averages about

7 birds/km2 (2.7 birds/mile2) (range = 0-361 birds/km2;

0-139.4/mile2). Important concentrations of nonbreeding gulls occur along the mainland coast of the

Santa Barbara Channel and in nearshore waters north

of Point Arguello. The former area of concentration

includes the waters of the Gato Canyon Unit.

Shorebirds. Shorebirds are another important

component of the avifauna of the project area. More

than 40 shorebird species have been recorded in central and southern California (Garrett and Dunn, 1981,

Lehman, 1994); however, many of these are extremely

rare, and only about 24 species occur regularly in the

area. Almost all shorebirds migrate to the project area

from northern breeding sites; very few shorebirds

breed in this area. Although the majority of shorebirds occupy coastal wetlands, including estuaries,

lagoons, and salt and freshwater marshes, they also

occupy other coastal habitats, including sandy beaches

and rocky shores. Common shorebird species in the

project area include: black-bellied plover (Pluvialis

squatarola), willet (Catoptrophorus semipalmatus),

whimbrel (Numenius phaeopus), marbled godwit

(Limosa fedoa), black turnstone (Arenaria

melanocephala), sanderling (Calidris alba), western

sandpiper (Calidris mauri), least sandpiper (Calidris

minutilla), dunlin (Calidris alpina), and dowitchers

(short-billed - Limnodromus griseus, and long-billed

- Limnodromus scolopaceus). Breeding shorebirds are

limited to black oystercatcher (Haematopus

bachmani), black-necked stilt (Himantopus

mexicanus), American avocet (Recurvirostra

americana), killdeer (Charadrius melodus), and the

threatened western snowy plover, which nests and

winters on sandy beaches (see section 4.6.7 for more

information on this species).

Because of their migratory nature and the fact

that few breed in the project area, shorebirds are most

abundant in this area from fall through spring; comparatively few shorebirds remain during the summer

months. Shorebirds may begin the fall migration to

their southern wintering grounds in August, and by

October, most have moved to points south of Alaska.

Wintering areas vary from species to species, with

most species wintering from California southward (in

some cases as far south as southern Chile).

Available habitat for shorebirds has been greatly

reduced over the last several decades due to urban

and recreational development projects, especially in

California. Large percentages of California’s coastal

wetlands have disappeared, resulting in the loss of

valuable habitat to several coastal birds that are dependent on wetlands. Within the project area, remaining shorebird use areas include: Mugu Lagoon, Santa

Clara River mouth, Carpinteria Marsh, Goleta Slough,

the Santa Ynez River mouth, and the Santa Maria

River mouth. Shorebird densities are not available

for these areas or others in southern California, but

they are generally considered to be lower than heavily

used areas, such as the San Francisco Bay. Although

densities are not available, shorebirds occupying sandy

beaches in nearby Ventura County averaged about 44

birds per linear kilometer of beach (McCrary and

Pierson, in prep.).

Marshbirds and Waterfowl. These birds, which

include herons, egrets, duck, geese, and rails, occupy

a variety of coastal and interior wetlands. Along the

mainland coast of the project area, these birds occupy

saltwater marshes including Morro Bay, Carpinteria

Marsh, and Mugu Lagoon, as well as various river (e.g.,

Santa Ynez) and stream mouths. Although abundance

information is generally not available for these birds,

highest concentrations usually occur during the winter months; this is especially true for waterfowl.

As many as 25 species of marshbird have been

recorded in the coastal region of central and southern

California (Garrett and Dunn, 1981). Common

marshbirds include: black-crowned night heron

(Nycticorax nycticorax), green heron (Butorides

virescens), cattle egret (Bubulcus ibis), snowy egret

(Egretta thula), great egret (Ardea alba), great blue

heron (Ardea herodias), Virginia rail (Rallus

limicola), sora (Porzana carolina), and American coot

(Fulica americana).

As many as 40 species of waterfowl have been

recorded in the coastal region of central and southern

California (Garrett and Dunn, 1981). Common waterfowl in the project area include: Canada goose

(Branta canadensis), green-winged teal (Anas crecca),

American wigeon (Anas americana), northern pintail

(Anas acuta), northern shoveler (Anas clypeata), and

cinnamon teal (Anas cyanoptera)

Effects of Past Offshore Oil and Gas Activities: Offshore oil and gas activities began off southern California in the late 1800’s (Lima, 1994). Section 5.1 provides information on current offshore infrastructure and levels and types of activities. Several reviews have been made of the possible cumulative impacts of these activities on biological resources

in the region (Van Horn et al., 1988; Bornholdt and

Lear, 1995, 1997; MMS, 1996).

The impact sources related to offshore oil and

gas activities that may have had long-term (e.g.,

months or years), effects on marine and coastal birds

in the project area are oil spills and disturbance from
4-80

Delineation Drilling Activities Offshore Santa Barbara County

Table 4.6.5-1. Breeding seabirds of central and southern California, 1989 - 1991

(from Carter et al, 1992).

 Mean At-Sea 

 Number of Density (km2

) 

 Species Location birds (range) 

____________________________________________________________________________________ 

Leach’s San Miguel and 318 0.04 (0-2.6) 

 Storm-petrel Santa Barbara Is. 

Ashy San Miguel, Santa 3,135 0.02 (0-4.8) 

 Storm-petrel Cruz, and Santa 

 Barbara Is. 

Black Santa Barbara Is. 274 0.01 (0-0.6) 

 Storm-petrel 

Brown Pelican Anacapa and Santa 11,916 0.6 (0-35) 

 Barbara Is. 

Double-crested San Miguel, Anacapa, 2,463 0.01 (0-0.7) 

 Cormorant and Santa Barbara Is. 

Brandt’s Mainland; San Miguel, 31,069 0.2 (0-5.5) 

 Cormorant Santa Rosa, Santa Cruz, 

Anacapa, Santa Barbara, 

San Nicolas, and Santa 

Catalina Is. 

Pelagic Mainland; San Miguel, 3,322 0.04 (0-4.4) 

 Cormorant Santa Rosa, Santa Cruz, 

Anacapa, and Santa Barbara Is. 

Western Mainland; San Miguel, 27,960 5.8 (0-625) 

 Gull Santa Rosa, Santa Cruz, 

Anacapa, Santa Barbara, 

San Nicolas, and Santa 

 Catalina Is. 

Least Mainland 8391

 NA (NA) 

 Tern 

Pigeon Mainland; San Miguel, 5,813 0.02 (0-1.2) 

 Guillemot Santa Rosa, Santa Cruz, 

 Anacapa, and Santa 

 Barbara Is. 

Xantus’ San Miguel, Santa Cruz, 1,760 (0-1.1) 

 Murrelet and Santa Barbara Is. 

 

Cassin’s San Miguel, Santa Cruz, 12,566 0.5 (0-86) 

 Auklet and Santa Barbara Is. 

Rhinoceros San Miguel Is. 19 0.2 (0-9.3)2

 Auklet 

Tufted San Miguel Is. 10 0.01 (0-0.4) 

 Puffin 

____________________________________________________________________________ 

1

1998 nesting season (from Keane, 2000) 

2

Includes large population of wintering birds 

 
4-81

Description of the Affected Environment: Biological Resources

helicopter flights. Other activities, including the noise

and disturbance associated with exploration, platform

and pipeline installation, and vessel traffic, would have

had, at most, very short-term (e.g., hours or days),

minor effects on birds in this area.

Direct contact of birds with oil can cause matting of plumage, resulting in reduced flying or swimming abilities; loss of buoyancy, which can lead to exhaustion and death from drowning; loss of insulation,

which can lead to death from hypothermia; and increased physiological stresses and reproductive failures due to ingestion of oil (Nero and Associates, 1987;

Clark, 1984; Hunt, 1985). The largest oil spill from

offshore oil and gas activities in the project area was

the 1969 Santa Barbara spill. Although the long-term

effects of this spill on seabirds are unknown, many

thousands of seabirds were lost (Straughn, 1971).

Since 1971, when formal tracking of all OCS spills

was initiated, 841 OCS-related oil spills have occurred

in the Pacific Region. However, almost all of these

(99 percent) have been very small (less than 50 bbl).

No impacts to birds have been reported from these

very small spills. In addition to these very small spills,

five (less than of total spills) OCS-related spills equal

to or larger than 50 bbl have also occurred in the Pacific Region since 1971. These spills ranged in size

from 50-163 bbl. Four of these spills did not contact

shore, and no impacts to birds were reported from

them. One spill, the 163-bbl 1997 Torch pipeline spill

off Point Pedernales, contacted the shoreline and resulted in bird mortality. Although information on the

exact number and species of birds that were observed

with some oiling or that were rescued and/or died from

oiling in the Torch spill is not available due to pending litigation, several species were involved, including loons, grebes, cormorants, and shorebirds

(McCrary, MMS, pers. obs.).

The level of helicopter traffic related to offshore

oil and gas activities in the project area is described in

section 5.1. Helicopter traffic can cause disturbances

to birds, especially in largely unpopulated areas (e.g.,

Alaska). Probably the most sensitive birds are the

nesting seabirds, especially those that nest on cliffs

and offshore rocks. The few seabirds that nest along

the mainland coast in the vicinity of OCS projects are

the only ones that are likely to be exposed to OCSrelated helicopter traffic, as air traffic over the Channel Islands National Marine Sanctuary and the Channel Islands National Park, where most of the breeding seabirds in southern California occur, is restricted

to altitudes greater than 1,000 feet. Several international and numerous smaller airports occur along the

southern California coast along with several military

airports, and air traffic is a constant daily or even

hourly occurrence. Birds have probably become habituated to air traffic at least to some extent in this

area.

4.6.6 MARINE MAMMALS

Three groups of marine mammals are found in central and southern California waters. The cetaceans consist of two groups: the mysticetes, or large baleen whales,

which feed by filtering their food through long, fringed

plates, and the odontocetes, or toothed whales, which

include the sperm whales, dolphins, porpoises, and lesserknown species such as the beaked whales. The pinnipeds include the true seals and the eared seals, the sea

lions and fur seals. Sea otters, the smallest of the marine mammals in southern California, belong to the

mustelid family, which includes otters, weasels, badgers,

and skunks.

The marine mammal population off California

includes eight baleen whale species; more than 20

species of porpoises, dolphins, and other toothed

whales; six species of pinnipeds; and the sea otter—at

least 39 species have been identified from sightings

or strandings. Some species are purely migrants that

pass through central and southern California waters

on their way to calving or feeding grounds elsewhere,

some are seasonal visitors that remain for a few weeks

or months, and others are resident for much or all of

the year. At certain times of the year, hundreds of

thousands of marine mammals may be present.

The narrow continental shelf along the Pacific

coast and the presence of the cold California Current

sweeping down from Alaska allow northern forms to

reach nearshore waters as far south as Baja California. As a result, the waters of the Santa Maria Basin

and Southern California Bight (SCB) encompass a

region of overlap of warm and cool-water species; some

reach the northern limits of their range here, others

are at their southern limit (Bonnell and Dailey, 1993;

Würsig, 1990). The Bight itself is a complex combination of islands, ridges, and basins that exhibits wide

ranges in water temperature (see section 4.4, Physical Oceanography).

Most of the marine mammal species in central

and southern California were heavily exploited during the last two centuries for oil, pelts, and other products, and some species are still recovering. Much of

the historical information on marine mammal populations is based on accounts by whalers and sealers,

and the original sizes of most populations are not well

known (Bonnell and Dailey, 1993).

However, it is known that the populations of

many marine mammals were much larger in the past.

Recognition of this has led to the passage of several

laws regulating human activities where marine mammals might be adversely affected. In the U.S., these

include the Marine Mammal Protection Act of 1972,

which prohibits the intentional taking, import, or export of any marine mammal without a permit, and

the Endangered Species Act of 1973, which extends

similar protection to species listed as threatened or

endangered. The threatened or endangered marine
4-82

Delineation Drilling Activities Offshore Santa Barbara County

mammal species found in southern California waters

include six whales (blue, humpback, fin, sei, right, and

sperm whales), two pinnipeds (Guadalupe fur seal and

Steller sea lion), and the California sea otter. These

species are discussed in section 4.6.7, Threatened and

Endangered Species.

In comparison with other areas, California marine mammals have been relatively well studied. Much

of the information gathered during recent decades resulted from systematic aerial and vessel surveys sponsored by MMS’s Environmental Studies Program (e.g.,

Bonnell et al., 1981, 1983; Bonnell and Dailey, 1993;

Dohl et al., 1981, 1983). Pelagic data from these and

more recent MMS studies in the area have been computerized, standardized, and compiled in the Marine

Mammal and Seabird Computer Database Analysis

System (ECI, 1992, in prep.). More recently, pelagic

surveys of marine mammals and studies of pinniped

populations on land in California have been conducted

by NMFS and associated institutions (e.g., Barlow,

1995; Barlow et al., 1995, 1997; Barlow and

Gerrodette, 1996; DeLong and Melin, 2000; Forney et

al., 2000; Stewart and Yochem, 2000). Koski et al.

(1998) provide a recent synthesis of much of the information generated by these studies for central and

southern California waters. An on-going study of marine mammals and seabirds off southern California

being conducted by the U.S. Geological Survey, with

MMS as a cooperating agency, is also beginning to yield

information on marine mammals in the project area

(McChesney et al., 2000; Orthmeyer et al., 2000). In

addition, a number of MMS environmental documents

summarize existing data on marine mammals in the

area (USGS, 1984; ADL, 1984, 1985; MMS, 1984, 1992,

1996; SAI, 1984; URS, 1986). Information from these

sources is incorporated by reference in this document

and summarized below. The area described in this

section encompasses both the area potentially impacted by the Proposed Action (delineation drilling)

and the larger area that potentially could be affected

by oil spills resulting from the development of the 36

undeveloped leases.

Baleen Whales. Three families of baleen

whales, or mysticetes, occur in southern California

waters: the gray whale, the right whale, and the

rorquals. Rorquals (including the blue, fin, humpback, sei, Bryde’s, and minke whales) have pleated

throats that expand to take in water, which is then

strained outward through the baleen. As noted, most

of these species are listed as endangered and are described in section 4.6.7.

Although individual species’ patterns vary, baleen whales range widely in the North Pacific, migrating between coldwater summer feeding grounds in the

north and winter calving grounds in the south

(Bonnell and Dailey, 1993; Würsig, 1990). The mating season generally begins during the southbound

migration and lasts through winter. These seasonal

migrations limit the lengths of their pregnancy and

nursing periods. Pregnancy lasts 11-12 months for

most of the rorquals, and calves are usually weaned

on the feeding grounds at 6-9 months of age (Bonnell

and Dailey, 1993; Würsig, 1990). Females of most species calve every 2-3 years (Bonnell and Dailey, 1993;

Würsig, 1990).

Most baleen whales feed fairly low on the food

chain, eating a variety of swarming, shrimp-like invertebrates (mainly euphausiid and copepod crustaceans) (Bonnell and Dailey, 1993; Würsig, 1990). Some

species also take small schooling fishes and squid.

Right whales and the larger rorquals, such as the blue

whale, appear to feed mainly on large crustaceans,

while the diets of smaller baleen whales tend to include more fish. Humpback whales, in particular,

which feed cooperatively, prey on a number of fish species. The gray whale is somewhat of an exception to

this pattern, feeding mainly on bottom-dwelling amphipod crustaceans (Nerini, 1984).

Gray Whale. The gray whale (Eschrichtius

robustus) population breeds and calves in lagoons

along the west coast of Baja California and in the Gulf

of California in the winter (Rice and Wolman, 1971).

At the end of the season, the population begins an

8,000-km coastal migration to summer feeding

grounds in the Bering and Chukchi seas, where they

remain until fall.

Migrating gray whales generally travel within 3

km of the shoreline over most of the route, unless

crossing mouths of rivers and straits (Dohl et al., 1983;

Braham, 1984a). Off southern California, where gray

whales often travel through the Channel Islands, offshore movements of up to 80 km have been observed

(Jones and Swartz, 1987; Dohl et al., 1981; Bonnell

and Daily, 1993). Gray whales generally are present

off central and southern California from December

through May.

The eastern North Pacific gray whale stock was

estimated at approximately 23,000 animals in 1993-

1994 (Small and DeMaster, 1995; Koski et al., 1998).

Minke Whale. In the eastern North Pacific,

minke whales (Balaenoptera acutorostrata) are a

coastal species and are widely distributed on the continental shelf throughout the eastern North Pacific

(Green et al., 1989). Minke whales are found yearround off California, and there may be a resident population with home ranges (Bonnell and Dailey, 1993;

Koski et al., 1998). Southern California waters appear to be relatively central to the North Pacific distribution of minke whales (Bonnell and Dailey, 1993).

The species’ winter range includes the SCB, and a

small portion of the population resides in the Bight

throughout the summer, especially around the northern Channel Islands (ECI, 1992, in prep; Bonnell and

Dailey, 1993). A recent estimate of the minke whale
4-83

Description of the Affected Environment: Biological Resources

population for California-Washington waters is about

630 animals (Forney et al., 2000).

The cycle of abundance in the SCB shows small,

but distinct peaks in June and November, suggesting

that a few whales probably migrate into and through

the area in the spring and return in the fall. Bonnell

and Dailey (1993) estimated the migrant population

to range from about 30 to 70 animals in spring and

fall and estimated a summer resident population in

the Bight of 20 to 40 whales. Koski et al. (1998) estimated that about 180 minke whales are present

throughout the year in the Point Mugu Sea Range

(PMSR), which roughly encompasses the Santa Maria

Basin and western half of the SCB out to about 200

km from shore.

The remaining unlisted species of baleen whale,

Bryde’s whale (Balaenoptera edeni), may be more

tropical in distribution than other members of the

genus Balaenoptera and is rarely seen in central or

southern California waters (Bonnell and Daily, 1993;

Koski et al., 1998).

Toothed Whales. The toothed whales, or

odontocetes, found in central and southern California waters include one large whale, the sperm whale,

12 to 16 species of dolphins, porpoises, and small

whales, and at least 6 species of beaked whale. The

sperm whale, an endangered species, is described in

section 4.6.7.

Reproduction seems to occur year-round in most

odontocetes, with spring and fall peaks commonly observed in the North Pacific (Bonnell and Dailey, 1993;

Würsig, 1990). Like the larger baleen whales, most

medium-sized odontocetes have an 11- to 12-month

pregnancy, although there is a general increase in

duration with size, and larger species such as the killer

whale have 15-month pregnancies (Würsig, 1990).

These species generally have inter-calf intervals of

greater than 3 years. Nursing generally lasts more

than 1 year (Würsig, 1990).

Except for killer whales, which are the top predators in the ocean and feed on a wide variety of fishes,

squid, pinnipeds, and cetaceans (including the largest

baleen whales), odontocetes generally feed on schooling fishes and squid (Bonnell and Dailey, 1993). Major fish prey species include anchovy, whiting (hake),

mackerel, lanternfish, saury, smelt, tomcod, herring,

and rockfishes—a number of commercial species.

