Essential Fish Habitat (EFH)
EFH Regulations
- 73 FR 43362, July 25, 2008. Final rule to implement Amendment 89 to the Fishery Management Plan for Groundfish of the BSAI Management Area to establish Bering Sea habitat conservation measures prohibiting nonpelagic trawling in certain waters of the Bering Sea subarea and establishing the Northern Bering Sea Research Area. Effective August 25, 2008.
- 50 CFR Part 679 - Figures
- 73 FR 9035, February 19, 2008. Final rule to revise the Aleutian Islands Habitat Conservation Area boundary. Effective March 20, 2008.
- AIHCA Revised Map. Effective March 20, 2008.
- 72 FR 63500, November 9, 2007. Final rule to correct regulations implementing EFH provisions for Alaska fisheries. Effective December 10, 2007.
- 71 FR 36694, June 28, 2006. Final rule to implement FMP amendments identifying and describing EFH, designating HAPC, and including measures in the FMPs to minimize to the extent practicable adverse effects on EFH. Effective July 28, 2006.
Closure Area Maps: Effective 7/28/2006. Small Entity Compliance Guide
- 67 FR 2343, January 17, 2002.
Final rule for implementing the EFH provisions of the Magnuson-Stevens Fishery Conservation and Management Act. These regulations provide guidelines for fishery management councils to identify and conserve EFH, as well as procedures for interagency coordination and consultation regarding actions that may adversely affect EFH. The preamble to the final rule provides background information and addresses many issues raised through public comment.
EFH Descriptions and Identification
EFH in Alaska is identified in Fishery Management Plans developed by the North Pacific Fishery Management Council and approved by the Secretary of Commerce. EFH descriptions are comprised of text and maps. (If there are differences between the descriptions of EFH in text and maps, the textual description is ultimately determinative of the limits of EFH.)
EFH Text Descriptions
Text descriptions identify EFH for each life stage of fish managed under a Fishery Management Plan within the Gulf of Alaska, Bering Sea, and Aleutian Islands.
- Bering Sea and Aleutian Island Groundfish
- Gulf of Alaska Groundfish
- Bering Sea and Aleutian Island King and Tanner Crab
- Alaska Scallops
- Alaska Stocks of Pacific Salmon
EFH Map Descriptions (ArcIMS website)
Maps depict the area of EFH for each life stage of fish managed under a Fishery Management Plan within the Gulf of Alaska, Bering Sea, and Aleutian Islands.
Species Profiles and Habitat Assessment Reports
Detailed reports provide information about each species, including any known habitat associations, reproductive traits, predator prey relationships, and species-specific literature citations.
Habitat
EFH Frequently Asked Questions
- EFH Frequently Asked Questions: Please take a moment to review some of the more common EFH questions and NMFS responses.
EFH Consultation
Federal agencies must consult with NMFS regarding any action authorized, funded, or undertaken, or proposed to be authorized, funded, or undertaken that may adversely affect EFH.
ALASKA
- EFH Consultations: Letters and Related Correspondence
- EFH Overview - Consultation and Updates
- Frequently Asked Questions
NATIONAL
Final EIS for EFH
- Final Environmental Impact Statement for Essential Fish Habitat Identification and Conservation in Alaska, April 2005: a comprehensive analysis of the effects of identifying EFH, approaches for identifying Habitat Areas of Particular Concern within EFH, and options for minimizing the effects of fishing on EFH.
- 70 FR 24037, May 6, 2005. Notice of Availability of Final EIS for EFH.
Scientific Information
- Alaska Fisheries Science Center (AFSC) Publications
- SE Alaska Nearshore Fish Distribution Atlas: the distribution and habitat of common fishes in shallow nearshore waters of southeastern Alaska
- AFSC Life History Database: information for fish species inhabiting the eastern Bering Sea, Aleutian Islands, and Gulf of Alaska management regions
- AFSC Technical Reports
- AFSC Quarterly Scientific Reports
- Stock Assessment and Fishery Evaluation (SAFE) Reports
- A Field Guide to Alaska Corals
- A Guide to Rockfishes of the Northeast Pacific Ocean
Science Centers
- Alaska Fisheries Science Center - Seattle, WA
- Auke Bay Laboratory/Ted Stevens Marine Research Institute - Juneau, AK
- Kodiak Fisheries Research Center - Kodiak, AK
Related Information
- Habitat Restoration
- Marine Protected Areas
- Associated Agencies and Programs
- Summary of New VMS Regulations
Images
Essential Fish Habitat
![northern rockfish (Sebastes polyspinis) surrounded by hydroids, bryozoans, and sponges (near Adak Island)](https://webarchive.library.unt.edu/web/20090115130026im_/https://www.fakr.noaa.gov/images/rockfishincoral_sm.jpg)
Northern rockfish (Sebastes polyspinis) surrounded by hydroids, bryozoans, and sponges - near Adak Island, Alaska. Photo: Bob Stone, NMFS.
In 1996 Congress added new habitat provisions to the Magnuson-Stevens Fishery Conservation and Management Act, the federal law that governs U.S. marine fisheries management. Under the Magnuson-Stevens Act, each fishery management plan must describe and identify Essential Fish Habitat (EFH) for the fishery, minimize to the extent practicable the adverse effects of fishing on EFH, and identify other actions to encourage the conservation and enhancement of EFH. Federal agencies must consult with NMFS regarding any action they authorize, fund, or undertake that may adversely affect EFH, and NMFS must provide conservation recommendations to federal and state agencies regarding any action that would adversely affect EFH.
As Congress noted in section 2(a)(9) of the Magnuson-Stevens Act, "One of the greatest long-term threats to the viability of commercial and recreational fisheries is the continuing loss of marine, estuarine, and other aquatic habitats. Habitat considerations should receive increased attention for the conservation and management of fishery resources of the United States."