In 1996, Congress made significant revisions to the Magnuson-Stevens
Act and refined the focus of fisheries management by emphasizing
the need to protect fish habitat. Specifically, the Act required
that fishery management plans identify as essential fish habitat
(EFH) those areas that are necessary to fish for their basic life
functions. EFH is defined as “...those waters and substrate
necessary to fish for spawning, breeding, feeding, or growth to
maturity.” “Waters” include aquatic areas and
their associated physical, chemical, and biological properties that
are used by fish. “Substrate” includes sediment, hard
bottom, structures underlying the waters, and associated biological
communities. “Necessary” means the habitat required
to support a sustainable fishery and the managed species’
contribution to a healthy ecosystem; and “spawning, breeding,
feeding, or growth to maturity” covers a species’ full
life cycle.
The Magnuson-Stevens Act requires the National
Marine Fisheries Service (NOAA Fisheries) and regional fishery management
councils to minimize, to the extent practicable, adverse effects
to EFH caused by fishing activities. The Act also requires federal
agencies to consult with NOAA Fisheries about actions that could
damage EFH.