Octopus and crustaceans are also eaten occasionally.

Common Dolphin. Common dolphins are found

worldwide and are the most abundant cetaceans in

California waters (Dohl et al., 1981, 1983; Bonnell and

Dailey, 1993; Koski et al., 1998; Forney et al., 2000).

They range from the equator to at least central California in eastern North Pacific. Common dolphins

are very gregarious and are frequently encountered

in herds of 1,000 or more.

Two recognized species of common dolphin are

found in central and southern California waters. The

long-beaked common dolphin (Delphinus capensis) is

commonly found within about 90 km (50 nm) of the

coast from Baja north to about central California

(Bonnell and Dailey, 1993; Forney et al., 2000). Its

relative abundance changes both seasonally and

interannually, with the highest densities observed

during warm water events (Heyning and Perrin, 1994).

A recent population estimate for this species is about

32,000 animals (Forney et al., 2000).

The more numerous short-beaked common dolphin (D. delphis) ranges from the coast to 550 km (300

nm) offshore. Short-beaked common dolphins have

recently been sighted as far north as 42° N. latitude in

the summer and fall (Forney and Barlow, 1998). A

recent population estimate for the California-Washington population of this species is approximately

375,000 animals (Forney et al., 2000).

Data from the MMS pelagic marine mammal database (ECI, 1992, in prep.), which do not discriminate between the two species, indicate that common

dolphins are found in highest annual densities in the

southern and eastern SCB, and in moderate densities

throughout the Santa Barbara Channel. Koski et al.

(1998) estimated that common dolphin numbers in

the PMSR drop from 220,000-240,000 in winter to

about 150,000 by summer.

Dall’s Porpoise. Dall’s porpoises (Phocoenoides

dalli) are probably the most abundant small cetacean

in the North Pacific and are found in shelf, slope, and

offshore waters throughout their range (Koski et al.,

1998). In the eastern North Pacific, they range from

the Bering Sea south to Baja California (Leatherwood

et al., 1982). A recent abundance estimate for the

California-Washington population of this species (including the inland Washington waters) is about

117,500 animals (Forney et al., 2000).

Dall’s porpoise are common off southern California in the winter and probably range south into

Mexican waters during coldwater periods (Leatherwood et al., 1982; Bonnell and Dailey, 1993). Sighting

patterns suggest north-south movement as oceanographic conditions change (Forney et al., 2000). Koski

et al. (1998) estimated that about 9,500 Dall’s porpoise (20 percent of the California population) are

present in winter in the PMSR. Data for the project

area from the MMS pelagic marine mammal database

(ECI, 1992, in prep.) indicate highest annual densities in shelf waters along the Big Sur coast, over the

shelf and slope in the southern Santa Maria Basin, in

the western Santa Barbara Channel, and offshore over

deeper water.

Pacific White-sided Dolphin. Pacific white-sided

dolphins (Lagenorhynchus obliquidens) are found in

temperate waters of the North Pacific and are widely
4-84

Delineation Drilling Activities Offshore Santa Barbara County

distributed from Baja California to the Gulf of Alaska

(Leatherwood et al., 1982). The California-Washington population was recently estimated at approximately 26,000 animals (Forney et al., 2000).

Although there is conflicting information on seasonal shifts in numbers and distribution (Bonnell and

Dailey, 1993; Koski et al., 1998), analyses of sighting

patterns suggest that Pacific white-sided dolphins

make north-south movements, occurring primarily off

California in cold water months and moving northward to Oregon and Washington as waters warm in

late spring in summer (Leatherwood et al., 1994;

Forney et al., 2000). Koski et al. (1998) also estimated

that Lagenorhynchus are most abundant in the PMSR

from fall to spring, when 23,000-28,000 are present.

Data for the project area from the MMS pelagic marine mammal database (ECI, 1992, in prep.) indicate

highest annual densities in waters over the shelf and

slope, especially in the Santa Maria Basin. They occur in moderate densities in the Santa Barbara Channel and near the northern Channel Islands, but are

less abundant in the eastern SCB.

Northern Right Whale Dolphin. Northern right

whale dolphins (Lissodelphis borealis) are endemic to

temperate waters of the North Pacific, where they

range from about the Mexican border to British Columbia (Leatherwood and Walker, 1979; Leatherwood

et al., 1982). They are primarily found over the shelf

and slope in U.S. coastal waters and are known to make

seasonal north-south movements (Forney et al., 2000).

The California-Washington population of the species

was recently estimated at about 14,000 animals

(Forney et al., 2000).

Off California, they are rarely sighted south of

Point Conception in the summer; in winter, they are

primarily distributed from central California south

(Bonnell and Dailey, 1993; Koski et al., 1998). Koski

et al. (1998) estimated that approximately 77,000-

87,000 Lissodelphis are present in the inner half of

the PMSR from winter through spring, with numbers

dropping to about 4,000 by summer. Data for the

project area from the MMS pelagic marine mammal

database (ECI, 1992, in prep.) show highest annual

densities over the shelf north of Point Conception.

Risso’s Dolphin. In the eastern North Pacific,

Risso’s dolphins (Grampus griseus) range from the

equator to waters off British Columbia (Braham, 1983;

Green et al., 1989). Sightings of Risso’s dolphins traditionally have been tied to the slope, but sightings

over the shelf have increased since 1971 (Leatherwood

et al., 1984; Carretta et al., 1995). A recent estimate

of the California-Washington population is about

16,500 animals (Forney et al., 2000).

Risso’s dolphins are present off central and

southern California year-round (Dohl et al., 1981,

1983; Bonnell and Dailey, 1993). The Risso’s dolphins

found off California during the colder water months

are thought to shift northward to Oregon and Washington in the late spring and summer, and there seems

to be a gap between California animals and those

sighted in the tropical Pacific and Gulf of California

(Forney et al., 2000). Although Koski et al. (1998)

reported that maximum numbers of Risso’s dolphins

are present in the PMSR in fall and winter, they provided numbers based on an earlier estimate for the

west coast population, which has since been revised

downward (Forney et al., 1995, 2000). Project-area

data from the MMS pelagic marine mammal database

(ECI, 1992, in prep.) indicate that Risso’s dolphins

occur in highest densities along the shelf break.

Bottlenose Dolphin. Bottlenose dolphins

(Tursiops truncatus) are probably more widely distributed than any other species of small cetacean in the

tropical and temperate eastern North Pacific (Leatherwood et al., 1982). Off the American coastline, they

range from equator north into central California

(Leatherwood and Reeves, 1986; Bonnell and Dailey,

1993).

There are two California populations of bottlenose dolphins, coastal and offshore. Coastal bottlenose dolphins generally are found within a kilometer

or two of shore, primarily from Point Conception south

into Mexican waters. The coastal population appears

to form small resident groups that range along the

coastline, especially off Orange and San Diego counties (Weller and Defran, 1989). Since the 1982-1983

El Niño, coastal bottlenose dolphins have been sighted

as far north as San Francisco (Bonnell and Dailey,

1993; Forney et al., 2000). Forney et al. (2000) estimated the coastal population at about 170 animals.

Offshore bottlenose dolphins have been documented in offshore waters as far north as 41° N. latitude and may range into Oregon and Washington

waters during warm water periods (Forney et al.,

2000). Although no seasonality in their distribution

is apparent from the sighting data (Forney and Barlow,

1998), the offshore population is believed to have a

more-or-less continuous distribution off California

(Mangels and Gerrodette, 1994). In the SCB, this

population appears to be centered around Santa

Catalina Island, with possible dispersion in the winter (Dohl et al., 1981). Project-area data from the MMS

pelagic marine mammal database (ECI, 1992, in prep.),

which do not distinguish between the two forms, also

show highest densities near Catalina and lower densities nearshore. The California-Washington offshore

population is estimated at slightly less than 1,000

animals (Forney et al., 2000).

Killer Whale. Killer whales (Orcinus orca) are

found over and near the continental slope from the

Arctic south to the equator. They travel and feed in

social groups known as pods, which may vary in number from a few to, occasionally, hundreds of animals

(Bigg et al., 1987). In some areas, such as Puget Sound,
4-85

Description of the Affected Environment: Biological Resources

killer whale populations are resident year-round; in

others, they may make seasonal movements (Bigg et

al., 1987). Off California, two stocks have been identified: an eastern North Pacific transient stock, and

an eastern North Pacific offshore stock (Forney et al.,

2000).

Movements of transient killer whales between

Southeast Alaska and central California have been

documented (Goley and Straley, 1994; Forney et al.,

2000). These animals appear to belong to a ‘transboundary’ stock that includes whales from British

Columbia waters (Forney et al., 2000). Off California, 121 ‘transients’ have been identified; the total

estimate for this stock (based on the number of individually identified animals) is approximately 375 animals.

Killer whales of the offshore stock have been

identified off California, Oregon, and Southeast Alaska

(Ford et al., 1994; Black et al., 1997; Dahlheim et al.,

1997). These animals apparently do not mix with transient and resident stocks, but are most closely akin

(genetically, morphologically, and behaviorally) to resident whales (Forney et al., 2000). The best available

estimate of the offshore population component is 285

animals (Forney et al., 2000).

Koski et al. (1998) estimated that about 360 killer

whales of all stocks are present in the PMSR throughout the year. Data for the project area from the MMS

pelagic marine mammal database (ECI, 1992, in prep.)

indicate that killer whales are seen west of San Miguel

Island, over the shelf north of Point Conception, and

in highest numbers in the Monterey Bay area.

Pilot Whale. The short-finned pilot whale

(Globicephala macrorhynchus) is a relatively more

southern, or warmwater species. Pilot whales were

common off southern California until the early 1980’s

(Dohl et al., 1983), but disappeared from area waters

following the 1982-83 El Niño (Bonnell and Dailey,

1993; Forney et al., 2000). Recently, pilot whales have

begun reappearing in California waters, possibly in

response to long-term changes in oceanographic conditions, but sightings are still rare (Forney et al., 2000).

In 1993, there were six sightings of pilot whales off

California; two of these were south of Point Conception (Mangels and Gerrodette, 1994; Koski et al.,

1998).

The remaining dozen or so species of

odontocetes, including the beaked whales and several

species of small whales and dolphins, tend to be pelagic or tropical species. These species are uncommon to rare in area waters, and some are known only

from strandings. The beaked whales include Cuvier’s

beaked whale (Ziphius cavirostris), Baird’s beaked

whales (Berardius bairdi), and at least five species of

the genus Mesoplodon (M. carlhubbsi, M. ginkgodens,

M. densirostris, M. hectori, and M. stejnegeri). Among

the remaining species are the false killer whale

(Pseudorca crassidens), pygmy and dwarf sperm

whales (Kogia breviceps and K. simus), striped, spinner, and spotted dolphins (Stenella coeruleoalba, S.

longirostris, and S. attenuata), and rough-toothed

dolphin (Steno bredanensis).

Pinnipeds. Four species of pinnipeds (California sea lions, northern fur seals, northern elephant

seals, and harbor seals) breed in southern California

and are present year-round. The remaining two species, the eastern stock of the Steller (northern) sea

lion and the Guadalupe fur seal, are listed as threatened and no longer breed in southern California.

These species are described in section 4.6.7. Two of

the Channel Islands, San Miguel and San Nicolas, are

the largest pinniped rookeries on the west coast south

of Alaska.

All pinnipeds must come ashore at least once a

year to breed and pup. The sea lions and fur seals are

summer breeders. Males, which are much larger than

females, generally haul out on the rookeries first and

attempt to establish territories that will give them

access to females. Pregnant females arrive, give birth,

mate, and then begin making trips to sea to feed, returning regularly to the rookery to nurse their pups.

The length of the nursing period varies by species,

from about 4 months in the northern fur seal to a

year or more in the sea lions (Riedman, 1990).

The true seals, or phocids, show different reproductive patterns (Riedman, 1990). Elephant seals are

winter breeders (Le Boeuf, 1981). As in the eared

seals, males are much larger than females and compete for access to them. Females nurse their pups for

about a month without feeding, then abandon them

abruptly after mating. Pups spend about another

month on the beach and then go to sea alone in the

spring, as the upwelling season is beginning.

Less is known about harbor seal breeding (Bigg,

1981; Riedman, 1990). Pups are born in the spring

and may enter the water with their mothers soon after birth. Their mothers continue to feed as they

nurse. On the Channel Islands, harbor seal pups are

born from late February to early April and nursed for

3-4 weeks (Stewart and Yochem, 1994).

Like the toothed whales, pinnipeds feed mainly

on schooling fishes and squid (Bonnell and Dailey,

1993). All pinnipeds in California feed on some of the

same prey—northern anchovies and market squid, for

example, are important prey for many species of marine mammals and seabirds. However, the degree of

overlap varies from species to species and season to

season. Elephant seals spend relatively little time in

nearshore waters and appear to feed mainly on

deepwater squids. In contrast, the diet of a nearshore

species such as the harbor seal includes greater quantities of bottom-dwelling fishes and octopus.

California Sea Lion. The California sea lion

(Zalophus californianus) ranges from British Colum-
4-86

Delineation Drilling Activities Offshore Santa Barbara County

bia to Mexico. They breed in the summer on islands

from the Gulf of California in Mexico to the Channel

Islands in southern California (Bonnell and Dailey,

1993). The current U.S. population size is estimated

at 204,000-214,000 animals (Forney et al., 2000). In

the SCB, California sea lions currently breed on four

islands: San Miguel, San Nicolas, Santa Barbara, and

San Clemente. In the fall, following the breeding season, non-lactating females, juveniles, and subadult and

adult males disperse northward from the Channel Islands rookeries to overwinter along the coasts of central and northern California, Oregon, Washington, and

British Columbia; lactating females and pups remain

in area waters (Stewart and Yochem, 2000). San

Miguel and San Nicolas are the major rookeries and

together account for more than 90 percent of all pup

births (Bonnell and Dailey, 1993).

Off southern California, California sea lions are

the most abundant pinnipeds on land and in waters

over the continental shelf. Koski et al. (1998) estimated that about 72,000 California sea lions are

present at sea in the PMSR during the summer, when

numbers are lowest, and 130,000-160,000 at other

times of the year. Project-area data from the MMS

pelagic marine mammal database (ECI, 1992, in prep.)

demonstrate that California sea lions are widely distributed throughout the SCB and over the shelf north

of Point Conception, with moderate densities as far

north as Morro Bay. Highest densities throughout

the year are recorded in the Santa Barbara Channel

near the northern Channel Islands.

Northern Fur Seal. The northern fur seal

(Callorhinus ursinus) ranges southward in the eastern North Pacific from the Bering Sea to California.

Two stocks of northern fur seals are present seasonally in California waters: the eastern North Pacific

stock, and the San Miguel Island stock (Bonnell and

Dailey, 1993; Koski et al., 1998). The eastern Pacific

stock of the species is now estimated to number a little

more than a million animals, of which about 74 percent are associated with the Pribilof Islands rookeries in the eastern Bering Sea (Hill and DeMaster,

1999). In the fall following the breeding season, females and many juveniles leave the Bering Sea and

migrate southward along the west coast as far as California.

Fur seals from the Bering Sea arrive offshore

California in late November (Bonnell and Dailey,

1993). Some animals move southward into continental slope and shelf waters, with maximum numbers

offshore of the slope between 34-42°N latitude during

the months of February through April. Nearly 270,000

have been estimated to be present at this time

(Antonelis and Perez, 1984). Most of these animals

are gone by early June (Bonnell and Dailey, 1993;

Koski et al., 1998). Project-area data from the MMS

pelagic marine mammal database (ECI, 1992, in prep.)

reflect these seasonal movements, showing fur seals

distributed offshore, over and beyond the slope, with

highest densities from the Big Sur coast northward.

Northern fur seals are rarely sighted within the SCB.

Northern fur seals established a breeding colony

on San Miguel Island in the early 1960’s (Peterson et

al., 1968). Since that time, the colony has increased

steadily, except for steep declines in 1983 and 1998

associated with El Niño events in1982-1983 and 1997-

98 (DeLong and Antonelis, 1991; Forney et al., 2000).

The most recent estimate of the San Miguel Island

stock is approximately 4,500 fur seals (Forney et al.,

2000), which is down sharply from the (pre-El Niño)

1997 estimate of 12,000 (DeLong and Melin, 2000).

The San Miguel Island stock probably remains within

the general vicinity of the rookery during most of the

year—lactating females appear to forage primarily in

upwelling areas near and west of Point Conception in

summer (Antonelis et al., 1990; Stewart and Yochem,

2000), and most sightings in fall and winter have been

recorded in offshore waters west of San Miguel Island

(Bonnell et al., 1981, 1983; Koski et al, 1998).

Northern Elephant Seal. Northern elephant

seals (Mirounga angustirostris) now breed along the

coast from Baja California north to Point Reyes.

Stewart et al. (1994) estimated the 1991 U.S./Mexican population at 127,000 animals. The U.S. population is currently estimated at about 84,000 (Forney et

al., 2000). San Miguel and San Nicolas islands are

the major California rookery islands (85 percent of

1990 pup production); a few are also born on Santa

Rosa, Santa Barbara, and San Clemente islands

(Bonnell and Dailey, 1993).

Northern elephant seals typically haul out on

land only to breed and molt and disperse widely at

sea. They spend relatively little time in southern

California waters, traveling from the rookeries and

hauling areas to distant foraging areas in the North

Pacific, Gulf of Alaska, and along the eastern Aleutian Islands (Stewart and DeLong, 1995; Stewart and

Yochem, 2000). Data for the project area from the

MMS pelagic marine mammal database (ECI, 1992,

in prep.) indicate that sightings of northern elephant

seals at sea are scattered throughout the SCB and over

the shelf and slope north of Point Conception.

Harbor Seal. Harbor seals (Phoca vitulina)

range from Mexico to the Aleutians. The North Pacific population is centered in Alaska (Hoover, 1988),

and about 30,000 harbor seals are found in California

(Forney et al., 2000). Peak harbor seal populations

on land occur during the species’ spring breeding and

pupping season and early summer molt. Following

the breeding and pupping season, harbor seals disperse along the coast and spend more time at sea

throughout the fall and winter (Bonnell and Dailey,

1993). They haul out on all the Channel Islands and

on beaches along the mainland shore, particularly from

Ventura County northward (Hanan et al., 1992).
4-87

Description of the Affected Environment: Biological Resources

Harbor seals appear to forage relatively close to

shore. Nearly three-quarters of all harbor seals seen

at sea in the SCB have been within 10 km (5 nm) of

land; greatest numbers have been seen in the fall

(Bonnell et al., 1981; Bonnell and Dailey, 1993). Atsea distribution data for the project area from the

MMS pelagic marine mammal database (ECI, 1992,

in prep.) indicate that harbor seals are found in highest densities in the Santa Barbara Channel in

nearshore waters along the mainland and northern

Channel Island shorelines; moderate densities are also

observed in nearshore waters north of Point Conception, particularly in the Point Buchon area. Koski et

al. (1998) estimated that 3,600-4,600 harbor seals inhabit the waters and coastal haul-out sites in the

PMSR.

