RA-12-124, Annual Sea Turtle Incidental Take Report - 2012
| ML12361A025 | |
| Person / Time | |
|---|---|
| Site: | Oyster Creek |
| Issue date: | 12/14/2012 |
| From: | Massaro M Exelon Generation Co |
| To: | Bullard J Office of Nuclear Reactor Regulation, US Dept of Commerce, National Oceanographic and Atmospheric Administration |
| References | |
| RA-12-124 | |
| Download: ML12361A025 (12) | |
Text
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Enclosure to RA-12-124 Annual Report of Sea Turtle Incidental Takes - 2012 Oyster Creek Nuclear Generating Station Renewed Facility Operating License No. DPR- 16 Docket No. 50-219 Prepared by:
Malcolm Browne, Senior Environmental Scientist Kathryn Voishnis, Associate Environmental Scientist James Kerr, Senior Regulatory Specialist Exelon Generation December 2012
Enclosure to RA-12-124 Page 2 of 4
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Introduction . . "-.- : 'm-', . .. .
The Annual Report'of Sea Turtle Incidental Takes provides a summa-y of the incidental takes of all species of sea tu iles et the Oyster Creek Nuclear-Generating Station (OCNGS) during the past year. The report is required by Terms and Conditons (T&C) # 8 of the Incidental Take Statement (ITS) of the OCNGSEndangered SpeciesAct Section:7 Consultation Biological., .
Opinion'. This report covers all incidental takes and sightings of sea turtles thatoccurred during 20 12 . * ' ' ' : - .. . . ..- .: . " *J .
Incidental Take ýReports documentitig the ciicumstances of incidental: takes-of sea turtles were completed~followdng.lye (5) OCNGS sea turtle .incidental takes during 2012 and were provided to the National Makine Fisl ieries S'ervice (NMFS) and the US&Nuclear Regulatory Commission.
(USNRC) Within 30 days of cLoch incidental take. Sea Turtle Incidental Take Repcrts 2012-1 though 2012-5 are summarized in Attachment 1. PhotoG;raphs of the five turtles, as well as the necropsy report' for the one dead sea turtle incidentally taken during the year, have already.
been supplied with the individual reports-aix thcrOfore are not incLduad in thisreport. ;b Take . . Incidental Take Date I Time.(condition and' species) . ,
.(I K'........................ey 2012 Friday, June 15, 2012/11500 'Lii juvenile .,emp's ridley)L " -' ,*...
2012-2 - Monday, Juiy 3".2012/ -1310 (Lbe=.d jVnile Kem,,p's didley) .. , ., ...
2012-3 Frida~y.!July 20,20121 213U (LiVe'juv-nriloe Kemrnp's hdliy)-."
2012-4 'Wednesday, July 25, 20i2/ 1'1P45*(ive'juvenile'Kemlrs-ridley) 2012-5 ":Thursday, September 27, 20',1"2**l'G 19(LiUeAtlantic green)
Sightinc ' - Sea Turtle Sighting Date/Time 2012-SI Tuesday, July 24, 2012/2000 (Species unknoWn) ... .
A sea turtle was sighted during the evening of Tuesday, July 24, 2012 near theiCirculating'-
Water System intake. The sighting was reported to NMFS and action was~taken to increase the frequency of sea turtle observations at the intakes, but no incidental takeoccurned on that date.
The species of the turtle sighted July 24 was not identified, so it is uncertain whether it may have been the same turtle taken at the Dilution Water intake on July 25, 2012.
Comparison 'of Annual Sea Turtle Incidental Takes With Prior Yeaes Regarding trendslin the number of incidental sea t6irtle takes at the OCNGS, a total of five (5) sea turtle incidental takes Occurred during 2012. All but one (1) of the sea turtles incidentally taken at OCNGS during 2012 were alive and in good condition when incidentally taken and were subsequently releasedafter they were confirmed to be feedhig'well;afid moving about -
normally.' The only sea turtle that was not alive when incidentally taken',t the OCNGS was-partially decomposed when -taken and the necropsies cornducted on them' were4 bt conclusive as to whether fhey we'reilikely to have'di6d prior-to arriving at7OCNOS.
