Final Environmental Assessment: Proposed Ice House and Boat Ramp, Pago Pago Harbor, to Support Recovery of the American Samoa Bottomfish Fishery

NMFS proposes to release Congressionally-appropriated bottomfish fishery disaster relief funds to the American Samoa Department of Marine and Wildlife Resources (DMWR) for two projects at Pago Pago Harbor on Tutuila Island, American Samoa. If approved, DMWR would build a small concrete ice house at its administrative and work station adjacent to Pago Pago Harbor in Fagatogo and a small boat ramp at the southwestern-most terminus of Pago Pago Harbor. The projects are intended to support recovery of the American Samoa bottomfish fishery, which experienced a fishery disaster after the 2009 tsunami. NMFS prepared this environmental assessment (EA) to evaluate the potential environmental effects of the proposed projects. A draft EA was provided to the public for a 15-day review and comment period and we received no comments that changed the analysis. NMFS received one comment from an individual expressing support for the disaster relief effort.