Impacts of Past and Present OCS Activities: OCS oil and gas activities began off southern

California in the late 1960’s (Galloway, 1997). Section 5.0 provides information on current offshore infrastructure and levels and types of activities. Several reviews have been made of the possible cumulative impacts of these activities on biological resources

in the region (Van Horn et al., 1988; Bornholdt and

Lear, 1995, 1997; MMS, 1996).

Noise and disturbance associated with OCS activities in the Pacific Region have resulted in few documented impacts to marine mammals. Van Horn et al.

(1988) concluded that seismic surveys and support vessel traffic had resulted in temporary, localized disturbances to some marine mammals, primarily gray

whales. However, despite hypothesizing that increased

vessel traffic off southern California might be causing greater numbers of gray whales to migrate farther offshore (Wolman and Rice, 1979; MBC Applied

Environmental Services, 1989), the gray whale population has grown steadily during recent decades. Blue

and humpback whales have also been appearing off

southern California in increasing numbers in summer and fall. There is no evidence that increased vessel traffic (of which oil and gas support vessels are a

very small part) has resulted in adverse impacts on

marine mammal populations.

Based on experiences in southern California, the

MMS believes that accidental collisions between cetaceans and support vessel traffic are unlikely events.

Although large cetaceans have occasionally been

struck by freighters or tankers, and sometimes by

small recreational boats, no such incidents have been

reported with crew or supply boats off California

(MMS, unpubl. data).

Pinnipeds are very nimble and considered very

unlikely to be struck by vessels. However, the single

documented instance of a collision between a marine

mammal and a support vessel involved a pinniped—

an adult male elephant seal struck and presumably

killed by a supply vessel in the Santa Barbara Channel in June 1999.

The only OCS-related spill in the Pacific Region

known to have contacted marine mammals was the

1969 Santa Barbara Channel spill. Although the entire northward migration of California gray whales

passed through the Santa Barbara Channel while it

was contaminated, Brownell (1971) found no evidence

that any cetacean mortality had occurred due to the

spill. Similarly, studies of elephant seals and California sea lions contacted by the 1969 spill reported no

evidence of pinniped mortality from this event

(Brownell and Le Boeuf, 1971; Le Boeuf, 1971). Since

1971, when formal tracking of all OCS spills was initiated, 841 OCS-related oil spills have occurred in the

Pacific Region (see section 5.0). However, almost all

of these (99 percent) have been very small (less than

50 bbl), although five ranged in size from 50 to 163

bbl. No impacts to marine mammals have been reported from these spills. Although one OCS oil spill,

the 1997 Torch spill off Point Pedernales, did contact

the shoreline at the southern end of the sea otter

range, no marine mammal mortality was reported

(M.D. McCrary, MMS, pers. comm.).

4.6.7 THREATENED AND ENDANGERED

SPECIES

Section 7 of the Endangered Species Act of 1973

(ESA), as amended, requires that Federal agencies, in

consultation with and the assistance of the Secretaries of Interior and Commerce, insure that their actions are not likely to jeopardize the continued existence of endangered or threatened species or result in

the destruction or adverse modification of the critical

habitat of such species. In order to evaluate the potential effect of the proposed delineation drilling activities on threatened and endangered species, the

Regional Director of the MMS Pacific OCS Region

contacted the Regional Administrator of the National

Marine Fisheries Service (NMFS) Southwest Regional

Office and the Field Supervisor of the Fish and Wildlife Service (FWS) Ventura Field Office via letters

dated November 24, 1999 for a list of threatened or

endangered species and designated or proposed critical habitat that may occur in or adjacent to the project

area and which may be affected by OCS activities.

Lists from each agency were received in January 2000.

Copies of all correspondence are contained in Appendix 4.1.

Species Excluded from This Analysis: Appendix 4.1includes the lists of federally threatened and

endangered species that may occur in the project area

provided by the NMFS and FWS, respectively. The

list provided by the FWS is a comprehensive one,

which lists all the federally threatened and endangered

species that may occur in coastal Ventura, Santa Barbara, and San Luis Obispo counties. A number of these

species are unlikely to be affected by any of the activi-
4-88

Delineation Drilling Activities Offshore Santa Barbara County

ties associated with the proposed projects. Therefore,

after reviewing the relevant literature and consulting

with area experts, the following federally listed species have been identified for exclusion from this analysis:

Wildlife. Morro Bay kangaroo rat (Dipodomys

ingens). No onshore facilities are proposed within the

range of this species, and its current habitat would

not be subject to either direct or indirect effects from

the proposed projects (R. Gamps, California Polytechnic State University, San Luis Obispo, pers. comm.).

California coastal gnatcatcher (Polioptila

californica californica). No onshore facilities are proposed within the range of this species, and its current

habitat would not be subject to either direct or indirect effects from the proposed projects (P. Bloom, pers.

comm.).

Island night lizard (Xantusia riversiana). This

species is an island endemic; its habitat would not be

subject to either direct or indirect effects from the

proposed projects (P. Martin, NPS, pers. comm.).

Unarmored threespine stickleback (Gasterosteus

aculeatus williamsoni). This species’ current range

is not within the project area.

Santa Ana sucker (Catostomus santaanae). The

Santa Ana sucker was listed as threatened under the

Endangered Species Act on April 12, 2000 and was

not included on the original list from FWS. The Santa

Clara River and estuary system supports a population of Santa Ana suckers, but this population is presumed to be introduced and outside the species’ native range. Therefore, FWS is not proposing to designate this population as threatened pursuant to the

Act (J. Fishman, FWS, pers. comm.).

Morro shoulderband snail (Helminthoglypta

walkeriana). The Morro shoulderband snail was listed

as endangered on January 17, 1995. It is found in the

Los Osos area near Morro Bay, usually within or near

coastal dune scrub vegetation. Its current habitat

would not be subject to either direct or indirect effects from the proposed projects (R. Sloan, Morro

Group, Inc., pers. comm.).

White abalone (Haliotis sorenseni). The proposed rule to list the white abalone as endangered was

published on May 5, 2000 (65 FR 26167). Final determination on the listing is scheduled for April 29, 2001.

However, given its range and depth distribution, this

species is not likely to be subject to either direct or

indirect effects from the proposed projects (G. Davis,

NPS, pers, comm.).

Plants. The habitats of the following Channel

Islands endemic plants would not be subject to either

direct or indirect effects from the proposed projects

(S. Chaney, NPS, pers. comm.):

Hoffmann’s rock-cress (Arabis hoffmannii).

Santa Rosa Island manzanita (Arctostaphylos

confertiflora).

Island barberry (Berberis pinnata ssp. insularis).

Soft-leaved paintbrush (Castilleja mollis).

Santa Cruz Island dudleya (Dudleya nesiotica).

Island bedstraw (Galium buxifolium).

Hoffmann’s slender-flowered gilia (Gilia

tenuiflora ssp. hoffmannii).

Island rush-rose (Helianthemum greenei).

Santa Cruz Island bushmallow (Malacothamnus

fasciculatus ssp. nesioticus).

Santa Cruz Island malacothrix (Malacothrix

indecora).

Island malacothrix (Malacothrix squalida).

Island phacelia (Phacelia insularis ssp.

insularis).

Santa Cruz Island fringepod (Thysanocarpus

conchuliferus).

Santa Barbara Island liveforever (Dudleya

traskiae).

The following mainland plants are being excluded from this analysis because no onshore facilities are proposed within the ranges of these species,

and their current habitats would not be subject to either direct or indirect effects from the proposed

projects (T. Thomas, FWS, pers. comm.):

La Graciosa thistle (Cirsium loncholepis).

Morro manzanita (Arctostaphylos morroensis).

Marsh sandwort (Arenaria paludicola).

Nipomo Mesa lupine (Lupinus nipomensis).

Pismo Clarkia (Clarkia speciosa ssp.

immaculata).

The remaining species are described in the following sections.

4.6.7.1 THREATENED AND ENDANGERED

MARINE MAMMALS

General information on the biology of marine

mammals in the project area is presented in section

4.6.6, Marine Mammals. More detailed information

on the biology of the species of federally listed marine

mammals in the project area is provided in the Biological Evaluation prepared for the Section 7 consultation on the proposed Rocky Point Unit development

project (MMS, 2000).

Blue Whale. The blue whale (Balaenoptera musculus) was listed as a Federal endangered species in

1970 (35 FR 8495). No critical habitat has been identified for this species. The main reason for listing

was a severe worldwide population decline due to intensive commercial whaling.

Blue whales are distributed worldwide in circumpolar and temperate waters and inhabit both coastal
4-89

Description of the Affected Environment: Biological Resources

and pelagic environments (Leatherwood et al., 1982;

Reeves et al., 1998a). Like most baleen whales, they

migrate between warmer waters used for breeding and

calving in winter and high-latitude feeding grounds

where food is plentiful in the summer. In the eastern

North Pacific, blue whales are found from the Gulf of

Alaska south to at least Costa Rica (Reeves et al.,

1998a; Mate et al., 1999). Rice (1992) concluded that

the California population is separate from that in the

Gulf of Alaska and the eastern Aleutians, and this view

is supported by other recent work (Barlow, 1995;

Calambokidis and Steiger, 1995; Calambokidis et al.,

1995).

Off California, blue whales are first observed in

Monterey Bay, around the Channel Islands, and in the

Gulf of the Farallones in May-June and are present

on the continental shelf in these areas from August

to November (Calambokidis et al., 1990; Calambokidis,

1995; Larkman and Veit, 1998; Mate et al., 1999).

Based on sighting data collected off southern California from 1992 through 1999 (Cascadia Research,

unpubl. data), blue whales tend to aggregate in the

Santa Barbara Channel along the shelf break (seaward of the 200-m line). Sighting frequencies were

highest west of San Miguel Island and along the north

sides of San Miguel, Santa Rosa, and the western half

of Santa Cruz Island.

No reliable population estimate exists for blue

whales in the North Pacific, except for the population

that summers off California (Reeves et al., 1998a).

More than 700 individual blue whales had been photoidentified in California and Mexican coastal waters

through 1993 (Calambokidis, 1995); the most recent

estimate for this stock is approximately 1,950 blue

whales (Forney et al., 2000). Although the population appears to be growing, the observed increase in

blue whale abundance off California during the past

two decades is considered to have been too large to be

explained by population growth alone and may be due

to a shift in distribution (Barlow et al., 1997; Reeves

et al. 1998a).

Fin Whale. The fin whale (Balaenoptera

physalus) was listed as a Federal endangered species

in 1970 (35 FR 8495). No critical habitat has been

identified for this species. The main reason for listing was a severe worldwide population decline due to

intensive commercial whaling.

Fin whales are distributed worldwide. NMFS

recognizes three stocks in U.S. Pacific waters: Alaska;

California, Oregon, and Washington; and Hawaii

(Mizroch et al., 1984a; Barlow et al., 1997; Hill et al.,

1997; Reeves et al., 1998b). According to Rice (1974),

the summer distribution of fin whales includes immediate offshore waters throughout the North Pacific,

from central Baja to Japan and north to the Chukchi

Sea. Numbers in these areas peak in late May-early

July. In recent years, fin whales have occurred yearround off central and southern California, with peak

numbers in summer and fall (Dohl et al., 1981, 1983;

Barlow, 1995; Forney et al., 1995). In the Southern

California Bight, summer distribution is generally

offshore and south of the northern Channel Island

chain, particularly over the Santa Rosa-San Nicolas

Ridge (Leatherwood et al., 1987; Bonnell and Dailey,

1993). Since fin whale abundance decreases in winter/spring off California (Dohl et al., 1981, 1983;

Forney et al., 1995) and Oregon (Green et al., 1992),

the distribution of this stock probably extends outside these waters seasonally.

Recent estimates for the North Pacific fin whale

population range between 7,890 and 20,000 animals

(Ohsumi and Wada, 1974; Rice, 1974; Wada, 1976;

Allen, 1980), with approximately 60 percent occurring

in the eastern half of the North Pacific (Ohsumi and

Wada, 1974). Current estimates place the CaliforniaWashington population at about 1,200 animals (Forney

et al., 2000). There is some evidence that recent increases in fin whale abundance have occurred in California waters (Barlow, 1994; Barlow and Gerodette,

1996), but these have not been significant (Barlow et

al., 1997).

Sei Whale. The sei whale (Balaenoptera borealis) was listed as a Federal endangered species in 1970

(35 FR 8495). No critical habitat has been identified

for this species. The main reason for listing was severe worldwide population decline due to intensive

commercial whaling.

Sei whales are distributed worldwide and are primarily a pelagic, temperate-water species (Leatherwood et al., 1982; Barlow et al., 1997; Reeves et al.,

1998b). There are believed to be three stocks in the

North Pacific (Mizroch et al., 1984b). In the eastern

North Pacific, sei whales migrate northward from

wintering grounds in temperate and subtropical waters to feeding grounds that extend from west of the

California Channel Islands as far north as the Gulf of

Alaska and the Aleutians in the summer (Leatherwood et al., 1982; Mizroch et al., 1984b). Evidence from

tag recoveries indicates movement between central

California and Vancouver Island (Rice, 1977; Reeves

et al., 1998b). Unlike fin whales, sei whales seldom

enter the Bering Sea (Leatherwood et al., 1982). The

winter range stretches from about 18°30’N latitude

off Baja California to near 35°30’N off the central

California coast (Leatherwood et al., 1982), but may

be centered between 20° and 23°N (Mizroch et al.,

1984b). Some individuals apparently approach the

equator (Leatherwood et al., 1982).

Sei whales are now rare in California waters

(Dohl et al., 1981, 1983; Bonnell and Dailey, 1993;

Mangels and Gerodette, 1994; Barlow, 1995; Forney

et al., 1995; Barlow et al., 1997). Although there is no

estimate for the sei whale population off California,
4-90

Delineation Drilling Activities Offshore Santa Barbara County

the population in these waters is believed to be very

low, in the tens to several hundreds (Reeves et al.,

1998b).

Humpback Whale. The humpback whale

(Megaptera novaeangliae) was listed as a Federal endangered species in 1970 (35 FR 8495). No critical

habitat has been identified for this species. The main

reason for listing was a severe worldwide population

decline due to intensive commercial whaling.

Humpbacks are distributed worldwide and undertake extensive migrations in parts of their range

(Leatherwood et al., 1982; NMFS, 1991a). They aggregate from late spring through fall to feed in productive waters of temperate and high latitudes and

migrate in winter months to lower latitudes for breeding and calving, which often occur near tropical islands and in shallow coastal waters. In the eastern

North Pacific, humpbacks range from arctic waters

south to central California in the summer. On their

feeding grounds, humpbacks are found primarily on

the continental shelf near shallow banks and inshore

marine waters (Rice, 1974; Wolman, 1986). Humpback whales winter in three areas: waters off Mexico

(Rice, 1974); Hawaii (Baker et al., 1986); and the

Marianas, Bonin, and Ryukyu Islands and Taiwan

(Nishiwaki, 1959). Whales from all three wintering

grounds apparently intermingle during the summer

months in Alaskan waters (Baker et al., 1986).

Based on photo-identification work,

Calambokidis et al. (1996) concluded that humpback

whales off California, Oregon, and Washington form

a single, intermixing population, with very little interchange with areas farther north. Whales from this

population feed off California through summer and

fall (Dohl et al., 1983; Calambokidis et al., 1996). Based

on sighting data collected off southern California from

1992 through 1999 (Cascadia Research, unpubl. data),

humpback whales occur throughout the western twothirds of the Santa Barbara Channel and, to a lesser

extent, in the Santa Maria Basin. As was the case for

blue whales, there appears to be a tendency for humpbacks to concentrate along the shelfbreak north of the

Channel Islands.

The total humpback population in the North Pacific is now believed to number more than 3,000 animals (Barlow, 1994; Barlow et al., 1997). The best

current estimate for the west coast population is about

900 animals (Forney et al., 2000), and there are indications that this population has increased during the

past two decades (Barlow, 1994; Barlow and Gerodette,

1996; Barlow et al., 1997).

Northern Right Whale. The northern right

whale (Eubalaena glacialis) was listed as a Federal

endangered species in 1970 (35 FR 8495). No critical

habitat in the Pacific has been identified for this species. The main reason for listing was a severe worldwide population decline due to intensive commercial

whaling.

Right whales apparently migrate from high-latitude feeding grounds toward more temperate waters

in the fall and winter. The location of calving grounds

is unknown; summer feeding grounds may generally

stretch across the North Pacific from about 50° to 63°N

(Omura, 1958; Omura et al., 1969). In the northeastern Pacific, the major northern right whale whaling

ground was the “Kodiak Ground,” which encompassed

essentially the Gulf of Alaska and was a major summer feeding ground for the species (Leatherwood et

al., 1982). Waters off the eastern Aleutian Islands

and in the southern Bering Sea were apparently also

important areas of concentration (Braham and Rice,

1984; NMFS, 1991b). Catches of right whales on the

summer feeding grounds were widespread on the continental margin, generally away from shore

(Townsend, 1935; Brueggeman et al., 1985).

The scarcity of sightings along the west coast of

North America suggests that right whales migrate to

summer grounds from the western or central North

Pacific or well offshore in the eastern North Pacific

(Braham and Rice, 1984), although the location of seasonal migration routes is unknown (Scarff, 1986).

Reeves and Brownell (1982) concluded that the usual

wintering ground of northern right whales extended

from northern California to Washington, although

sightings have been recorded as far south as 23°N off

Baja California and near the Hawaiian Islands (Scarff,

1986; NMFS, 1991b; Gendron et al., 1999). However,

Scarff (1986) reviewed the literature and whaling

records and concluded that right whales overwinter

in the western or mid-North Pacific. Since 1955, only

five sightings of right whales have been recorded in

waters off southern California; all these sightings were

of individuals and were recorded between February

and May (Scarff, 1991; Carretta et al., 1994).

Northern right whales are the rarest of the endangered cetaceans. In the North Pacific, the population is currently believed to number 100-200 animals

(Braham, 1984b; NMFS, 1991b).

Sperm Whale. The sperm whale (Physeter macrocephalus) was listed as a Federal endangered species in 1970 (35 FR 8495). No recovery plan has been

prepared for this species. The main reason for listing

was a severe worldwide population decline due to intensive commercial whaling.

