the canyon heads, flanks and axes of Block, Hudson, Tom's, Carteret, Lindenkohl, Spencer, Wilmington, Baltimore, Accomac, Washington, and Norfolk canyons (figure II.B.5-1). The blocks were selected using similar criteria to that of NOAA for the North Atlantic Sale 82 canyon deferral. In addition a 200 m "no occupancy" zone was included around the canyon areas and was incorporated into the designation of the final block list. The whole and partial blocks listed total about 499,680 acres and represent approximately 2.5 percent of the total sale area. The mean oil resource estimate is expected to decrease from 200 mmbbl. to 190 mmbbl. or 5 percent, if this deletion alternative is selected. The gas mean resource estimate will decrease to 3.4 tcf. Alternative 5 is being considered in response to recommendations from the state of New Jersey, Commonwealths of Virginia and Massachusetts, New York State Department of Environmental Conservation, Natural Resources Defence Council, National Marine Fisheries Service, and the Committee to Preserve Assateaque Island, Inc. This alternative would eliminate the direct impacts of drilling and drilling discharges in the canyon head areas, which are of greater importance to the tilefish, lobster, and red crab commercial fishing industries than adjacent areas. Because of the erosional nature of submarine canyons, the more obdurate formations and talus fields cause an irregular topography and they present a more complex physical environment than the smooth slope areas in similar depths. The hard subtrates provide a habitat for the colonization of sessile invertebrates such as soft corals and anemones, which attach to the exposed areas. Subsequently, motile microfaunal and macrofaunal organisms associate with these colonies and use them as refuge areas, feeding areas, and/or areas of orientation, and form distinct communities of increased species diversity compared to adjacent soft-bottom areas. In addition, some researchers have postulated that the submarine canyons may be concentrators of particulate and adsorbed organics which flow off the shelf, and therefore may be areas of increased biological productivity when compared to smooth slope regions. Other researchers have suggested that the canyons may represent a refugia for many species because the rugged topography eliminates commercial fishing pressure. Therefore, canyons may be a stable source of immigration to the intercanyon slope areas. In the canyon head areas, tilefish burrow into the consoliated pleistocene clay sediments and form extensive biologically modified habitats. These burrow areas become the focal point for many other species such as lobsters, crabs, and other fish and form distinct communities which have been designated "Pueblo Village Communities," which demonstrate increased species density and diversity. The distinct communities found in submarine canyons would be susceptible to direct mechanical perturbation resulting from well and pipeline sitings. Although the area disturbed by sitings may be nominal, other impacts associated with drilling may have appreciable negative effects. During the drilling of the first 2,000 feet of a well, drilling muds and cuttings are released directly at the sea floor. This discharge totals |