10
31
January
2003
For
the
case
studies
presented
at
proposal,
EPA
conducted
species­
specific
analyses
of
I&
E
on
a
facility­
specific
basis.
For
its
new
regional
studies,
EPA
is
evaluating
species
groups
comprised
of
species
with
similar
life
histories.
Groups
are
based
on
family
groups
or
groups
used
by
NMFS
for
landings
data.
For
example,
windowpane
flounder,
yellowtail
flounder,
and
winter
flounder
are
grouped
together
as
"
flounders."
For
the
regional
studies,
EPA
evaluated
I&
E
rates
for
such
species
groups
and
developed
a
regional
total
I&
E
estimate
by
summing
results
for
each
group.
An
exception
was
made
for
species
of
exceptionally
high
commercial
or
recreational
value
(
e.
g.,
striped
bass).

Such
species
were
evaluated
as
single
species.

Aggregation
of
species
into
groups
of
similar
species
facilitated
parameterization
of
the
fisheries
models
used
by
EPA
to
evaluate
facility
I&
E
monitoring
data.
As
noted
by
many
commenters
and
by
EPA
in
the
§
316(
b)
Phase
II
Case
Study
Document,
life
history
data
are
very
limited
for
many
of
the
species
that
are
impinged
and
entrained.
As
a
result,
there
are
many
data
gaps
for
individual
species.
To
overcome
this
limitation,
in
its
new
studies
EPA
used
the
available
life
history
data
for
closely
related
species
to
construct
a
single
representative
life
history
for
a
given
species
group.
For
previously
completed
case
studies,
EPA
used
the
speciesspecific
life
history
information
that
was
previously
developed
and
then
aggregated
I&
E
results
for
the
species
within
a
given
group
to
obtain
a
group
estimate.
Appendix
1
provides
tables
of
all
of
the
life
history
data
and
data
sources
used
by
EPA
for
the
regional
analyses
presented
in
the
February
2003
notice
of
data
availability
(
NODA).