The largest of the toothed whales, sperm whales

are found predominantly in temperate to tropical waters in both hemispheres (Gosho et al., 1984). In the

North Pacific, females and juveniles generally remain

south of about 45°N latitude year-round, while adult

males range northward as far as the Bering Sea in the

summer (Best, 1979; Gosho et al., 1984). During the

winter, most of the population is distributed south of

40°N (Gosho et al., 1984). Off California, sperm whales

are present in offshore waters year-round, with peak

abundance from April to mid-June and again from late
4-91

Description of the Affected Environment: Biological Resources

August through November as they pass by during migration (Dohl et al., 1981, 1983; Gosho et al., 1984;

Barlow et al., 1997).

Sperm whales are primarily a pelagic species and

are generally found in waters with depths of greater

than 1,000 m (Watkins, 1977), although their distribution does suggest a preference for continental shelf

margins and seamounts, areas of upwelling and high

productivity (Leatherwood and Reeves, 1986). The

majority of sightings by Dohl et al. (1983) in their

three-year study off central and northern California

were in waters deeper than 1,800 m, but near the continental shelf edge.

The current world population of sperm whales

has been estimated at 1,950,000 animals (Brownell et

al., 1989). Using acoustic methods, Barlow and Taylor (1998) estimated 39,200 sperm whales in a 7.8

million-km2

 study area encompassing waters between

the U.S. west coast and Hawaii. The sperm whale

population off California has been estimated between

about 900 and 1,200 animals (Forney et al., 1995, 2000;

Barlow and Gerrodette, 1996) and appears to be relatively stable (Barlow et al., 1997).

Steller Sea Lion. The Steller, or northern sea

lion (Eumetopias jubatus) was listed as a Federal

threatened species in 1990 (55 FR 50006). Critical

habitat identified for this species includes the major

California rookeries. The main reason for listing was

a severe decline in the Steller sea lion population, particularly in the Alaskan portions of its range, for reasons that were not clearly understood.

The species’ range extends along the North

American coast from the Bering Strait in Alaska to

southern California. Steller sea lions breed during

the summer on rookery islands from the Pribilof Islands, Alaska, south to Año Nuevo Island in central

California (Green et al., 1989). Two stocks are now

recognized in U.S. waters: an eastern stock, including

animals east of Cape Suckling, Alaska (144°W longitude); and a western stock, including animals at and

west of Cape Suckling (Loughlin, 1997; Ferraro et al.,

2000). Because of continuing population decline, the

western stock was reclassified as endangered in 1997;

the eastern stock (which includes animals in the

project area) remains classified as threatened.

Following the breeding season, adult males in

California and Oregon move northward into Washington, British Columbia, and Alaska; by the end of

October, no adult males are found along the Oregon

Coast (Bartholomew and Boolootian, 1960; Gentry,

1970; Mate, 1975; 1981). Female and immature Steller

sea lions may not disperse as widely following the

breeding season (Green et al., 1989).

Steller sea lions are presently uncommon in

southern California waters (Bonnell and Dailey, 1993).

A few adult or subadult males occasionally may occupy territories on relict rookeries at the west end of

San Miguel Island and adjacent rocks in the summer

months, but the last reported pups on San Miguel Island were seen in the summer of 1980 (Bonnell and

Dailey, 1993; DeLong and Melin, 2000). North of Point

Conception, a few animals have been sighted in recent years on offshore rocks at Point Sal, at Diablo

Canyon near Point Buchon, and at Point Piedras

Blancas (Bonnell et al., 1983). Off California, Steller

sea lion sightings at sea have been concentrated in

shallow waters over the shelf and upper slope (<400

m) and within 50 km from land (Bonnell et al., 1983).

Although total numbers in Oregon and California have been relatively stable in recent decades, at

about 4,000 and 2,000, respectively (Hill and

DeMaster, 1999), Steller sea lion distribution appears

to have shifted northward (Hill et al., 1997). Año

Nuevo Island is now the southernmost Steller sea lion

rookery in the species’ range and the largest in California, although it too is decreasing in size (Bonnell

et al., 1983; Ferraro et al., 2000). Between 1990 and

1993, pup counts at Año Nuevo dropped from about

310 to 230 (Westlake et al., 1997). Smaller rookeries

also exist at Cape Mendocino, the Farallon Islands,

and the Point St. George Reef (Bonnell et al., 1983).

Guadalupe Fur Seal. The Guadalupe fur seal

(Arctocephalus townsendi) was listed as a Federal

threatened species in 1985 (50 FR 51252). No recovery plan has been prepared for this species. The main

reason for listing was the reduction of the population

to near extinction by commercial sealing in the nineteenth century.

The Guadalupe fur seal is the only representative of the genus Arctocephalus in the Northern Hemisphere (Repenning et al., 1971). Historically, the

Guadalupe fur seal apparently ranged northward from

Islas Revillagigedo off the coast of Mexico to at least

Point Conception (Repenning et al., 1971; Fleischer,

1978; Walker and Craig, 1979). At present, the species breeds only on Isla de Guadalupe off the coast of

Baja California, Mexico, although individual animals

appear regularly in the California Channel Islands

(Stewart et al., 1987; Bonnell and Dailey, 1993), and a

single pup was born on San Miguel Island in 1997

(DeLong and Melin, 2000).

Little is known about the distribution of

Guadalupe fur seals at sea (Gallo, 1994), but recent

strandings have been reported from as far north on

the California coast as Sonoma County (Antonelis and

Fiscus, 1980; Hanni et al., 1997).

The Guadalupe fur seal population is still small,

but is growing; Gallo (1994) calculated the growth rate

between 1955 and 1993 to have been 13.7 percent per

year and estimated the 1993 population at approximately 7,400 animals.

Southern Sea Otter. The southern sea otter

(Enhydra lutris nereis) was listed as a Federal threatened species in 1977 (42 FR 2968). No critical habitat
4-92

Delineation Drilling Activities Offshore Santa Barbara County

has been identified. The main reasons for listing the

southern sea otter 1) its small size and limited distribution, and 2) the threat of oil spills, pollution, and

competition with humans.

Before commercial hunting began in the late

18th century, sea otters inhabited coastal waters of

the North Pacific in an almost continuous band

stretching from central Baja California, Mexico, across

the Aleutians to the northern islands of Japan

(Kenyon, 1969). By 1911, when sea otters were afforded protection under the North Pacific Fur Seal

Convention, only 13 isolated colonies remained

throughout the species’ range; most of these eventually became extinct (Kenyon, 1969; Estes, 1980).

From that low point, the species began slowly to

recover. Several surviving Alaskan populations began reoccupying former habitats from Prince William

Sound southwest across the Aleutian Islands (Kenyon,

1969). Beginning in 1965, efforts were made to recolonize former habitats by translocating Alaskan otters to areas in southeast Alaska, the Pribilof Islands,

British Columbia, Washington, and Oregon (Jameson

et al., 1982; Riedman, 1987).

Since early part of this century, the California

sea otter population has expanded much farther southward than northward from its initial location near

Point Sur. Sea otters now range in nearshore waters

from near Año Nuevo Island south to approximately

Point Conception (Riedman, 1987; FWS, 2000). Northward expansion had more or less stopped at Año Nuevo

by the mid-1990’s (FWS, 2000). Recently, however,

20 otters were sighted between Point Año Nuevo and

a point 30 miles north (CDFG, 1998). By 1995, sea

otters were relatively common as far south as Point

Arguello and were routinely sighted near Point Conception (FWS, 2000; Pierson et al., unpubl. data).

Some of these animals are thought to have come from

the San Nicolas Island translocation population (FWS,

2000).

In spring 1998, about 100 sea otters were sighted

south of Point Conception (FWS, 2000). By mid-summer, most of these otters had presumably returned to

waters north of the point. However, by January 1999,

more than 150 animals were again counted south of

Conception (FWS, 2000). As late as May 1999, tens of

otters were still present along the Santa Barbara

Channel shoreline as far east as Goleta Point (USGS,

unpubl. data).

Sea otters typically inhabit shallow nearshore

waters with rocky or sandy bottoms supporting large

populations of benthic invertebrates (Riedman, 1987).

In California, otters live in waters less than 18 m deep

and rarely move more than 2 km offshore (Riedman,

1987).

The remnant California population began recovering from a low of about 50 animals around 1914

(Bryant, 1915; Riedman, 1987). The California sea

otter population grew steadily at a rate of about 5 percent per year until the mid-1970’s, when it was estimated to contain nearly 1,800 animals (Riedman,

1987; Riedman and Estes, 1990). The population then

began declining, due to increased mortality from entanglement in set nets (Wendell et al., 1985), reaching an estimated low of fewer than 1,400 animals in

1984. A series of restrictions on nearshore net fisheries culminated in 1991, when the State of California

closed waters less than 30 fathoms deep to fishing with

nets. Soon thereafter, sea otter numbers began increasing; the peak spring count of 2,377 was recorded

in 1995 (FWS, 2000). However, following that survey

the number of otters seen during the annual spring

surveys declined steadily until 1999, when 2,090 sea

otters were counted, representing a 12-percent decrease over the preceding four years (FWS, 2000).

Numbers increased again in May 2000, when 2,317

sea otters were counted, an almost 11-percent increase

over the previous year (FWS, unpubl. data).

Between August 1987 and July 1990, the U.S.

Fish and Wildlife Service translocated 139 sea otters

from the central California range to San Nicolas Island (FWS, 2000). Of these, 36 are known to have

returned to the parent population range, 10 were captured in the management zone and returned to the

parent range, 15 are known to have died, and the fate

of the remaining animals is unknown. Approximately

12-16 sea otters are currently present at San Nicolas

Island. Bimonthly counts have indicated no significant change in the population (range 6-17) since July

1990. The presumed causes for this include poor recruitment (failure of pups to reach maturity), immigration, and mortality (FWS, 1995, 2000). Of the 50

sea otter pups known to have been born at San Nicolas

Island as of December 1998, 6 died, 13 weaned successfully (but subsequently disappeared), and the fate

of the remaining 31 is unknown (FWS, 2000).

4.6.7.2 BIRDS

The following discussion provides a brief description of the threatened and endangered birds that both

occur in the project area and that may be affected by

project-related activities. More detailed information

on the biology of the species of federally listed birds

in the project area is provided in the Biological Evaluation prepared for the Section 7 consultation on the

proposed Rocky Point Unit development project

(MMS, 2000).

California Brown Pelican. The California brown

pelican (Pelecanus occidentalis) was listed as endangered on October 13, 1970 (35 FR 8320). To date, no

critical habitat has been designated for this species. A

recovery plan for this species was finalized in 1983 (FWS,

1983). The main reason for listing this species was low

reproductivity due to pesticides and food scarcity.
4-93

Description of the Affected Environment: Biological Resources

The range of the California subspecies of the

brown pelican extends from British Columbia to the

coast of southwest Mexico, but the species’ current

breeding range is much more restricted. Most pelicans nest on islands in the Gulf of California (Baja

California) and on the Tres Marias Islands off mainland Mexico near the city of Nayarit (FWS, 1983). In

the U.S., pelicans historically nested in several locations including Anacapa Island, Santa Barbara Island,

Prince Island, Scorpion Rock, and even as far north

as Point Lobos near Monterey. However, they currently nest only on Anacapa and Santa Barbara Islands in the Southern California Bight. Although a

few pairs nested on Scorpion Rock during the 1970’s,

this site is unlikely to be used in the future due to

high levels of human activity in the area (P. Martin,

NPS pers. comm.). Listing of the California brown

pelican was based primarily on serious declines observed in the Southern California Bight population of

this subspecies. Other populations of brown pelicans

(those nesting in the Gulf of California and along the

west coast of southern Baja California and mainland

Mexico) have not suffered colony-wide reproductive

failures to the degree that the southern California

population has, although human disturbance has been

an increasing source of concern in these areas (FWS,

1983).

The breeding season for brown pelicans off California is generally from March through early August,

although breeding may begin as early as January in

some years (FWS, 1983). Pelicans generally do not

breed until they are three to five years old. They

mainly lay clutches of three eggs, with incubation estimated to last for about 30 days; young birds are able

to fly by about 9 weeks of age.

After the breeding season, pelicans begin to disperse along the Pacific coast to as far north as British

Columbia and as far south as the southwestern coast

of Mexico (FWS, 1983). Since the breeding season for

pelicans nesting in Mexico may begin and end earlier

than for those in California, large numbers of pelicans may begin moving northward into the Southern

California Bight as early as May. Pelicans usually

begin appearing north of Point Conception by July,

with numbers increasing through September and October. Pelicans begin to disappear from the northern

portions of their range in November. From December through March, when pelicans are nesting to the

south, fewer than 500 remain north of Point Conception (Briggs et al., 1987).

Most of the pelicans seen foraging off the coast

of California have been within 20 km (11 nm) of the

coast; however, a few individuals have been recorded

over waters deeper than 3,000 m (1,640 fm) and at

distances of 88 km (48 nm) off the coast of central

California (Briggs et al., 1987). The preferred nesting habitat is on offshore islands, although some individuals nest in mangroves along the Mexican coast.

The northern anchovy (Engraulis mordax) is the primary prey species of the brown pelican (FWS, 1983).

Estimates of the portion of the pelican’s diet consisting of anchovies range as high as 90–95 percent (FWS,

1981). Other prey species include Pacific sardine

(Sardinops sagax) and Pacific mackerel (Scomber

japonicus) (Thelander and Crabtree, 1994).

Because brown pelicans have wettable plumage,

as is typical for many other members of the order

Pelecaniformes, they must have terrestrial roost sites

for drying their plumage after feeding or swimming,

and for resting and preening. Roost sites, therefore,

are considered essential habitat for this species. Roosting habitat includes offshore rocks and islands, river

mouths with sand bars, breakwaters, pilings, jetties,

and estuaries (FWS, 1983). Pelicans usually return

to specific coastal roosts each day (usually by late afternoon, but sometimes not until several hours after

sunset) and do not normally remain at sea overnight.

Night roosts are usually in regions with high oceanic

productivity and isolated from predation pressure and

human disturbance. Pelicans may also periodically

return to land during the day to rest, but requirements

for daytime roosts are less restrictive, and these roosts

are more numerous and usually much smaller than

night roosts (Briggs et al., 1983; Jacques and Anderson, 1987).

Based on Jaques and Anderson’s research

(1987), pelican roosts are widespread and abundant

in the project area. Important pelican roost areas include the area between Morro Bay and Point Sal (especially the Pismo Beach and Diablo Canyon areas

and the Santa Maria River mouth), where offshore

rocks, estuaries, and beaches are used primarily. Very

few offshore rocks exist to the south, and along the

southern coast primary roost sites include breakwaters, jetties, and other man-made structures. One of

the most important roosting areas along the southern coast, which is somewhat outside the primary area

of concern for this analysis, is the breakwater at the

Long Beach Harbor. Other, less regularly used roost

sites include Point Mugu Lagoon, the Santa Clara

River mouth, and the Marina del Rey breakwater.

Pelicans also use offshore oil platforms for roosting

(McCrary, pers. obs.). The greatest number of pelicans, however, uses the Channel Islands (especially

Santa Cruz Island) and the many offshore rocks in

that area for roosting.

Based mainly on the work of Gress, the number

of nests on Anacapa between 1981 and 1992, ranged

from 628 in 1984 to 6,326 in 1987 (nesting attempts

and productivity data are summarized in Ingram and

Carter, 1997). In 1991, Carter et al. (1992) working

jointly with Gress (1992) estimated the number of

breeding pairs on West Anacapa Island at 5,340. The

number of nests has continued to be highly variable
4-94

Delineation Drilling Activities Offshore Santa Barbara County

throughout the 1990’s. In 1998 there were only about

2,500 nesting attempts on West Anacapa (F. Gress,

UC Davis, pers. comm.), while in 1999 there were

about 5,300 nesting attempts. At least some of the

variation observed in the 1990’s has been due to El

Niño effects. Although the number of nesting attempts continues at a relatively high level, low fledging success remains a concern (F. Gress, UC Davis,

pers. comm.).

Prior to the 1980’s, nesting pelicans used Santa

Barbara Island only sporadically. However, beginning

in 1985, when there were 1,046 nests on the island,

pelicans have nested every year (nesting attempts and

productivity data are summarized in Ingram and

Carter, 1997). From 1985 to 1992, the number of nesting attempts has ranged from 1,441 in 1986 to 157 in

1988. Recent counts of nesting attempts on Santa

Barbara Island include 450 in 1998 and 750 in 1999

(F. Gress, pers. comm.).

Another historically important Southern California Bight colony is located in the Mexican Islas Los

Coronados, located about 27 km (17 mi) south of San

Diego. From the late 1880’s until 1920, about 500-

1,000 pairs nested on mainly the north island (FWS,

1983). Peak abundance probably occurred in the

1930’s when somewhat more than 5,000 pelicans

nested on the islands. The colony declined throughout the 1950’s and 1960’s to as few as 300 pairs by

about 1970. In 1993, the last time the colony was

surveyed, there were about 600 pairs on the islands

(F. Gress, pers. comm.).

California Least Tern. The California least tern

(Sterna antillarum browni) was listed as endangered

on October 13, 1970 (35 FR 16047). A recovery plan

for the species was published in 1980 (FWS, 1980b),

but critical habitat has not been designated. The main

reasons for listing this species were loss of habitat,

human disturbance, and predation.

The breeding range of the California least tern,

which the population occupies from about April to September each year, extends from San Francisco Bay

south to northern Baja California, Mexico. The winter range of the California least tern is somewhat

unknown, but probably extends from the Pacific coast

of southern Mexico south to Central America, and

possibly South America.

During the last 20-25 years, about 50 sites in

California have been occupied by nesting least terns

at some time (Fancher, 1992; Caffrey, 1995). These

range from Pittsburg in northern California to the

Tijuana River mouth at the south end of the State.

However, the number of sites actually used fluctuates

from year to year, as potential nesting areas become

available naturally or through site preparation efforts,

or unavailable due to natural or human disturbance

and/or predation. Fewer sites have been used in recent years; for example, only 35 sites were used in

1996 (Caffrey, 1998). Furthermore, the number of

nesting pairs is concentrated at only a few locations.

In 1996, 7 of the 35 sites used that year accounted for

58% of the breeding pairs (Caffrey, 1998). These seven

sites were NAS Alameda, Venice Beach, Huntington

Beach, Santa Margarita River/North Beach, Mission

Bay/FAA Island and Mariner’s Point, and Delta Beach/

North.

Least terns usually begin arriving in southern

California in April. Early arrival dates include April

8, 1978 for San Diego (Garrett and Dunn, 1981) and

April 27, 1976 for Santa Barbara (Lehman, 1994).

Nesting colonies are usually located on open expanses

of sand, dirt, or dried mud, typically in areas with

sparse or no vegetation. Colonies are also usually in

close proximity to a lagoon or estuary where they obtain most of the small fish they consume, although

they may also forage up to 3-5 km (2-3 miles) offshore.

