seasons or years represent real conditions, not the inadequacy of the 

 gear to collect the desired fish. 



Those shore-zone species whose abundance levels might change due to 

 the removal of individuals by impingement or entrainment or whose geograp- 

 hical distribution might be altered by the thermal effluent could be 

 considered potentially impacted. A comparison of those taxa either 

 impinged or entrained to those recorded from seines is given in Table 5. 

 The most abundant shore-zone fish, silversides ( Menidia spp.), was the 

 second most important impinged species in the time period. The second 

 most abundant shore-zone fish, sand lance ( Ammodytes sp.), was the 

 second most important entrained species. These two species along with 

 Atlantic menhanden ( Brevoortia tyrannus ) (15th ranked impinged fish) 

 could be considered as potentially impacted by entrainment or impingement 

 effects. Additionally, with three-unit operation, shore-zone species 

 found in Jordan Cove out to White Point may be exposed to the thermal 

 plume on an ebb tide (Fig. 5). The more abundant representatives of the 

 shore-zone finfish assemblage that may experience this situation include 

 silversides, killifishes and fourspine stickleback. It is not expected 

 that even the most extreme conditions of 28-30 C (maximum summer water 

 temperature) plus the predicted surface temperature rise of 3-4 C would 

 exceed the thermal tolerance limits of the more abundant shore-zone fish 

 (Table 14) for more than two to three hours of a 12 hour tidal cycle. 

 However, some fish might return to the shore-zone areas earlier in the 

 spring and leave later in the fall if attracted to the warmer than 

 ambient waters. Even though these potential impacts are expected to be 

 transitory, the situation should be monitored in the event of some 

 unforseen circumstances. 



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