FINDING OF NO SIGNIFICANT IMPACT Environmental Assessment Issuing Depredation Permits for Double-crested Cormorant Management

Pursuant to the National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA)(42 U.S.C 4321 et seq.), the United States Fish and Wildlife Service (hereafter, USFWS) prepared an Environmental Assessment (EA). In the supporting EA, the USFWS proposes to make decisions on depredation pennit applications (pursuant to 50 C.F.R. § 21.41) for the annual take (i.e., lethal removal) ofup to 51,571 double-crested cormorants (Phalcrocorax auritus; hereafter, "connorants"), across 37 central and eastern States and the District of Columbia. The USFWS will allocate the maximum allowable take across three managed subpopulations: Atlantic, Mississippi/Central, and Florida. The EA considered two alternatives: the proposed action; and the reduced take alternative (which is the preferred alternative).