Least terns are fairly faithful to breeding sites and

return year after year regardless of past nesting success. Nests consist of a shallow scrape in the sand,

sometimes surrounded by shell fragments. Eggs (usually two per clutch) are laid from mid-May to early

August. Incubation takes 20-28 days, and young fledge

in about 20 days (FWS, 1980b). Least terns breed

after their second year, and first-time breeders are

more likely to nest later in the breeding season

(Massey and Atwood, 1981). For a detailed account of

least tern reproductive biology, see Thompson et al.

(1997).

The southward migration of least terns may begin as early as August and few, if any, terns remain in

California after late September (Garrett and Dunn,

1981). The migration route and winter distribution

of these birds are mostly unknown, although they

probably winter along the Pacific coast of southern

Mexico and Central America.

In 1970, when California least terns were listed

as endangered by the Federal government and California, their population in California was estimated

at 600 breeding pairs. Population growth rates have

increased, especially since the mid-1980’s, when active management for least terns was initiated. Management of California least tern colonies has included

intensive monitoring of nesting colonies, site preparation to reduce vegetative cover, protection of sites

by means of reduced access to humans, and predator

management. Although the increase in the breeding

population has not been consistent from year to year

(there were only about 2,598 pairs in 1995 vs. 2,792

in 1994; Caffrey 1995, 1997), long-term trends have

shown steady population growth. Recent population

estimates range from 3,330-3,392 pairs in 1996

(Caffrey, 1998) to 4,141-4,182 pairs in 1998 (Keane,

2000). However, the estimate for 1999 was only 3,493-

3,711 pairs, a decline of more than 10 percent from
4-95

Description of the Affected Environment: Biological Resources

the 1998 estimate (K. Keane, pers. comm.). The decline may be attributable to high levels of predation

and low prey availability (K. Keane, pers. comm.).

In the project area from 1994 to 1998, as many

as 12 sites have been used for nesting by least terns,

depending to some degree on how some sites have been

lumped or split in different years (Caffrey, 1995, 1997,

1998; Keane, 1998, 2000). However, only 7-9 of these

sites were used in any one year, again depending on

how they were tabulated. The general locations of

these sites are: Pismo Dunes, Guadalupe Dunes, Mussel Rock Dunes, Vandenberg Air Force Base (Beach 2

and Purisima Point), Santa Clara River mouth,

Ormond Beach (3 sites), Point Mugu, and Venice

Beach. The number of pairs at most of these locations is generally low (<50). However, Venice Beach

is one of the largest colonies in California, with 383

pairs in 1998 (Keane, 2000). Also, Point Mugu had

266 pairs in 1998.

Bald Eagle. In 1978 (43 FR 6233), the bald eagle

(Haliaeetus leucocephalus) was listed as endangered

throughout the lower 48 states except Washington,

Oregon, Minnesota, Wisconsin, and Michigan, where

it was listed as threatened. A recovery plan for the

Pacific recovery region was approved in 1986 (FWS,

1986). The bald eagle was reclassified in 1995 from

endangered to threatened as a result of the significant increase in numbers of nesting pairs, increased

productivity, and expanded distribution (60 FR 36000).

Critical habitat has not been designated for this species. The main reasons for listing this species were

the harmful effects of pesticides, especially DDT, and

habitat loss. The bald eagle was proposed for delisting

in 1999 (50 FR 36453).

Historically, the bald eagle was found throughout the Channel Islands (Grinnell and Miller, 1944).

Historic nesting sites along the mainland coast include

the Goleta and Carpinteria areas of Santa Barbara

County, La Jolla Canyon near Point Mugu in Ventura

County, and Zuma Canyon west of Malibu in Los Angeles County (Garrett and Dunn, 1981). The bald eagle

disappeared as a breeding bird from the Channel Islands in the late 1950’s (Garrett and Dunn, 1981).

However, bald eagles have now been reintroduced to

Santa Catalina Island. Currently, the Santa Catalina

Island population consists of three nesting pairs and

one group of three birds that have not yet begun to

nest (P. Sharpe, pers. comm.); there are also 2-4 immature eagles on the island. Although the eagles are

actively nesting on the island, they still suffer from

the effects DDE, which remains in the waters off the

island (Garcelon, 1994b; Sharpe and Garcelon, 1999).

Bald eagles also occur at Lake Cachuma in Santa

Barbara County. Several birds winter there, and eagles

have nested there since the late 1980’s (Lehman,

1994). A few transients may also occur along the

mainland coast and the Channel Islands during migration. However, these birds usually do not remain

in the area for more than a few days (P. Bloom, pers.

comm.).

Western Snowy Plover. The coastal population

of the western snowy plover (Charadrius alexandrinus

nivosus) was listed as threatened in the Federal Register on March 5, 1993 (58 FR 12864). A recovery

plan for the species has not been completed. Designation of critical habitat was published in the Federal

Register on December 7, 1999 (64 FR 68507). The

main reasons for listing this population are loss of

habitat and disturbance.

Western snowy plovers are found in several western states including Washington, Oregon, California,

Nevada, Utah, and Arizona as well as Baja California

and mainland Mexico. However the range of the

threatened Pacific coast population is much more limited. This population is defined as those individuals

that nest adjacent to tidal waters, and includes all

nesting birds on the mainland coast, peninsulas, offshore islands, adjacent bays, estuaries, and coastal

rivers (58 FR 12864). The breeding range of the

threatened population extends along the Pacific coast

of North America from southern Washington to southern Baja California, Mexico. The winter range is somewhat broader and may extend to Central America

(Page et al., 1995); most plovers winter from California south, however. The threatened coastal population consists of both resident and migratory birds.

Some birds winter in the breeding areas, while others

migrate north or south to wintering areas (Page et

al., 1986; Warriner et al., 1986). The majority of birds

winter south of Bodega Bay, California (Page et al.,

1986).

The nesting habitat of the coastal population is

mainly dune-backed beaches, barrier beaches, salt

flats, and salt evaporation ponds (Page and Stenzel,

1981; Palacios and Alfaro, 1994). Habitat of wintering birds includes beaches where nesting is not known

to occur.

In coastal California, plovers historically nested

at 53 locations prior to 1970 (Page and Stenzel, 1981).

Since that time, 33 of these sites are no longer used

by nesting plovers. Declines in the number of nesting

sites have also occurred in Oregon and Washington

(see 35 FR 16047). Of the 20 currently used California nesting areas, 8 support 78 percent of the California breeding population. These are: San Francisco

Bay, Monterey Bay, Morro Bay, the Callendar-Mussel

Rock Dunes area, the Point Sal to Point Conception

area, the Oxnard Lowland, Santa Rosa Island, and San

Nicolas Island. Most of these areas and many others

have been designated as critical habitat for the western snowy plover (64 FR 68507). Designated critical

habitat in the project area is shown in table 4.6.7-1.
4-96

Delineation Drilling Activities Offshore Santa Barbara County

Snowy plovers breed in loose colonies where

colony size can range up to 150 pairs. Site fidelity is

high, and they often nest in the exact same location

as the previous year (Warriner et al., 1986). The breeding season for western snowy plovers extends from

early March to late September, with birds at more

southerly locations beginning to nest earlier in the

season than birds at more northerly locations (64 FR

68507). Nest initiation and egg laying occur from midMarch through mid-July (Wilson, 1980; Warriner et

al., 1986). Coastal plovers lay usually three eggs (range

= 2-6, Page et al. 1995) in a shallow depression in the

sand.

Snowy plovers forage for invertebrates across

sandy beaches from the swash zone to the macrophyte

wrack line of the dry upper beach. They also forage

in dry sandy areas above the high tide, on salt flats,

and along the edges of salt marshes and salt ponds

(58 FR 12864). The coastal diet consists of molluscs,

worms, crabs, sandhoppers, and insects (Soothill and

Soothill, 1982; Page et al., 1995).

Although historical data are not available from

the period before 1981 when the first surveys were

conducted, in that year the breeding population was

estimated at 1,565 birds (Page and Stenzel, 1981).

However, based on the number of historical nesting

sites that are no longer occupied, the number of plovers nesting along the coast was most likely much

higher. The breeding population continued to decline

after the 1981 surveys, and the number of breeding

birds was estimated at 1,386 in 1989 (Page et al., 1991),

1,180 in 1991, and 967 in 1995 (G. Page, Point Reyes

Bird Observatory, Stinson Beach, California, unpublished data). Based on Christmas Bird Counts from

1962 to 1984, the number of wintering birds has also

declined, at least in southern California (Page et al,

1986).

The decline in the breeding population has been

even more dramatic in recent years. On Vandenberg

AFB in northern Santa Barbara County, the decline

has been so severe that a beach closure has been put

into effect beginning in spring 2000 for all but about

2 miles of beach. In 1997, the breeding population on

the base was estimated at 240 birds, but counts in

1999 found only 78. A less severe decline also occurred

on Santa Rosa Island in the Channel Islands National

Park; 72 snowy plovers were counted on the island

during the 1998 breeding season, but only 41 the following year (P. Martin, CINPS, pers. comm.).

Light-footed Clapper Rail. The light-footed clapper rail (Rallus longirostris levipes) was listed as endangered on October 13, 1970 (35 FR 8320). A recovery plan was approved in 1979 (FWS, 1979). Critical

habitat has not been designated for this subspecies.

Habitat loss was the main reason for listing this species.

The current and historic range of the light-footed

clapper rail extends from Bahia de San Quintin, Baja

California, Mexico to Santa Barbara County, California where they are restricted to coastal salt marshes.

Although, historically, most of the salt marshes in this

region were probably occupied by rails, no more than

24 marshes have been occupied since about 1980

(Zembal and Hoffman, 1999). Only a portion of these

24 marshes is used each year. For example, from 1997

to 1999, 16, 17, and 14 marshes were occupied, respectively (Zembal and Hoffman, 1999). The vast

majority (more than 95 percent) of the remaining rails

are in Orange and San Diego counties. In the project

area, there are presently only two marshes occupied

by rails, Carpinteria Marsh in Santa Barbara County

and Mugu Lagoon in Ventura County. The next closest location for rails is the Seal Beach National Wildlife Refuge in Orange County.

The light-footed clapper rail is normally found

in estuarine habitats, particularly salt marshes with

well-developed tidal channels. Dense growths of

cordgrass (Spartina foliosa) and pickleweed

(Salicornia sp.) are conspicuous components of rail

habitat, and nests are located most frequently in

cordgrass. In a radio-telemetry study conducted in

Newport Back Bay, radio-tagged rails spent about 90

percent of their time in cordgrass, in the lower marsh

(Zembal et al., 1989). At low tides they also hunted

along creek banks. When water covered the lower

marsh, radio-tagged rails foraged on higher ground in

sparser vegetation.

Clapper rails construct loose nests of plant

stems, either directly on the ground when in

pickleweed or somewhat elevated when in cordgrass

(FWS, 1979). Although nests are usually located in

the higher portions of the marsh, they are buoyant

and will float up with the tide. Eggs are laid from

mid-March to the end of June, but most are laid from

early April to early May. Clutch size ranges from 3-

11, with clutches of 5-9 most common. The incubation period is about 23 days, and young can swim soon

after hatching.

Based on the first statewide survey, the California population was estimated at about 500 birds

(Wilbur, 1974), although this estimate is believed to

be somewhat high (FWS, 1979). Since 1980, the California population has ranged from a low of 284 birds

in 1985 to a high of 650 in 1996 (Zembal and Hoffman,

1999). The number of marshes occupied has also varied from a low of 8 in 1989 to a high of 19 in 1984.

The population in 1999 was estimated at 466, distributed among 14 marshes (Zembal and Hoffman, 1999).

Although surveys have not been conducted in Baja

California for several years, the Baja population is

thought to consist of at least 400-500 pairs (R. Zembal,

pers. comm.).

In the project area, two marshes are currently

occupied by clapper rails, Carpinteria Marsh and Mugu

Lagoon (Zembal and Hoffman, 1999). Although as

many as 26 pairs have been known to occur at
4-97

Description of the Affected Environment: Biological Resources

___________________________________________________________________________________________

Site No. Name County USGS quad map Plover use

___________________________________________________________________________________________

CA-8 Point Sur Monterey Point Sur Nesting

CA-9 Arroyo Hondo San Luis Obispo Burro Mt Winter

Creek Beach Piedras Blancas

CA-10 Arroyo Laguna San Luis Obispo San Simeon Nesting

Creek Beach Winter

CA-11 Morro Bay

Beaches San Luis Obispo

 Unit 1 Toro Creek San Luis Obispo Morro Bay Nesting

Beach North Winter

 Unit 2 Atascadero San Luis Obispo Morro Bay Nesting

Beach North/South Winter

 Unit 3 Morro Bay Beach San Luis Obispo Morro Bay Nesting

South Winter

CA-12 Pismo Beach/ San Luis Obispo Oceano Nesting

Nipomo Dunes Point Sal Winter

CA-13 Point Sal to

Point Conception Santa Barbara

 Unit 1 Vandenberg Air Force Santa Barbara Casmalia Nesting

Base Winter

 Unit 2 Santa Ynez Santa Barbara Surf Nesting

River Mouth/ Winter

Ocean Beach

 Unit 3 Jalama Beach Santa Barbara Tranquillon Winter

Mt/Lompoc

Hills/Point

Conception

CA-14 Coast Beaches Santa Barbara

 Unit 1 Devereaux Beach Santa Barbara Dos Pueblos Nesting

Canyon Winter

Goleta

 Unit 2 Point Castillo/ Santa Barbara Santa Barbara Winter

Santa Barbara

Harbor Beach

 Unit 3 Carpinteria Santa Barbara Carpinteria Winter

Beach

CA-15 Oxnard Lowlands

 Unit 1 San Buenaventura Ventura Ventura Winter

Beach

 Unit 2 Mandalay Bay/ Ventura Oxnard Nesting

Santa Clara Winter

River Mouth

 Unit 3 Ormond Beach Ventura Oxnard Nesting

Point Mugu Winter

 Unit 4 Mugu Lagoon Ventura Point Mugu Nesting

Beach Winter

CA-16 San Nicolas Ventura San Nicolas Nesting

Island Beaches Island Winter

CA-17 Malibu Lagoon Los Angeles Malibu Beach Winter

___________________________________________________________________________________________

Table 4.6.7-1. Western snowy plover critical habitat in the project area (64 FR 68507).
4-98

Delineation Drilling Activities Offshore Santa Barbara County

Carpinteria Marsh, the rail population of the marsh

declined sharply in 1985, and no rails were found during annual surveys from 1989 to about 1994. Since

about 1995, there have been 2-5 nesting pairs, along

with a few apparently unmated birds at the marsh

(Zembal and Hoffman, 1999). Surveys of Carpinteria

Marsh conducted in 1999 found two pairs and one

unmated female (R. Zembal, pers. comm.). Mugu Lagoon has been consistently occupied by 3-6 nesting

pairs and a few unpaired birds (Zembal and Hoffman,

1999). Surveys conducted at Mugu in 1999 found 4

pairs and 5 unmated males (R. Zembal, pers. comm.).

4.6.7.3 THREATENED AND ENDANGERED

SEA TURTLES

Sea turtles typically inhabit tropical and subtropical seas and are uncommon in eastern North Pacific waters north of Mexico. Historically, four species of sea turtles have been recorded in the eastern

North Pacific: the leatherback sea turtle (Dermochelys

coriacea), the green sea turtle (Chelonia mydas), the

Pacific (or olive) ridley sea turtle (Lepidochelys

olivacea), and the loggerhead sea turtle (Caretta

caretta) (Caldwell, 1962; Marquez, 1969; Hubbs, 1977).

Sea turtle populations have been greatly reduced by

overharvesting and, to a lesser extent, coastal development of nesting beaches in developed countries

(Ross, 1982).

In the eastern Pacific, most sea turtles probably

nest on the Pacific coasts of Mexico and Central

America. Sea turtles reach sexual maturity at about

4 to 9 years, depending on the species (Mager, 1984).

They breed at sea, and the females instinctively return to their natal beaches to lay eggs (although leatherbacks are not such strict remigrators). The nesting

season varies with species (Mager, 1984). Females

typically nest four to seven times during the nesting

season (again depending upon the species) with clutch

sizes of 80 to 150 eggs. About 2 months after being

laid in the sand, eggs hatch, and the young instinctively make for the sea. Once at sea the males very

rarely, if ever, return to land (Mager, 1984).

Leatherback Sea Turtle. Leatherback sea

turtles, the largest of the sea turtles, occur in the Atlantic, Indian, and Pacific Oceans (Mager, 1984). The

species was listed as endangered in 1970 (35 FR 8495).

Leatherbacks commonly range farther north than

other sea turtles, probably because of their ability to

maintain warmer body temperatures over longer time

periods (Frair et al., 1972), and they have been sighted

in the eastern north Pacific as far north as Alaska

(Mager, 1984). Leatherback sea turtles in the eastern

Pacific are probably part of the western Mexico, Central America, and northern Peru breeding population

(Mager, 1984). Pritchard (1971) estimated that there

were at least 8,000 nesting females in the eastern

Pacific; on the basis of additional information, he later

estimated a total world population of 115,000 mature

females (Pritchard, 1982).

Leatherbacks are the most common sea turtle

in U.S. waters north of Mexico (Dohl et al., 1983; Green

et al., 1989; NMFS and FWS, 1998a). On aerial surveys of Washington and Oregon waters conducted in

1989 and 1990, Green et al. (1992) recorded 16

sightings of leatherbacks (no other sea turtles were

seen); all sightings were made between June and September, when sea surface temperatures were highest,

in waters over the slope and shelf. Most (83 percent)

of the sea turtles sighted off northern and central

California by Dohl et al. (1983) during their 3-year

survey were leatherbacks, and nearly 90 percent of

these sightings were made during the summer and

fall. Sightings were widely distributed from 10 to 185

km offshore, and most were recorded in waters over

the continental slope. It has been surmised that an

eastern Pacific migratory corridor probably exists

along the U.S. west coast and Mexico; the timing of

these sightings may indicate adult leatherbacks moving southward for winter breeding in Mexico (NMFS

and FWS, 1998a).

Female leatherbacks apparently migrate between foraging and breeding grounds at 2 to 3-year

intervals (NMFS and FWS, 1998a). In Mexico, where

roughly one-half of the world population of females

nests, the nesting season extends from November to

February, although some females arrive as early as

August (NMFS and FWS, 1998a).

Although considered omnivorous (feeding on sea

urchins, crustaceans, fish, and floating seaweed),

leatherbacks feed principally on soft foods such as

cnidarians (medusae, siphonophores) and tunicates

(salps, pyrosomas) (Mager, 1984; NMFS and FWS,

1998a). There are reports of surface feeding on jellyfish off the U.S. west coast (Eisenberg and Frazier,

1983). Leatherbacks also may forage nocturnally at

depth on siphonophores and salps in the deep scattering layer (Eckert et al., 1989; NMFS and FWS, 1998a).

