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.