The five (5) OCNGS incidenital takes during 2012 -i slightly greater than the Io'fg--ti*n average of approximately three incidental takes per year recorded over the last twenty years. However, the annual abun dance of sea turtles in this'vicinityappears to be highly variable, uripr~dictable,
Enclosure to RA-12-124 Page 3 of 4 and unrelated to the operation of OCNGS. There are several factors that may influence the number of sea turtle incidental takes that occur at the OCNGS. Bamegat Inlet, the only tidal inlet in the vicinity of Oyster Creek, which provides access to Barnegat Bay from the Atlantic Ocean, was deepened during dredging operations in the early 1990s. Completion of the" Barnegat Inlet dredging~operation resulted in-an increase inthe tidal prism, or volume of water entering: and exiting the inlet on a, singletidaLcycle; aswell as a slightly greater tidal range at Oyster Creek. The deepening of Barnegat Inlet and associated waterway channels was ..,
completed immediately prior tO 1992, when incidental takes of sea turtles began to occur at OCNGS, and may partially explain the occurrenceof-the-turtles. Increased regulatory protection of sea turtles under the Endangered Species Act also began in the eady 1990's.
Physical factors, such.:as an oceanic front oran:oceanio,eddy occurring unusually close to Bamegat Inlet, may alsO play a part inthe prevalence of sea turtles near.Oyster Creek tbecause oceanic fronts have been shown to be used as a migratQry and forage habitat by sea turtles (Polovina et al, 2000). Experience has alsQ shown.that.the passago of a severe storm or.
pressure system near Barnegat- Inlet cart cause major increases in winds, waves, tides and tidal prism in shallow estuarine waters such as Barnegat Bay. These events could increase the likelihood of slowly swimming organisms guch as sea turtles occurring in the estuary. It is likely that the local variability of sea turtle abundance is also related to biological factors including the abundance of organisms on.which sea turtles .prefer to feed, including crabs such as blue crabs, horseshoe crabs, and calico crabs, as well as spbn~ies and various types of algae. The slightly higher than average number of incidciptal~ker -,; 2,012 -may have been an anomaly based on favorable physical conditions or prey abundant= tHowpver, -anr analysis of the number of, incidental takes at OCNGS indicates that there bhsqbeen a gradual incrqease in the average annual number of incidental takes in recent yeas. in,compansorl to the previous decade. For example, a total of twenty sea turtle incidental takes occurred at OCNGS-between 1992 and 2001 (an average of two takes per year) but 61 incidental takes occurred between 2002 and 2012 (an average of over five takes per year).. This recent trend of increasing OCNGS incidental takes parallels a similar trend of generally increasing sea turtle strandings reported during that period by the Sea Turtle Stranding and Salvage Network (STSSN) along the Atlantic coast The conduct of operations at the OCNGS intakes has not been changed in any manner that would explain the recent increase in takes.. However, theincrease may.reflect the long-term success, of turtl-3 legislative protection and conservation measures such as Turtle Excluder Device (TED) imnplementation, nest and egg protectiop at sea turtle nesting sites, and turtle head-starting programs.
The massive oil plume released into the Guff of Mexico during 2010 following the fire on the Deepwater Horizon offshore,drilling rig may also have a future effect on the number of sea turtles incidentally taken at OCNGS. Although the Deepwater Horizon'oil plume Was probably not an important factor in 2012,,it remains to be seen whether itmay ultimately slow the general trend of increasing numbers of Atlantic coast sea turtle sightings and incidental takes.
Many years of environmental.sampling co.nducted near OCNG6 have repeatedly demonstrated that the abundance of various marine organisms, can vary considerably from yearto year, often by orders of magnitude. This is particularly true for seasonal rmigrants, whose abundance in Bamegat Bay is highly dependent upon physical andbiological factors along the migratory route. Therefore, the observed annual variation in sea turtle incidental takes at OCNGS from a minimum of zero to a maximum of. eleven per year is not considered particularly significant.
