Essential Fish Habitat (EFH)
Marine fish depend on healthy habitats to survive and reproduce.
Throughout their lives fish use many types of habitats including
seagrass, salt marsh, coral reefs, kelp forests, and rocky intertidal
areas among others. Various activities on land and in the water
constantly threaten to alter, damage, or destroy these habitats.
NOAA Fisheries, regional Fishery Management Councils, and Federal
and state agencies work together to address these threats by identifying
Essential Fish Habitat (EFH) for each federally managed fish species
and developing conservation measures to protect and enhance these
habitats. Productive commercial and recreational fisheries are inextricably
linked to healthy marine habitats; protecting them will help support
fishing communities now and for generations to come.