Green Sea Turtle. Green sea turtles are distributed worldwide in waters that remain above 20°C

during the coldest month. The species was listed in

1978 (43 FR 32808); green turtles in the Pacific are

listed as threatened, except for Mexican breeding

populations, which are listed as endangered. No reliable population estimates are available for the green

sea turtle in the Pacific (Mager, 1984). Prior to commercial exploitation, green turtles were abundant in

the eastern Pacific from Baja California south to Peru

and west to the Galapagos Islands (NMFS and FWS,

1998b). Off the Pacific coast, sightings have been recorded as far north as British Columbia, although most

have been reported from northern Baja California and

southern California (Mager, 1984; NMFS and FWS,

1998b). Green turtles have stranded in northern Cali-
4-99

Description of the Affected Environment: Biological Resources

fornia and on the Washington and Oregon coasts in

recent decades (Smith and Houck, 1984; Green et al.,

1992).

Green sea turtles were once common in San Diego Bay, but now appear limited to a single channel in

the southern part of the bay (Hubbs, 1977), where

they seem to be year-round residents (NMFS and

FWS, 1998b). Regular sightings of small juveniles

suggest that turtles are continuing to migrate into the

bay (NMFS and FWS, 1998b).

At present, the main nesting sites for eastern

Pacific green turtles are located along the Pacific coast

of Mexico (State of Michoacán) and in the Galapagos

Islands (Mager, 1984; NMFS and FWS, 1998b). There

are also smaller nesting grounds along the Central

American Pacific coastline (NMFS and FWS, 1998b).

Green sea turtles are primarily herbivorous,

feeding on sea grasses and algae, although they may

feed on a variety of marine animals in some areas

(Mager, 1984; NMFS and FWS, 1998b). Identified

animal food items include molluscs, crustaceans, bryozoans, sponges, jellyfish, polychaetes, echinoderms,

fish and fish eggs (NMFS and FWS, 1998b).

Pacific Ridley Sea Turtle. Pacific, or olive, ridley sea turtles are the smallest of the sea turtles

(Mager, 1984). Olive ridleys occur worldwide in tropical to warm temperate waters and are considered to

be the most abundant sea turtle in the world (NMFS

and FWS, 1998c). The species was listed in 1978 (43

FR 32808); Pacific ridleys on the Pacific coast of Mexico

are listed as endangered, all other populations as

threatened. In the eastern North Pacific, the species’

main foraging areas extend between Colombia and

Mexico. Major nesting beaches are, as with many

other eastern Pacific sea turtles, on the Pacific coasts

of Mexico and Costa Rica, although a few may nest as

far north as Baja California (Mager, 1984; NMFS and

FWS, 1998c). Currently, as many as 200,000 females

are estimated to nest in Mexico each year (Márquez,

1990; NMFS and FWS, 1998c).

These sea turtles are infrequent visitors to waters north of Mexico. According to Green et al. (1992),

Pacific ridleys have stranded on the Washington and

Oregon coasts during the past decade, and strandings

have also been recorded from northern California

(Houck and Joseph, 1958; Smith and Houck, 1984).

Hubbs (1977) observed a pair of Pacific ridleys mating in the water off La Jolla, San Diego County, California, in August 1973.

In the eastern Pacific, ridleys nest throughout

the year, with peaks occurring from September

through December (NMFS and FWS, 1998c).

They are considered omnivorous, feeding on a

variety of benthic and some pelagic items (NMFS and

FWS, 1998c). Identified prey include fish, crabs,

shrimp, snails, oysters, sea urchins, jellyfish, salps,

fish eggs, and vegetation (Ernst and Barbour, 1972;

NMFS and FWS, 1998c). Pacific ridleys may also scavenge (NMFS and FWS, 1998c).

Loggerhead Sea Turtle. Loggerhead sea turtles

inhabit subtropical to temperate waters worldwide,

and are generally found in waters over the continental shelf (Carr, 1952; Mager, 1984). The species was

listed as threatened in 1978 (43 FR 32808). In the

Pacific, loggerheads nest only in the western region,

primarily at and near Japan and Australia (NMFS and

FWS, 1998d). There are no reliable population estimates for the loggerhead sea turtle in the Pacific

(Mager, 1984).

Stebbins (1966) listed southern California as the

northern limit of the loggerhead range. In recent

years, most sightings of this species have been reported

from southern California and Baja California waters,

generally during the summer (Guess, 1982; NMFS and

FWS, 1998d). Although Smith and Houck (1984) reported no sightings of this species for northern California, Green et al. (1992) state that this species has

stranded on the Washington and Oregon coasts during the past two decades.

Loggerhead sea turtles are omnivorous, feeding

on a variety of benthic prey including shellfish, crabs,

barnacles, oysters, jellyfish, squid, sea urchins, and

occasionally on fish, algae, and seaweed (Carr, 1952;

Mager, 1984; NMFS and FWS, 1998d).

4.6.7.4 AMPHIBIANS

California Red-legged Frog (Threatened). The

California red-legged frog (Rana aurora draytonii) was

listed as threatened on May 23, 1996 (61 FR 25813).

A recovery plan for the species has not been published,

and no critical habitat has been designated. The California red-legged frog has been extirpated from 70

percent of its former range and is threatened in its

remaining range by a wide variety of human impacts,

including urban encroachment, construction of reservoirs and water diversions, introduction of exotic

predators and competitors, livestock grazing, and habitat fragmentation.

The historical range of the California red-legged

frog extended coastally from the vicinity of Point Reyes

National Seashore, Marin County, and inland from the

vicinity of Redding, Shasta County, southward to

northwestern Baja California, Mexico (Jennings and

Hayes, 1985; Hayes and Krempels, 1986). The central coast recovery unit from San Mateo and Santa

Clara counties south to Ventura and Los Angeles counties is one of five units considered essential to the

survival of the species.

The diet of California red-legged frogs is highly

variable. Hayes and Tennant (1985) found invertebrates to be the most common food items of adult frogs.

Vertebrates, such as Pacific tree frogs (Hyla regilla)

and California mice (Peromyscus californicus), repre-
4-100

Delineation Drilling Activities Offshore Santa Barbara County

sented over half of the prey mass eaten by larger frogs

(Hayes and Tennant, 1985). Hayes and Tennant

(1985) found juvenile frogs to be active diurnally and

nocturnally, whereas adult frogs were largely nocturnal. Feeding activity likely occurs along the shoreline

and on the surface of the water (Hayes and Tennant,

1985).

California red-legged frogs are known to occur

in 243 streams or drainages in 22 counties, primarily

in the central coastal region of California. Monterey

(32), San Luis Obispo (36), and Santa Barbara (36)

counties support the greatest number of currently

occupied drainages.

4.6.7.5 FISH

Tidewater Goby (Endangered). The tidewater

goby (Eucyclogobius newberryi) was listed as endangered on February 4, 1994 (59 FR 5498). A recovery

plan and critical habitat have not been approved, due

to a proposed delisting of the northern population (64

FR 33816).

The tidewater goby ranges from San Diego

County north to Del Norte County. Most are found

very close to the coast, though a few have been found

as much as 8 km (5 mi) inland. Gobies are mostly

coastal lagoon fishes that prefer shallow, usually brackish water (Love, 1996). Primary tidewater goby habitat is found in small, shallow coastal lagoons that are

separated from the ocean most of the year by beach

barriers. This includes shallow areas of bays and areas near stream mouths in uppermost brackish portions of larger bays. Tidewater gobies can tolerate

full seawater, but are most common in waters with

salinities ranging from fresh to one-third seawater.

Adults are benthic, and larvae are briefly pelagic (Love,

1996).

At all sizes examined, tidewater gobies feed on

small invertebrates, usually mysids, amphipods, ostracods, snails, and aquatic insect larvae, particularly

dipterans. The food items of the smallest tidewater

gobies (4-8 mm) have not been examined, but these

gobies, like many other early stage larval fishes, probably feed on unicellular phytoplankton or zooplankton (64 FR 33816).

Tidewater goby populations may fluctuate seasonally. In Aliso Creek Lagoon in Orange County, the

winter-early spring population was estimated at 1,000-

1,500 fish; after the summer-fall spawning, the population rose to 10,000-15,000 individuals. They are

found in small groups or in aggregations of hundreds.

Tidewaters seem to live for only one year. Some lowlevel spawning occurs throughout the year, but most

occurs from late April through the fall (Love, 1996).

The northern population of tidewater goby is

found along coastal areas from Del Norte County south

to Los Angeles County. It lost some of its habitat over

the past 150 years to farming, development, and pollution (Pacific Region USFWS News Release June 24,

1999). Since 1994, the northern population of tidewater gobies has rebounded sharply. In 1999, the FWS

proposed to delist that population, while maintaining

the endangered designation for the southern population.

The Service created a draft recovery plan for the

entire goby population, but the plan was voided when

earlier this year the northern population was proposed

for delisting. The Service is now in the process of

developing a new recovery plan for the southern population (Pacific Region USFWS News Release August

3, 1999).

Steelhead Trout (Endangered). The effective

date for listing the Southern California Evolutionarily

Significant Unit (ESU) of west coast steelhead

(Oncorhynchus mykiss) as endangered and the

South-Central California Coast ESU as threatened is

October 17, 1997 (63 FR 32996). Steelhead from the

Southern California ESU have already been extirpated

from much of their historical range.

Southern California—This coastal steelhead

ESU occupies rivers from the Santa Maria River to

the southern extent of the species range. Historically,

O. mykiss occurred at least as far south as Rio del

Presidio in Mexico (Behnke, 1992; Burgner et al.,

1992). The present southernmost stream used by

steelhead for spawning is generally thought to be

Malibu Creek (Behnke, 1992; Burgner et al., 1992);

however, in years of substantial rainfall, spawning

steelhead can be found as far south as the Santa

Margarita River in San Diego County (Barnhart,

1986).

South-Central California Coast--This coastal

steelhead ESU occupies rivers from the Pajaro River,

Santa Cruz County, to, but not including, the Santa

Maria River. Most rivers of this region drain the Santa

Lucia Range, the southernmost unit of the California

Coast Ranges. The climate is drier and warmer than

in the north, which is reflected in the vegetational

change from coniferous forest to chaparral and coastal

scrub. The mouths of many rivers and streams in

this area are seasonally closed by sand berms that form

during periods of low flow in the summer.

Migration and life history patterns of southern

California steelhead depend more strongly on rainfall

and streamflow than is the case for steelhead populations farther north (Moore, 1980; Titus et al., in press).

Average rainfall is substantially lower and more variable in southern California than in regions to the

north, resulting in increased duration of sand berms

across the mouths of streams and rivers and, in some

cases, complete dewatering of the lower reaches of

these streams from late spring through fall. Young

steelhead remain in fresh water anywhere from less

than 1 year to 3 years. Juveniles migrate to sea usu-
4-101

Description of the Affected Environment: Biological Resources

ally in spring, but throughout their range steelhead

are entering the ocean during every month, where they

spend 1-4 years before maturing and ascending

streams for the first time. Only winter steelhead are

found in southern and south-central California. Winter steelhead enter their home streams from about

November to April. Spawning takes place from March

to early May. Some steelhead, primarily females, do

not die after spawning, and may spawn as many as

four times throughout their lives. Females produce

200-12,000 eggs, which hatch in about 50 days (Love,

1996).

Steelhead, like all salmon, need clean, cool water with plenty of oxygen and low amounts of suspended solids and contaminants. They also need

gravel and rocks to spawn. Steelhead also require

large, woody debris and deep pools in the river, which

provide refuge from predators and resting places during storms. Deep pools give steelhead cool water when

shallow areas warm up in the summer.

Critical habitat is designated to include all river

reaches and estuarine areas accessible to listed steelhead in coastal river basins from the Santa Maria River

to Malibu Creek (inclusive). Also included are adjacent riparian zones. Excluded are tribal lands and

areas above specific dams or above longstanding, naturally impassable barriers (i.e., natural waterfalls in

existence for at least several hundred years). Major

river basins containing spawning and rearing habitat

for this ESU comprise approximately 3,967 square

miles in California. The following counties lie partially or wholly within these basins (or contain migration habitat for the species): Los Angeles, San Luis

Obispo, Santa Barbara, and Ventura.

4.6.7.6 PLANTS

The following discussion provides a brief description of the threatened and endangered birds that both

occur in the project area and that may be affected by

project-related activities. More detailed information

on the biology of the species of federally listed plants

in the project area is provided in the Biological Evaluation prepared for the Section 7 consultation on the

proposed Rocky Point Unit development project

(MMS, 2000).

Salt Marsh Bird’s-Beak. The salt marsh bird’sbeak (Cordylanthus maritimus ssp.maritimus), an annual semiparasitic herb in the figwort family

(Scrophulariaceae), was listed as endangered on September 28, 1978 (43 FR 44812). A recovery plan for

this species was approved in 1984 (FWS, 1984b). Critical habitat has not been designated. The main reason

for listing this species was habitat loss.

This plant is generally restricted to coastal salt

marshes. Although there has been some confusion in

the past over the range of this subspecies and the similar Point Reyes bird’s-beak (Cordylanthus maritimus

ssp. palustris), this plant occurs in salt marshes from

Carpinteria Marsh in Santa Barbara County south to

San Diego County and Northern Baja California,

Mexico. Herbarium records indicate that it was found

in at least 10 marshes in California (FWS, 1984b), and

in as many as 5 in Baja. The current distribution of

this species includes Carpinteria Marsh, the Ventura

County Game Preserve, Ormond Beach, Mugu Lagoon, Anaheim Bay, Upper Newport Bay, Sweetwater

Marsh, and the Tijuana River estuary (FWS, 1984b).

The primary habitat for this plant is the upper

salt marsh that is inundated by tides on a regular basis, but above areas that receive daily salt flooding.

Plants may also occur behind barrier dunes, on dunes,

mounds, and occasionally in areas with no tidal influence. The plant forms root connections with other

plant species such as salt grass (Distichlis sp.),

pickleweed (Salicornia sp.), and cattail (Typha

latifolia), which may be especially important for plants

growing on drier sites (FWS, 1984b).

Population data are not available for most of the

salt marsh bird’s-beak sites.

California Sea-Blite. The California sea-blite

(Suaeda californica), a succulent-leaved perennial

plant of the goosefoot family (Chenopodiaceae), was

listed as endangered on December 15, 1994 (59 FR

64623). A recovery plan is not available for this species, and critical habitat has not been designated. The

main reason for listing this species was habitat loss.

Some confusion has occurred over the historical

range of this plant. Munz (1959) described the range

as extending from San Francisco Bay south to southern Baja California, Mexico. However, Ferren and

Whitmore (1983) separated the plant into two species. The plant they separated out, Suaeda esteroa,

occurs from Santa Barbara County south to Baja. The

historical range of the California sea-blite, therefore,

includes the San Francisco Bay area and Morro Bay.

The only existing population of this species is along

the perimeter of Morro Bay. The distribution of California sea-blite around Morro Bay was mapped in the

early 1990’s (see 59 FR 64623). On the east side of

the bay, colonies occur adjacent to the communities of

Morro Bay, Baywood Park, and Cuesta by-the-Sea, although it apparently is absent from the more interior

portion of the marshlands created by Chorro Creek

runoff. On the west side of the bay, it is found along

most of the spit, excepting the northern flank adjacent to the mouth of the bay.California sea-blite is

restricted to the coastal marsh habitat of Morro Bay,

where it occurs in a very narrow band in the upper

intertidal zone. Sea-blite occurs in association with

other marsh plants including Salicornia sp.

(pickleweed), Distichlis spicata (saltgrass), Juncus

acutus (rush), Jaumea carnosa (Jaumea), and

Frankenia salina (Frankenia) and the federally endangered Cordylanthus maritimus ssp. maritimus
4-102

Delineation Drilling Activities Offshore Santa Barbara County

(salt marsh birds-beak) (59 FR 64623).

The sea-blite’s colonial habits make it difficult

to estimate the population. One estimate places the

number of individuals at no more than 500 (see 59 FR

64623).

Impacts of Past and Present OCS Activities: Offshore oil and gas activities began off southern California in the 1800’s (Lima, 1994). Section 5.0

provides information on current offshore infrastructure and levels and types of activities. Several reviews

have been made of the possible cumulative impacts of

these activities on biological resources in the region

(Van Horn et al., 1988; Bornholdt and Lear, 1995, 1997;

MMS, 1996).

Marine Mammals. Noise and disturbance associated with offshore oil and gas activities in southern

California have resulted in few documented impacts

to marine mammals. Van Horn et al. (1988) concluded

that seismic surveys and support vessel traffic had

resulted in temporary, localized disturbances to some

marine mammals, primarily gray whales. However,

despite hypothesizing that increased vessel traffic off

southern California might be causing greater numbers of gray whales to migrate farther offshore

(Wolman and Rice, 1979; MBC Applied Environmental Services, 1989), the gray whale population has

grown steadily during recent decades. Blue and humpback whales have also been appearing off southern

California in increasing numbers in summer and fall.

There is no evidence that increased vessel traffic (of

which oil and gas support vessels are a very small part)

has resulted in adverse impacts on endangered cetacean populations.

Based on experiences in southern California, the

MMS believes that accidental collisions between endangered whales and support vessel traffic are unlikely

events. Although large cetaceans have occasionally

been struck by freighters or tankers, and sometimes

by small recreational boats, no such incidents have

been reported with crew or supply boats off California (MMS, unpubl. data).

The same is true for southern sea otters.

Pinnipeds are very nimble and considered very

unlikely to be struck by vessels. However, the single

documented instance of a collision between a marine

mammal and a support vessel involved a pinniped—

an adult male elephant seal struck and presumably

killed by a supply vessel in the Santa Barbara Channel in June 1999.

The only oil spill from offshore oil and gas activities in southern California known to have contacted

marine mammals was the 1969 Santa Barbara Channel spill. Although the entire northward migration of

California gray whales passed through the Santa Barbara Channel while it was contaminated, Brownell

(1971) found no evidence that any cetacean mortality

had occurred due to the spill. Similarly, studies of

elephant seals and California sea lions contacted by

the 1969 spill reported no evidence of pinniped mortality from this event (Brownell and Le Boeuf, 1971;

Le Boeuf, 1971). Since 1971, when formal tracking of

all OCS spills was initiated, 841 OCS-related oil spills

have occurred in the Pacific Region (see Chapter 5.3.1).

However, almost all of these (99 percent) have been

very small (less than 50 bbl), although five ranged in

size from 50 to 163 bbl. No impacts to marine mammals have been reported from these spills. Although

one OCS oil spill, the 1997 Torch spill off Point

Pedernales, did contact the shoreline at the southern

end of the sea otter range, no otters are known to

have been contacted by oil (M.D. McCrary, MMS, pers.

comm.).

To date, no significant impacts on threatened

and endangered marine mammal populations from

OCS oil and gas activities have been identified.