In.the. morst:rent OCNGS g iaLion.an.d ITS, issued in November 2011, NMFS
Enclosure to RA-12-124 Page 4 of 4 determined that no more than 71 Kemp's ridley sea turtles, 6 loggerhead sea turtles, and 11 Atlantic green sea turtles are likely to be directly affected by interaction with OCNGS during the remainder of the OCNGS operating license (i.e., through 2029). The five (5) incidental takes of sea turtles during 2012 at the OCNGS represent the initial sea turtle incidental takes under these new ITS conditions. In subsequent annual reports, OCNGS will determine and report the cumulative number of post-2011 incidental takes for comparison with the allowable species totals during the remainder of the OCNGS operating license. There was only one incidental take of a dead sea turtle at the OCNGS during 2012 (the Kemp's ridley juvenile incidentally taken July 9, 2012). The necropsy of that turtle by Marine Mammal Stranding Center (MMSC) in Brigantine, New Jersey was inconclusive as to the cause of death, so it was uncertain whether its death resulted from interaction with OCNGS.
OCNGS expects ongoing support from the MMSC for both transfers of live sea turtles for rehabilitation and as the primary facility for necropsies. OCNGS has noted the exceptional past efforts by the dedicated and capable MMSC staff in the care and rehabilitation of sea turtles transferred to the Brigantine facility, and that exceptional level of care was again apparent during 2012. MMSC also arranged for the transfer of one of the sea turtles incidentally taken at OCNGS during 2012 to the Virginia Aquarium and Marine Science Center and two others to the National Aquarium for rehabilitation and subsequent release to the wild.
The ultimate goal of the considerable effort b-ing' put forward at OCNGS for the protection of sea turtles is to protect the turtles that do arrive at the plant, and to release as many turtles as possible to safety. The OCNGS programnifor the prteqtion of threatened and endangered sea turtles can be considered to be'quite successful due to the efforts of OCNGS and MMSC personnel because most of the sea turtles incidentally captured at OCNGS since 1992 (with some in distress prior to being taken) have subsequently been rehabilitated and released alive and well to the Atlantic Ocean in locations free from potential cold-shock.
References Polovina, J.J., D.R. Kobayashi, D.M. Ellis, M.P. Seki, and G.H. Balazs. 2000. Turtles on the edge: Movement of loggerhead turtles (Carettacaretta)along oceanic fronts in the central North Pacific, 1997-1998. Fish. Oceanogr., 9: 71-82.
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4 4-C, EnrIo3ure to RAI,12-124 ATTACHMENTI "2012.incidentIa,'ke.,eports
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Attachment I to RA-12-124, Oyster Creek Nuclear Generating Station Annual Sea Turtle Incidental Take Report - 2012 Incidental Take 2012-1 Incidental Take 2012-2 Incidental Take 2012-3 Observer's full name: Colin Wade Douglass Hufford John Devenney Reporter's full name: John Clark Brian Eagan Eric Swain Species Identification (Key Kemp's Ridley Kemp's Ridley Kemp's Ridley attached): ,,.
Site of Impingement (CWS or DWS DWS _ _ _ _
DW S):
BayNumber-.1 1 2 : 3 Date animal observed: 15-Jun-12 9-Jul-12 20-Jul-12 Time animal observed: 14:58 - 13:09 21:30 Date animal collected: 15-Jun-12 9-Ju1-12 20-Ju1-12 Time animal collected: 15:00 13_10 21:30
,Tidal Stage: Low Tide Outgoing Tide Incoming Tide Cloud conditions: Clear Sunny Cloud-Precipitation: None None Raining Iniake water temperature:-- 73.0°F / 22.8 0C 82.0°F 1 27.80C 75.2°F /240°C ....
Other conditions None Reported None Reported . Heavy grass Number of CW pumps running: 4 __4__. 4 Number of DW pumps running: 2 2 .2 .
