Essential Fish Habitat
"Marine fish depend on healthy habitats to survive. Throughout their lives fish use many types of habitats including seagrass, salt marsh. coral reefs, kelp forests and rocky intertidal areas. 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.
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."
-- United States Congress, as noted in the Magnuson-Stevens Fishery Conservation and Management Act, 1996.
- What is EFH?
- What are Habitat Areas of Particular Concern (HAPC)?
- Where is Essential Fish Habitat?
- Why should we protect habitats essential to fish?
- How does it work?
For more information contact: West Coast EFH Coordinator, John Stadler, at john.stadler@noaa.gov or (360) 534-9328.
Essential Fish Habitat
Pacific Coast Salmon EFH
- Final EA for Pacific Coast Salmon Plan Amendment 18: Incorporating Revisions to Pacific Salmon Essential Fish Habitat
6,208kb - EFH Designations for Pacific Coast Salmon-Final Rule 246kb
- Identification& Description of EFH for Salmon- Appendix A to the Fishery Management Plan 4.2kb
- Salmon EFH Maps
- 5-year Review of Salmon EFH 8.8MB
Pacific Coast Groundfish EFH
- Description of EFH for Pacific Coast Groundfish - Amendment 19 & Appendices to the Fishery Management Plan
- Groundfish EFH Maps
- 5-year Review of Groundfish EFH
- Additional Information & Reference Materials
Coastal Pelagic Species EFH
- Description & Identification of EFH for Coastal Pelagic Species- Appendix D to the Fishery Management Plan 2MB
- Description & Identification of EFH for Coastal Pelagic Species-Appendix 12 to the Fishery Management Plan 1.6MB
Highly Migratory Species EFH
Programmatic consultations and general concurrence agreements
These simplify the consultation process for multiple project types with similar degree or method of disturbance. The resulting agreement increases the speed that projects move through the permitting process, decreases the consultation burden on consulting agencies and promotes im proved habitat conservation. They also enable consistent response on similar project types. Listed below are the programmatic consultations and general concurrence between NOAA Fisheries & the U.S.Army Corps of Engineers
Los Angeles District
Los Angeles District-South Coast Branch
San Francisco, Sacramento, & Los Angeles District
San Francisco District
- EFH Consultation For Construction & Maintenance of Overwater Structures 748kb
- EFH Consultation for Operations & Maintenance Dredging in the San Francisco Area & associated dredged material placement (In cooperation with USEPA Region IX) 1.4MB
- 2011 Long Term Management Strategy Final Agreement 465kb
*These files require Google Earth for viewing.
References
EFH Regulatory Guidelines 97kb
Effects of Non-fishing Activities on EFH 456kb
EFH Consultation Guide 1.1MB
EFH Assessment Guidance 282kb
Comparison of EFH & Critical Habitat 5.2MB