Birds. The impact sources related to offshore

oil and gas activities that may have had long-term (e.g.,

months or years) effects on threatened and endangered birds in the project area are oil spills and helicopter flights. Other activities, including noise and

disturbance associated with exploration, platform and

pipeline installation, and vessel traffic, would have

had, at most, very short-term (e.g., hours or days),

minor effects on threatened and endangered birds in

this area.

The largest OCS-related oil spill in the Pacific

Region was the 1969 Santa Barbara spill, which resulted in the loss of thousands of birds of many different species, including brown pelicans (Straughn,

1971). As discussed above for marine mammals, all

other oil spills in southern California were either very

small (less than 50 bbl) or had no reported impact on

birds except for the 163-bbl 1997 Torch pipeline spill

off Point Pedernales. The Torch spill contacted the

shoreline and resulted in bird mortality. Although

information on the exact number and species of birds

that were observed with some oiling or that were rescued and/or died from oiling in the Torch spill is not

available due to pending litigation, several species were

involved, some of which could have been endangered

birds that occur in the area. Based on where and when

the spill occurred, the only endangered birds that

might have been involved were brown pelicans and

snowy plovers. The estimated level of impact of the

Torch spill on these two species is not available at this

time.

The level of OCS-related helicopter traffic in the

Pacific Region is described in section 5.1. Helicopter

traffic can cause disturbances to birds, especially in

largely unpopulated areas (e.g., Alaska). Several international and numerous smaller airports occur along

the southern California coast along with several military airports, and air traffic is a constant daily or even

hourly occurrence, and birds have probably become

habituated to air traffic at least to some extent in this

area. Probably birds are most sensitive to the effects
4-103

Description of the Affected Environment: Biological Resources

of helicopter traffic when they are nesting. Brown

pelicans nest on Anacapa and Santa Barbara Islands,

which are part of the Channel Islands National Marine Sanctuary and the Channel Islands National Park,

where air traffic is restricted to altitudes greater than

1,000 feet.

Reptiles, Amphibians, Fish, and Plants. No impacts on sea turtles, red-legged frogs, fish, or plants

from past and present offshore oil and gas activities

in the Pacific Region have been identified.

4.6.8 ESTUARINE AND WETLAND

HABITATS

Estuaries are bodies of water, ranging in size

from streams to large bays, which communicate with

the sea through relatively narrow openings. The openings of many estuaries are closed to the sea for certain periods of time. Most estuaries are characterized by strong salinity gradients, ranging from very

low salinity at the head to high salinity at the mouth.

Wetlands are the saturated lowland areas associated

with the estuary, such as a swamp or mudflat. This

section will focus on estuarine and wetland habitats;

for specific discussions of the plants, animals or fish

and endangered species residing in these habitats,

please refer to the appropriate sections in this chapter.

Estuaries and wetlands in the Southern California Bight have been severely impacted through physical alteration by commercial and residential development, upland practices in the watersheds increasing

sediment load, and discharges of pollutants into the

watersheds through agricultural practices and surface

runoff. Consequently, there are numerous local, state,

and federal regulations protecting remaining wetland

areas.

Policies of the Coastal Act on 1976 and the local

Land Use Plans specifically afford wetland and estuarine habitat protection through limitations placed on

dredging, excavation and construction activities (ADL,

1984). The Regional Water Quality Control Board and

local water quality agencies require permits for

projects that could discharge into a watershed. Additionally, a variety of biological agencies such as the

U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service and California Department of Fish and Game protect specific species found

in wetlands that are listed under Federal or State provisions as candidate, threatened, or endangered species. MMS protects this habitat through lease stipulations, regulations, and inspection procedures designed to prevent oil from reaching and impacting

important estuarine habitat due to oil spill prevention measures and field response.

Regional Setting. Estuarine habitats contain

a greater diversity of both plant and animal life forms,

per unit surface area, than any other habitat in the

marine environment. Estuarine habitats are highly

productive because they constitute an area where

freshwater, marine and terrestrial habitats meet and

intermingle. Estuarine habitats often serve as spawning and nursery grounds for marine fish and invertebrates.

Although the size and relative importance varies, estuaries are found along most of the Pacific Coast.

In general, the estuaries off California are smaller than

along the East Coast and the estuaries in Southern

California are the most heavily disturbed along California. The largest of the relatively unaltered bays is

Morro Bay. Morro Bay contains an extensive salt

marsh, tidal mudflats, and a rich assemblage of estuarine and terrestrial animals. Eel grass beds are

extensive providing specialized habitat for plants, invertebrates and important bird species, such as the

black brant (MMS, 1996). For a complete discussion

of birds, fishes and endangered plants refer to the appropriate sections in this document.

Important estuarine habitats in Santa Barbara

County include the Santa Ynez River, Goleta Slough

and Carpinteria Marsh. Resources found are described

in detail in Santa Barbara County’s inventory of

coastal wetland resources (Ambrose, 1995). Endangered plant, fish and bird species are also discussed in

the Biological Evaluation (See Appendix). The Santa

Ynez River and Carpinteria Marsh have limited tidal

flushing because they become closed off at the mouth

by natural sand berms seasonally. The Santa Ynez

River and the Goleta Slough contain by far the largest areas of salt marsh in the Santa Barbara County

area. They also contain large mud flats and channels.

On average, 40 percent of the plant species identified

were non-native (Ambrose, 1995). Invertebrates were

lacking at all wetland sites except those with regular

tidal flushing. Ambrose (1995) found that higher numbers of birds were associated with wetlands that have

larger flooded areas. Their surveys also found that

Goleta Slough contained the highest diversity of fish.

Tidewater gobies (Eucyclogobicus newberryi) were

sampled in a large percentage of the identified creeks,

the highest number at Santa Ynez River (Ambrose,

1995).

The streams in Santa Barbara County are perennial or intermittent. Streams that had, at some

time, a connection to the ocean and are subject to tidal

inundation are more likely to be impacted by an accidental oil spill. In Santa Barbara County, 24 streams

were identified which could have inward flow at certain times of the year (Ambrose, 1995); roughly a third

of the streams, therefore, are more susceptible to oiling. For example, of the 26 streambeds from Gaviota

to Point Conception, 10 have perennial flow (ADL,

1984).

One of the largest remaining wetlands in Southern California is Mugu Lagoon in Ventura County. It
4-104

Delineation Drilling Activities Offshore Santa Barbara County

Author and Publication Date Description of Study 

Ambrose, 1995 Biological inventory of wetlands in Santa Barbara 

County. 

Coastal Conservancy; SCCWRP Website detailing database of information about 

wetlands through the Southern California Wetlands 

Recovery project. 

www.coastalconservancy.ca.gov/sccwrp/i

ndex

Zedler, 1982 Characterization of wetlands from southern Santa 

Barbara county to the Mexican border. 

has a permanently open mouth that assures good

water quality but also makes it more vulnerable to an

oil spill. Important habitats include open water,

mudflats, tidal creeks and a very extensive salt marsh.

The salt marsh is the most extensive in southern California and supports many endangered and sensitive

species including salt marsh bird’s beak, clapper rail,

Belding’s savannah sparrow, least tern, snowy plover

and brown pelican (pers. comm., R. Ambrose, U.C.L.A.

2001). Mugu Lagoon is also an important stop on the

Pacific flyway, serving many thousands of migrating

shorebirds each year. While serving a diverse biological community, Mugu Lagoon and its watershed contends with a variety of disturbances from onshore activities. Ongoing Navy activities including noise and

emissions from air traffic, urban and rural runoff, and

input from six sewage treatment plants provide ongoing sources of contamination and disturbance. Agricultural runoff into the watershed is another source

of ongoing disturbance.

Descriptions of the various community types

found in estuaries and wetlands such as tidal flats,

eel grass beds, salt marsh, open water, and rocky bottoms are found in a variety of documents including

previous Lease Sale EIS’s, and development EIS’s

(table 4.6.8-1).

Impacts of Past Offshore Oil and Gas Activities. The two activities from oil and gas activities

that would impact wetland or estuarine habitats are

nearshore/onshore pipeline construction and an oil

spill accident. Pipelines have been constructed in several locations that border on estuarine areas. These

include the Point Pedernales pipeline near the Santa

Ynez River, the Point Arguello pipeline which

transects several streambeds, the All American pipeline which crosses streambeds along southern Santa

Barbara County and several pipelines connecting older

facilities to the Carpinteria Plant near the Carpinteria

Marsh.

The Point Pedernales pipeline to shore connecting Platform Irene to their onshore facility in Lompoc

was installed north of Santa Ynez River. Mitigation

measures placed on the project by the County of Santa

Barbara and the U.S. Fish and Wildlife service, in particular, were intended to mitigate impacts to the wetland from increased sedimentation and habitat removal. In conversation with the county’s environmental inspector, it appears that very few, if any, impacts occurred in the wetland due to the pipeline’s

location north of the river (pers. comm., J. Storrer,

2000). Residual impacts from the pipeline installation relate to terrestrial vegetation recovery and not

impacts to the wetland resources. UNOCAL satisfied

all of their County permit conditions related to the

shoreline resources, including the dune area. The two

remaining issues are terrestrial: the replanting of a

large number of oak trees and the realignment of a

road (pers. comm., J. Storrer, 2000). Periodic pipeline block valves, required by the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service to minimize the size of a spill into the river

should a break occur, were installed and are inspected

regularly.

The Point Arguello pipeline from Platform

Hermosa to the onshore facility at Gaviota crossed

ten miles of onshore land containing 27 intermittent

creeks and streams. As is the case with the Point

Pedernales pipelines, residual impacts include primarily terrestrial revegetation issues rather than wetland resource problems. Construction did not result

in significant increases in sediment load or other losses

to the streambed/wetland habitats themselves (pers.

comm., J. Storrer, 2000).

The only offshore OCS spills that have hit the

shoreline were the 1969 blowout and the Platform

Irene pipeline spill in 1997. There is no indication

Table 4.6.8-1. Pertinent references for wetland and estuarine habitats.
4-105

Description of the Affected Environment: Biological Resources

that oil from the 1969 blowout reached wetland habitat. This is surprising since the Carpinteria Marsh is

close to other heavily oiled beaches, near the origin of

the spill, and virtually unprotected by today’s standards (Santa Barbara News Press, Straughan, 1971,

URS, 1974). It seems probable that ongoing rain during the first several days of the spill caused the rivers

to have outward flow, thereby preventing inward flow

of oil. In the case of the 1997 spill, although the Santa

Ynez River mouth was within a short distance of the

spill origin, it was not damaged. A small quantity of

oil passed over the natural berm at the Santa Ynez

River due to unusually high tides, however, no measurable impacts to wetland habitat or resources were

identified (pers. comm., K. Wilson, CDFG/OSPR 2001).

In conclusion, overall impacts to wetland and

estuarine habitats from oil and gas construction activities to date have been low. Temporary increases

in sedimentation in intermittent streams may have

occurred during pipeline construction activities, and

short-duration loss of access to areas by resident birds

during construction activities may also have occurred

at the Santa Ynez River. Oil spills from OCS activities have not occurred that have affected wetland habitat to date.

4.6.9 REFUGES, PRESERVES AND MARINE

SANCTUARIES

Refuges, preserves, and marine sanctuaries are

areas that are legally defined and regulated by the

State or Federal government, with the primary intent of protecting marine resources for their inherent

biological or ecological value (for more detailed information on these areas, see A.D. Little, 1985 and

McArdle, 1997). For information on the biological

resources protected within these areas, refer to the

individual resource sections in Chapter 4. Additional

areas, which are considered by many to be unique or

of significant biological importance, but not legally defined as such, may also be discussed in the appropriate resource section. Other areas, which have been

designated for public use and preserved principally

for their recreational and/or aesthetic values, are described in section 4.9.

State Protected Areas: Protected areas within

the project area, that are legally defined and controlled

by the State of California, include reserves, ecological

reserves, Areas of Special Biological Significance

(ASBS), and University of California Natural Reserves.

Figure 4.6.9-1. Location of refuges, preserves and marine sanctuaries in the project area.
4-106

Delineation Drilling Activities Offshore Santa Barbara County

Preserves and Ecological Reserves. While nomenclature and regulations are not standard among

the State’s marine reserves, the underlying intent of

protecting biologically important habitats and marine

life is universal. The purpose in assigning marine

preserve or ecological reserve status to certain coastal

areas is to further protect (beyond existing regulations) the State’s tidepool and shallow subtidal resources from the abuse and waste of recreational and

commercial harvesting. This is achieved by prohibiting the general (unpermitted) collection of animals

and plants within the designated boundaries of preserves to 304.8 m (1,000 ft) beyond the low tidemark.

Ecological reserves extend this level of protection to

include rare or endangered wildlife and aquatic organisms, as well as specialized habitat types, both terrestrial and aquatic. Thus, entire ecosystems are maintained in a natural condition for the benefit of both

the general public and scientific communities. Currently, four preserves and eight ecological reserves

occur within the project area (table 4.6.9-1, figure

4.6.9-1).

Areas of Special Biological Significance. Areas

of Special Biological Significance (ASBS) contain biological communities that, because of their intrinsic

value or fragility, deserve special protection through

the preservation and maintenance of natural water

quality conditions. The purpose of ASBS designation

is to eliminate the risk of damage to valuable intertidal and shallow subtidal habitats and their marine

life occupants by prohibiting the discharge of wastes

into, or within the vicinity of, these special biological

communities.

Areas of Special Biological Significance were designated by the State Water Resources Control Board

in 1974 and 1975, and are monitored periodically

through a joint interagency agreement with the California Department of Fish and Game. Many ASBS’s

overlap geographically with established marine life

refuges and reserves. Of the 34 total ASBS’s in the

State, 5 occur within the project area (table 4.6.9-1,

figure 4.6.9-1).

University of California Natural Reserves: The

Natural Reserve System (NRS) was created by the Regents of the University of California in 1965. Each

reserve has been established to support the University of California’s research and teaching mission and,

where appropriate, public service programs. To date,

33 NRS reserves have been established, 3 of which occur along the coast within the project area (table 4.6.9-

1, figure 4.6.9-1).

Federally Protected Areas: Two national marine sanctuaries occur within or near the general

project area, the Channel Islands National Marine

Sanctuary and Monterey Bay National Marine Sanctuary (Figure 4.6.9-1). Title III of the Marine Protection, Research and Sanctuaries Act of 1972 as

amended, authorizes the Secretary of Commerce, with

Presidential approval, to designate discrete marine

areas of special national significance as national marine sanctuaries. The program is administered by

NOAA through its Marine and Estuarine Management

Division (MEMD). The objectives of the program are

to: 1) preserve and protect valuable marine resources,

2) promote scientific research, 3) enhance public

awareness, and 4) facilitate, to the extent compatible

with the primary goal of resource protection, multiple

use (including oil and gas activities) of these marine

areas. Soon after designation and after consultation

with other Federal and State agencies, “necessary and

reasonable” regulations for activities which are permitted within the sanctuary are issued. Located along

the south side of the Santa Barbara Channel, the

Channel Islands National Marine Sanctuary (CINMS)

was created in 1980 to preserve the area’s unique and

strategically situated ecosystems (intertidal, subtidal,

benthic, pelagic), to encourage scientific research, and

to enhance public awareness of sanctuary resources.

Areas of upwelling within waters of the CINMS explain the high levels of productivity found there. This

in turn supports an exceptionally rich and diverse biota

on the bottom (including an area of purple coral,

Allopora californica) and within the water column.

The CINMS contains extensive kelp beds, fish, and

shellfish highly valued by commercial and sport fishermen, and an unusual combination of several cold

water/warm water transition zone species. The management plan for the CINMS is currently undergoing

a review. During this review process, changes to the

sanctuary boundaries are being considered which, if

approved, would expand the sanctuary.

The wide range of water temperatures, shoreline exposures and substrate types of the islands creates a variety of different habitats. Common intertidal habitat types within the Sanctuary include rock

shelves, boulder beaches, sandy beaches, and tidepools

(CINMS, 2001). Most of the islands’ shoreline is rocky.

Santa Rosa and San Miguel islands have the largest

expanses of sandy beaches of the four northern islands,

although rocky beaches still predominate on both islands. Beaches on the outside or ocean facing side of

the islands are subjected to strong wave action,

whereas beaches along the Channel are calmer, providing habitats for a wide range of species on each

island.

In the rocky intertidal, common species include

mussels, barnacles, periwinkles, limpets, chitons, sea

stars, anemones, shore crabs, and brown, red, and

green algae (CINMS, 2001). Island sandy beaches are

characterized by the presence of common and spiny

sand crabs in the intertidal zone, while flies, beach

hoppers and isopods frequent the wrack line (Ricketts

et al., 1985).
4-107

Description of the Affected Environment: Biological Resources

________________________________________________________________________________ 

Designation Ownership/Administration 

________________________________________________________________________________ 

Julia Pfeiffer Burns Underwater Park ASBS State 

Big Creek Marine Resources Protection Act 

 Ecological Reserve State 

Ocean Area Surrounding the Mouth of 

 Salmon Creek ASBS State 

Monterey Bay National Marine Sanctuary Federal 

Atascadero Beach Pismo Clam Preserve State 

Morro Beach Pismo Clam Preserve State 

Pismo Invertebrate Preserve State 

Pismo-Oceano Beach Pismo Clam Peserve State 

Vandenberg Marine Resources Protection Act 

 Ecological Reserve State 

Coal Oil Point Natural Reserve Univ. of Calif. 

Carpinteria Salt Marsh Reserve Univ. of Calif. 

San Miguel Island Ecological Reserve State 

San Miguel, Santa Rosa, and Santa Cruz Islands ASBS1

 State 

Santa Cruz Island Reserve Univ. of Calif. 

Anacapa Island Ecological Reserve State 

Santa Barbara Island Ecological Reserve State 

Santa Barbara and Anacapa Island ASBS State 

Channel Islands National Marine Sanctuary Federal 

Channel Islands National Park Federal 

Santa Barbara Channel Ecological Preserve Federal 

Mugu Lagoon to Latigo Point ASBS State 

Big Sycamore Canyon Marine Resources Protection Act 

 Ecological Reserve State 

Abalone Cove Ecological Reserve State 

___________________________________________________________________________

1

Area of Special Biological Significance 

Table 4.6.9-1. State and federal areas of defined biological significance in the project area.
4-108

Delineation Drilling Activities Offshore Santa Barbara County

Within the CINMS, kelp forest rocky-bottom and

shallow sandy-bottom communities are the predominant nearshore subtidal habitats (CINMS, 2001).

Giant kelp occurs in shallow water throughout the

Sanctuary, with densest formations along protected

island shores. The kelp beds provide habitat for a

variety of invertebrates, including sponge, kelp crab,

spiny lobster, octopus and squid, sea stars, and sea

urchins. Common kelp forest fish include garibaldi,

opal eye, kelp bass, sheepshead, sea perch, and rockfish. In sandy habitat, common invertebrate species

include sea pansies, polychaetes, and sand dollars; fish

include several species of rays, sand dabs, and turbot.