Reactor power level at observation:
- 100% 100% 100%
Reactor powerhours; previous 48- 100% 100%..10 .
_100____________
hours:
Date of last screen inspeiction: 15-Jun-12 9-Jul-12 20-Jul-12 Time of last screen inspection: 12:10 12:30........ 20:00-Date of iast trash raking: 14-Jun-12 9-Jul-12 20-Jul_12 Time of I'ast trash raking: 15:45-16:24 9:30 20:57 ATTACHMENT 1 - Page o' 0f6
Attachment I to RA-12-124, Oyster Creek Nuclear Generating Station Annual Sea Turtle Incidental Take Report - 2012 Incidental Take 2012-1 Incidental Take 2012-2 Incidental Take 2012-3 ENVIRF ate Bqigantine MMSC 15-Jun-12 9-Jul-12 20-Ju1-12 contacted:
Timre Brigantine MMSC 1 contacted: 15:42 13:45 22_1__
Date Anima~l
.... picked up by ._ ., .. 15-Jun-12 9-juJl'-'2 .. 20-Juli12 Dme Animal picked up by TMeCA a 17:00 18:00 23:30 of animal when first State obs'rved Alive Dead with minor... scrapes-and Alive and scrapes scrae active and and with a a small small barnacle small observed abrasions on the carapace tate6bf animnal when collected: Alive Dead Alive State of animal when picked up: Alive Dead Alive stateaof animal arriving at MMISC:...AieDaAlv Alive Dead Alive ATTACHMENT 1 - Page 2 of 6
Attachment I to RA-1 2-124, Oyster Creek Nuclear Generating Station Annual Sea Turtle Incidental Take Report - 2012
_ Incidental Take 2012-1 Incidental Take 2012-2 Incidental Take 2012-3 Taken to Virginia Marine Alive and released in Final dispositlon of animal: Science Center for Buried at Brigantine;NJ - Brigantine, NJ, not tagged
, due to the turtle's size, as per
.rehabilitation. NERO tagging protocol.
Carapace Length - Curved 31 cm 27.3 cm 24 cm Carapa*e1:6ngth -Straight 28.9 cm 25.1 cm 23.2 cm Carapace Width - Curved: 29.3 cm 27.9 cm 24.5 cm Carapace Width - Straight: 25.6 cm 23.7 cm 21.2 cm Weight lIbs (kgs) 7.2 lbs (3.3 kg) 11.2 lbs (5.1 kg) 3.8 lbs (1.7 kg)
Existing Tag Number None None None P6i6tpgraph attached Yes Yes Yes Diagram of wounds, abnormalities,, tag locations Yes No Yes attached_*
Juvenile,jndetermrinant sex.
Alert and active upon arrival to, MMSC. There were small D.scription of Animal circle lesions on the turtle's Female Juvenille.Kemp's Juvenile, Kemp's ridley sea skin and a few abrasions on Ridley sea turtle . turtle of indeterminant sex carapace. There was bruising
" and abrasions on the plastron.
from being impinged. _ _-_"_--
All information sent to:
National Marine Fisheries Service, Northeast Region; Protected Resources Division; Yes Yes Yes Attention: EndangeredSpecies Coordinator; One Blackburn DiNve: Gloucester, MA 01930 ATTACHMENT 1 `Paige:j of 6
Attachment I to RA-1 2-124, Oyster Creek Nuclear Generating Station"Annual Sea Turtle Incidental Take Report - 2012 Incidental Take 2012-4 Incidental Take 2012-5 Observers full name: Baonguyen Nguyen Peeter Must Reportei's-full name: .. . Andrew Zuchowski Andrew Zuchowski SpeciesIdentification (Key ttach~ed ... Kemp's Ridley Atlantic Green Site of Impingement (CWS 6r DWS DWS DWS): i'"`.-
Bay Number: 3 4 Date animal observed: 25-Jul-12 27-Sep-12 Tirfieanimal observed: 17:45 10:09 Date animal collected: _.. __._25-Ju1-1_2 27-Sep-1 2 Time animal collected: 17:45 10:19 C ,j. - &.
Tidal Stage: Outgoing Tide. High:Tide,_,..
Cloud conditions: Clear.- . Cloudy Precipitation: None.- None Intake water temperature: 81.1 F / 27.3 C 72.1 F /22.3 C Other conditions None Light Wind Nlumber of CW pUrmps running: 4 4.,
Nurmber of DW pumps running: 2 2 R.ecator power level at .% 100%
observation: .... _100%._.. . .
Reactor power previous 48-Daft-6t last screen inspectibn: 25-Jul-12 26-Sep-12 -. .
TiMe-0flast sc-een inspection: 16:20 .4:47 22-Jul-12 (OCNGS and DWS Date of last trash raking: hot operational-23-Jul-12 and .. 26-Sep-12
__ajority of 24-Jul-12)
Time of last trash raking: . -. 18:Q0 . . - 14:40, * :~..
ATTACHMENT 1 - Page 4 of 6
Attachment I to RA-12-124, Oyster Creek Nuclear Generating Station Annual Sea Turtle Incidental Take Report - 2012 Incidental Take 2012-4 Incidental Take 2012-5 Date Brigantine MMSC 25-Jul-12 27-Sep-12 contacted:
Time Brigantine MMSC .1931 contacted:-.
Date Animal picked up by 25-Jul-12 27-Sep-12 MMSC:
Time Animal picked up by 21:00 11:57 MMSC:
Alive, alert and active. Two Alive, alert and active. Several State of animal when first small scrapes middle of small barnacles on carapace.
observed: carapace. Two larger parallel Small scrapes on plastron.
scrapes on plastron.
Alive,'alert and active. Two -
smveallscraps acile. Tof Alive, alert and active. Several State of animal when collected: small scrapes middle of small barnacles on carapace.
carapace. Two larger parallel Small scrapes on plastron.
scrapes on plastron.
Alive, alert and active. Two Alive, alert and active. Several State of animal when picked up: small scrapes middle of small barnacles on carapace.
carapace. Two larger parallel small scrapes onpcaran.
_ _ _ _ scrapes on plastron. Small scrapesonplastron.-
......... .. Alive, alert and active. Two live State of animal arriving-at small scrapes middle of arnacles on carapace. Small MMSc:. carapace. Two larger parallel bscrapes on plastron. "
' scrapes on plastron. I Z. I AT*ACHMENT 1- Page 5 of 6
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Attachment I to RA-12-124, Oyster Creek Nuclear Generating Station Annual Sea Turtle Incidental Take Report - 2012 I Incidental Take 2012-4 1 Incidental Take 2012-5 live and transferred to Alive and transferred to Baltimore Aquarium Animal Baltimore Aquarium Animal Rescue Program for long term Rescue Program for rehabilitation. rehabilitation and release.
Carapace Length - Curved 28.7 cm 31.5 cm Carapace Length - Straight 27.5 cm - 30.6 cm Carapace Width - Curved: 29.3 cm . 27.1. cm Carapace Width - Straight: 24.9 cm 25;6 cm Weight - lbs (kgs) 7.0 lbs (3.2 kg), 8.0 lbs (3.6 kg)' -
Existing-Tag Number No tag No tag Photograph attached Yes . Yes Diagram, of wounds,
- abnormalities, tag locations Yes
- Yes
- attache (d ' _" _. .... -_,__ ,,__. _. _",
Juvenile Kemp's ridley sea Juvenile Green sea turtle, sex turtle, sex undetermin&d undetermined -.... .
All information sent'to: -
National Marine Fisheries !
Setvice, Northeast Region; -. .
Protected Resources Division; Yes Yes Attention: Endangered Species Coordinator;-One Blackburn 930 Drive; Gloucester, MA.01
- ,..,.° ..
ATTACHMENT 1 - Page 6 of 6