Four species of pinnipeds breed on islands within

the CINMS (Bonnell and Dailey, 1993; DeLong and

Melin, 2000; Stewart and Yochem, 2000). California

sea lions, the most abundant pinnipeds in southern

California, breed principally on San Miguel Island and,

in substantially lower numbers, on Santa Barbara Island. Northern elephant seals also breed in large

numbers on San Miguel Island and in relatively small

numbers at Santa Rosa and Santa Barbara Islands.

Harbor seals haul out and breed on all the islands in

the CINMS. In the CINMS, northern fur seals breed

only at San Miguel Island (at Point Bennett and nearby

Castle Rock).

Two additional pinniped species, the Steller sea

lion and Guadalupe fur seal, are occasional visitors to

San Miguel Island (Bonnell and Dailey, 1993; DeLong

and Melin, 2000; Stewart and Yochem, 2000). Both

these species are listed as threatened under the U.S.

Endangered Species Act (ESA).

At least 27 species of cetaceans have been sighted

in CINMS waters (CINMS, 2001). Of these, about a

dozen species occur regularly. The CINMS lies along

the gray whale migratory pathway, and gray whales

with calves have been observed in nearshore kelp beds

along the islands. Federally endangered blue and

humpback whales are also present in Sanctuary waters during summer months.

More than 60 species of marine birds may use

CINMS waters to varying degrees, as nesting and foraging habitat, wintering, an/or migratory or staging

areas (CINMS, 2001). Twelve species of seabirds are

known to breed on islands in the CINMS, with greatest numbers on San Miguel, Anacapa, and Santa Barbara Islands (Carter et al., 1992). Santa Barbara Island has the largest Xantus’ murrelet nesting colony

and the only established black storm-petrel nesting

colony in the U.S. Anacapa Island is the only permanent U.S. breeding site for the endangered brown pelican.

The CINMS overlaps or encompasses the boundaries of several other Federal- and State-protected areas. The terrestrial resources of the five northernmost Channel Islands (San Miguel, Santa Rosa, Santa

Cruz, Anacapa, and Santa Barbara) are protected by

the Channel Islands National Park, which was created in 1980. The Park also encompasses the marine

environment within 1 mile of shore, where it overlaps

the Sanctuary. This region was also designated as a

Biosphere Reserve in 1976. The Sanctuary also encompasses State-controlled ecological reserves and

ASBS’s.

Located to the north of the project area (Figure

4.6.9-1), the Monterey Bay National Marine Sanctuary (MBNMS) was created in 1992. The MBNMS,

which extends from Point Reyes-Farallon Island Nation Marine Sanctuary south to Cambria, San Luis

Obispo County, was established for the purpose of:

bolstering the existing regulatory resource protection

regime, establishing a coordinated research program,

developing a broad-based education and interpretive

program, and providing a comprehensive management

framework to protect the area’s resources. The exceptionally rich and abundant floral and faunal communities that occur within the MBNMS include a variety of intertidal and subtital habitats; a high diversity of marine mammals, including several endangered

and threatened species such as the endemic and threatened California sea otter; and a large array of bird

species.

The invertebrate fauna of the Monterey Bay area

is among the most diverse and species-rich in the world

(NOAA, 1992), with the widest array of invertebrate

species occurring in the rocky intertidal habitat of the

area. Characteristic species include periwinkles, isopods, barnacles, limpets, sea snails, crabs, chitons,

mussels, sea stars, and anemones. Marine algae are

also diverse and abundant, with over 450 species occurring in the area, including several endemics.

The diverse and abundant fish fauna in the

Monterey Bay area is another important resource. Approximately 345 species of fish are found within the

sanctuary (NOAA, 1992). The various fish resource

habitats within the sanctuary include: canyon and

deep bottom; rocky intertidal (tidepools); subtidal

(kelp); estuaries, sloughs and sandy intertidal;

nearshore sublittoral (soft bottom); epipelagic ; and

meso- and bathypelagic.

Ninety-four seabird species are known to occur

in the Monterey Bay region, of which about thirty species predominate in their preferred seasons and habitats (Briggs and Chu, 1987). Thirteen species are resident breeders or former breeders within the region.

Common breeding species include Brandt’s cormorants, western gulls, pigeon guillemots, and common

murres (Dohl et al., 1983).

In all, 21 cetacean species, 6 pinniped species,

and the southern sea otter are known to occur in the

Sanctuary (Bonnell et al., 1983; Dohl et al., 1983;

MBNMS, 2001). Within and near the Bay itself, the

predominant odontocete species include Pacific whitesided dolphins, Risso’s dolphins, northern right whale

dolphins, Dall’s porpoises, harbor porpoises, and

bottlenose dolphins. Seasonally, the most common
4-109

Description of the Affected Environment: Biological Resources

baleen whales in this area are gray whales, and the

endangered blue and humpback whales. Sperm

whales, also an endangered species, are relatively common in offshore waters.

Another federally protected area, the Santa Barbara Channel Ecological Preserve (Figure 4.6.9-1), was

established in March 1969 by Public Land Order 4587

and consists of what was previously known as the Federal Ecological Preserve and Buffer Zone. The Federal Ecological Preserve alone is composed of ten whole

and partial blocks, while eight additional blocks (whole

and partial) adjacent to the Preserve are designated

as a Buffer Zone. All blocks are subject to valid existing rights, but have been withdrawn from all forms of

disposition (including mineral leasing) and are reserved for scientific, recreational, or other uses similar to these.

4.6.10 ONSHORE BIOLOGICAL RESOURCES

The following discussion provides a brief overview of the terrestrial biology of northern Santa Barbara County, where future activities may occur as a

result of the proposed projects. The project area for

this analysis extends from the Santa Barbara County

line at the Santa Maria River in the north to the Santa

Ynez River and Point Arguello in the south and inland to the cities of Santa Maria and Lompoc (figure

4.0-2). More detailed information on this area or similar nearby areas is provided in the Point Pedernales

Project Environmental Impact Report/Statement

(A.D. Little, 1985), the San Miguel Project Environmental Impact Report/Statement (URS, 1986), the

Vandenberg Air Force Base Integrated Natural Resources Management Plan (Tetra Tech, 1996), and the

Draft North County Siting Study (County of Santa

Barbara , 2000).

Although this discussion concentrates on natural communities, the onshore project area actually

consists of a complex patchwork of native (wetlands,

oak woodlands, etc.) and man-made (urban areas, agricultural land, etc.) habitats, which support a diverse

assemblage of plants and animals (for a description of

the agricultural and other man-made areas, see A.D.

Little, 1985 and County Santa Barbara, 2000). The

area varies from coastal beaches, dunes, and wetlands

to river valleys and coastal mountains. Two important rivers, the Santa Maria and Santa Ynez Rivers, flow

through the area. San Antonio Creek is another important drainage. The location of Point Conception at the

south end of this area, which is a major biogeographical

feature marking the northern and southern range limits for many plants and animals, further adds to the complexity of the area. About 1,400 plant species are native

to Santa Barbara County (Smith, 1998), about 40 of

which are endemic to the project area or nearby surrounding areas (A.D. Little, 1985).

Plant Communities and Habitats. The terrestrial vegetation within the project area generally fall

into seven major plant communities, which are described below. For a more thorough discussion of the

plant communities, habitats, and plant species in the

project area and vicinity, see A.D. Little (1985) and

URS (1986).

Wetlands. Freshwater wetlands that occur in

the project area include freshwater upstream marshes

and sloughs, vernal pools, seeps and marshy areas.

For information on coastal wetlands including estuaries and saltwater marshes, see section 4.6.8. Freshwater marshes in the area are typically dominated by

herbaceous species including cattails, tules, and bulrushes associated with springs and seeps, ponds, dune

swales, and slow-moving streams. Wetlands, although

easily disturbed, are an ecologically important component of the project area in that they support a large

number of plant and animal species and play a major

role in erosion control, water quality, and water storage.

Coastal Strand. Within the project area, this

habitat is found on foredunes and beaches above the

high tide line. It is especially well represented along

the north coast of Santa Barbara County and into

southern San Luis Obispo County, from Point Conception to Pismo Beach. Most plants that grow here

are low, succulent perennials with spreading stems

that form large mats or trail over the dune surface

and deep root systems that extend far down into the

well-drained sand. Plant cover reduces sand movement and imparts a degree of stability to this changeable environment. The ocean-facing slopes of the

foredunes are dominated by purple sand-verbena, a

southern species, or yellow sand-verbena, a northern

species. Sea rocket, an annual most common on low

beach hummocks, beachbur, beach primrose and beach

morning-glory are also common in coastal strand.

These plants are sensitive to crushing by people and

off-road vehicles (ORVs). Disturbance of these communities has resulted in the displacement of native

species by exotics such as ice plant and beach grass.

Grassland. Grasslands, which are predominantly composed of introduced annual grasses, herbs,

and forbs, cover much of the lower elevation foothills

and terraces of the project area. They also occur adjacent to stands of scrub and woodland, forming edge

habitat where species diversity is greatly enhanced.

Native bunch grasses, which dominated these grasslands before the advent of grazing by non-native herbivores, are now restricted to remnant patches.

Coastal Sage Scrub. Coastal sage scrub is a diverse habitat that occurs from steep, dry slopes near

the coast to the interior foothills, where it is frequently

in association with grasslands, chaparral, and oak

woodland. Dense vegetative cover and an abundance

of available food, combine to make coastal sage scrub

an important habitat for reptiles, birds, and mammals.

Coastal sage scrub is dominated by low to medium-
4-110

Delineation Drilling Activities Offshore Santa Barbara County

sized shrubs with soft, gray or dull green leaves. These

shrubs are aromatic, woody or woody at the base only,

shallow-rooted and may have facultatively drought-deciduous leaves. Common species include California

sagebrush, various sages (Salvia spp.), coyote brush,

and goldenbush.

Chaparral. Chaparral is the predominant vegetation type in much of southern California and covers

large areas of rocky mountain slopes in Santa Barbara

County. Most commonly, chaparral is found on steep

slopes with little soil development. It is abundant on

sandstone rock types but also occurs on diatomaceous

shale, stabilized sand dunes and other soil types. The

dominant plants are fire-adapted woody shrubs, many

with restricted distributions. The leaves of chaparral

plants have thick waxy surfaces that prevent moisture

loss during the dry summer months. Common in the

project area and vicinity are various manzanitas (Arctostaphylos spp.), ceanothus species (Ceanothus spp.),

bush poppy, mountain mahogany, yerba santa, toyon,

holly-leaf cherry, scrub oaks (Quercus spp.) and others. Burton Mesa chaparral, a form characteristic of

sandy Burton Mesa and the nearby Purisima Hills, is

noteworthy for the high rate of endemism in its flora;

more than 20 plant species found in this community

have restricted geographic distributions, including rare

plants such as shagbark manzanita, seaside bird’s-beak,

black-flowered figwort, and Hoover’s Bentgrass.

Oak Woodland. Oak woodlands, which are an

important component of the project area, usually occur in canyons, riparian areas, and north facing slopes

where they are often associated with riparian woodlands, coastal sage scrub, and chaparral. Coast live

oak and valley oak are the dominant species in this

habitat. Oak woodlands may be further characterized

as having more closely spaced trees with a relatively

unbroken canopy (woodland), or where trees are more

widely spaced and the canopy is more open (savannah).

In closed canopy areas, the understory is usually dominated by poison oak, hummingbird sage and elderberry.

Where the canopy is more open, the understory is typically composed of annual grasses and wildflowers. Oak

woodlands in the area tend to support a diverse resident and migratory vertebrate fauna. Due to the more

moist characteristics of oak woodlands compared to

coastal sage and chaparral, amphibians are relatively

common.

Riparian Woodland. This habitat, which is dominated by dense growths of tall deciduous trees and shrubs,

varies from narrow bands in stream canyons to extensive floodplain groves. Characteristic vegetation of this

habitat includes: various willow species (Salix spp.), black

cottonwood, western sycamore, and box elder.

Riparian woodlands are one of the most sensitive

plant communities found in the project area due to: 1)

their limited occurrence in the region; 2) the diversity

and abundance of widlife supprted by this community;

3) the number of sensitive species known to use it; and

4) the degree to which man has altered it and reduced its

areal extent. Riparian woodlands are critical to wildlife

because they provide: 1) sources of water; 2) a broad

diversity of microhabitats for nesting and feeding due to

their rich structural diversity; 3) food and protective

cover; and 4) corridors for movement and dispersal of

wildlife.

Within the project area, Santa Barbara County has

identified several biologically important and environmentally sensitive features (County of Santa Barbara, 2000).

These include: Guadalupe Dunes, Santa Maria and Santa

Ynez River mouths, Betteravia (Guadalupe) Lakes, Point

Sal, San Antonio Creek, and Burton Mesa. These features are of particular importance because of their rarity, biological diversity, and/or vulnerability to disturbance. For descriptions of these areas, refer to the Draft

North County Siting Study (County Santa Barbara,

2000).

Wildlife. To a large extent, the distribution and

abundance of wildlife is determined by the availability

and condition of their preferred habitat, although the

same species can frequently be found in more than one

habitat. Thus, the topographic complexity and large diversity of habitats found in the project area support a

diverse and abundant wildlife population. The fact that

the project area is located at a major biogeographic transition zone also contributes to the diversity of wildlife.

Excluding saltwater marshes and estuaries, riparian

woodlands support the greatest number of species in the

project area (A.D. Little, 1985), followed by oak woodlands. Birds are the most abundant wildlife in every

plant community, followed by mammals and reptiles. The

number of amphibian species in the area is relatively

limited, although the number of individuals can be high.

For a comprehensive list and discussion of wildlife in

the vicinity of the project area, see A.D. Little (1985)

and URS (1986).

Over 400 birds have been recorded in Santa Barbara County (Lehman, 1994), only a portion of which

occur in the project area. Common breeding birds include: red-tailed hawk, American kestrel, California

quail, barn owl, Anna’s hummingbird, acorn woodpecker,

cliff swallow, scrub jay, American crow, bushtit, house

wren, wrentit, California towhee, song sparrow, and

brewer’s blackbird.

Over 60 species of mammals (excluding marine

mammals) have been recorded as occurring in Santa

Barbara County. Common mammals in the project area

include: California ground squirrel, Botta’s pocket gopher, deer mouse, dusky-footed woodrat, western harvest mouse, California vole, desert cottontail, raccoon,

striped skunk, gray fox, coyote, bobcat, and mule deer.

More than 30 species of reptiles have been reported

for Santa Barbara County. Common reptiles in the

project area include: western pond turtle, western fence

lizard, side-blotched lizard, gopher snake, western rattlesnake, and striped racer.
4-111

Description of the Affected Environment: Cultural Resources

Effects of Past Oil and Gas Activities: Several oil fields (e.g., Guadalupe, Casmalia, Lompoc)

within the onshore project area, which extends from

the Santa Barbara County line at the Santa Maria

River in the north to the Santa Ynez River and Point

Arguello in the south and inland to the cities of Santa

Maria and Lompoc. Development and production of

these fields, which is still occurring in some cases,

dates back to the early 1900’s. The impacts of these

oil fields include habitat loss and pollution, such as

the diluent contamination associated with the

Guadalupe oil field. Past construction activities associated with OCS-related oil and gas projects are limited to the construction of the Point Pedernales pipeline and the associated Lompoc Oil and Gas Plant.

Impacts of construction include vegetation removal,

with associated changes in erosion, sediment deposition, and invasive weeds, and disturbance to wildlife.

Within the onshore project area, these activities may

have affected an estimated 225-245 acres of vegetation and wildlife habitat (A.D. Little, 1985), the vast

majority of which was related to pipeline construction. Most of this area has probably recovered, since

revegetation efforts were carried out along the pipeline corridor and natural recovery would have occurred during the approximately15-year period since

the pipeline was completed.

4.7. CULTURAL RESOURCES

4.7.1 REGULATORY OVERVIEW

Cultural resources include any prehistoric or

historic sites, buildings, districts, structures, traditional use areas, or objects considered to be important to a culture, subculture, or community for scientific, traditional, religious, or other reasons. Cultural

resources encompass three categories: archaeological

resources (both historic and prehistoric), architectural

resources, and traditional cultural resources (U.S.

Navy 2000).

Archaeological resources are any material remains (sites) of human life or activities that are at

least 50 years of age and that are of archaeological

interest. Material remains include physical evidence

of human habitation, occupation, use or activity including the site, location, or context in which such

evidence is situated. Items of archaeological interest

may provide scientific or humanistic understanding

of past human behavior, cultural adaptation, and related topics through the application of scientific or

scholarly techniques. These resources can be identified and evaluated for significance according to each

site’s cultural importance, integrity, and ability to yield

information (Minerals Management Service1998).

Prehistoric archaeological sites consist of various forms of evidence of human activities that spanned

time from approximately 13,000 years ago until the

time of European contact in 1542. (The dividing line

between prehistoric and historic is not precise given

the 257-year lapse between initial contact and European settlement of California.) Prehistoric artifacts

include utilitarian and non-utilitarian objects, such

as flaked and ground stone tools as well as bone and

shellfish objects. Occasionally, remnants of basketry

or cordage, remains of living spaces, fire hearth, bedrock milling stations, mortuary remains, or rock art

exist as parts of prehistoric sites. These sites may

manifest themselves as a scatter of surface material

or be a subsurface or midden deposit. Often sites include surface and subsurface components. In addition, sites may be submerged and include intact sites

buried beneath the seabed, isolated artifacts deposited

on the seafloor from erosion of an upland site, or remnants of aboriginal watercraft.

Table 4.7.2-1. Archaeology studies in the area.

Area of the Study Title Citation 

Pt. Mugu Sea Range Shipwreck Study, Pt. Mugu Sea 

Range Environmental Impact 

Statement 

U.S. Navy. Department of the Navy, 

Naval Air Warfare Center Weapons 

Division. April 1998 

Santa Barbara Channel Channel Islands National Park and 

Channel Islands National Marine 

Sanctuary, Submerged Cultural 

Resource Assessment 

CINPS. Don Morris and James 

Lima, 1996 

Morro Bay to Canadian Border OCS Study MMS 90-0087 through 

90-0092 California, Oregon, and 

Washington Archaeological 

Resource Study 

MMS. 1990. Espy, Houston and 

Associates. 

Morro Bay to Mexican Border OCS Study MMS 87-0025. 

Archeological Resource Study 

MMS. 1987. P.S. Associates. 

Pt. Conception to Mexican Border Archaeology Literature Survey and 

Sensitivity Zone Mapping of the 

Southern California Bight Area. 

Volume I, Technical Report 

BLM, 1978. Science Applications 

Incorporated.