Habitat Background
What is essential fish habitat (EFH)?
“Habitat” is the environment where an animal lives and reproduces. Identifying fish habitat can be difficult because fish move through the ocean and
use different types of habitats for different purposes. For example, a fish
might spawn in one type of area and search for food in another.
The Magnuson-Stevens Fishery Conservation and Management Act (MSA)
defines “essential fish habitat” as “those waters and substrate necessary to fish for spawning, breeding, feeding, or growth to maturity.” To clarify this definition, waters is defined as “aquatic areas and their associated physical, chemical, and biological properties that are used by fish,” and may include areas historically used by fish. Substrate means “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 the full life cycle of a species.
The MSA requires that regional management councils
describe EFH in their fishery management plans, that
they minimize impacts on EFH from fishing activities,
and that they and other federal agencies consult with the
National Marine Fisheries Service about activities that
might harm EFH. Actions that occur outside of EFH,
but that might affect the habitat, must also be taken into account.
The Council has developed documents that describe and map EFH for coastal pelagic species, salmon, groundfish,
and highly migratory species and suggest management measures to reduce impacts from fishing and
non-fishing activities. The Council may use fishing gear restrictions, time and area closures, harvest limits, and
other measures to lessen adverse impacts on EFH. When doing so, the Council considers whether the fishing
activity is harming the habitat, the nature and extent of the damage, and whether management measures can be enforced. The Council also considers the long-term and short-term costs and benefits to the fishery, fishing communities, and the habitat.
In addition to EFH, the MSA encourages Councils to designate habitat
areas of particular concern (HAPCs). These are specific habitat areas, a
subset of the much larger area identified as EFH, that play a particularly
important ecological role in the fish life cycle or that are especially sensitive,
rare, or vulnerable. Designating HAPCs allows managers to focus
their attention on conservation priorities during review of proposals, gives
those habitats extra management protection, and gives the fish species
within HAPCs an extra buffer against adverse impacts.
HAPCs are identified differently from EFH. EFH is identified for each
species and life stage; in contrast, HAPCs are identified on the basis of
habitat-level considerations, including the importance of the ecological
function provided by the habitat, the extent to which the habitat is sensitive
to human-induced environmental degradation, whether and to what
extent development activities are or will be stressing the habitat, and the
rarity of the habitat type.
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Essential Fish Habitat for Groundfish
The Pacific Coast Groundfish Fishery Management Plan manages more
than 82 species over a large and ecologically diverse area. Groundfish are
fish such as rockfish, sablefish, flatfish, and Pacific whiting that are often
(but not exclusively) found on or near the ocean floor or other structures.
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The Council first identified groundfish EFH in 1998. Because information
about each groundfish species’ habitat was limited, EFH was defined
to encompass the whole West Coast exclusive economic zone. However,
in 2000, based on the American Oceans Campaign v. Daley court case,
the Council was directed to revisit the question of groundfish EFH.
Amendment 19 to the Groundfish Fishery Management Plan, completed
in 2006, defines EFH and HAPCs for groundfish.
To identify EFH for groundfish, NMFS developed a GIS-based assessment
model that looked at the occurrence of groundfish in relation to
depth, latitude, and substrate type. A detailed description of this model
is included in Appendix B.1 to the groundfish FMP.
Ultimately the Council identified groundfish EFH as all waters from the
high tide line (and parts of estuaries) to 3,500 meters (1,914 fathoms)
in depth.
HAPCs are a subset of EFH used to focus management and restoration
efforts. The Council identified six HAPC types. One of these types,
certain oil rigs in Southern California waters, was disapproved by NMFS.
The current HAPC types are: estuaries, canopy kelp, seagrass, rocky reefs, and “areas of interest” (a variety of
submarine features, such as banks, seamounts, and canyons, along with Washington State waters.)
In addition to identifying EFH and describing HAPCs, the Council also adopted mitigation measures directed
at the adverse impacts of fishing on groundfish EFH. Principal among these are closed areas to protect sensitive
habitats. There are three types of closed areas: bottom trawl closed areas, bottom contact closed areas, and a
bottom trawl footprint closure. The 34 bottom trawl closed areas are closed to all types of bottom trawl fishing
gear. The bottom trawl footprint closure closes areas in the EEZ between 1,280 meters (700 fathoms) and 3,500 meters (1,094 fathoms), which is the outer extent of groundfish EFH. The 17 bottom contact closed
areas are closed to all types of bottom contact gear intended to make contact with bottom during fishing operations,
which includes fixed gear, such as longline and pots.
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Essential Fish Habitat for Coastal Pelagic Species
The coastal pelagic species (CPS) fishery includes four finfish (Pacific sardine,
Pacific (chub) mackerel, northern anchovy, and jack mackerel), and
market squid. CPS finfish generally live nearer to the surface than the sea
floor. The definition of EFH for CPS is based on the temperature range
where they are found, and on the geographic area where they occur at any
life stage. This range varies widely according to ocean temperatures. The
EFH for CPS also takes into account where these species have been found
in the past, and where they may be found in the future.
The east-west boundary of CPS EFH includes all marine and estuary waters
from the coasts of California, Oregon, and Washington to the limits
of the EEZ (the 200-mile limit) and above the thermocline where sea
surface temperatures range between 10° and 26° centigrade. (A thermocline is an area where water temperatures change rapidly, usually from colder at the bottom to warmer on top). The southern boundary is the U.S./Mexico maritime boundary. The northern boundary is more changeable and is defined as the position of the 10° C isotherm, which varies seasonally and annually. (The 10° C isotherm is a rough estimate of the lowest temperature where finfish are found, and represents their northern boundary). In years with cold winter sea surface temperatures, the 10° C isotherm during February is around 43° N latitude offshore, and slightly further south
along the coast. In August, this northern boundary moves up to Canada or Alaska.
For more information about CPS EFH, see the CPS Fishery Management Plan.
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Essential Fish Habitat for Salmon
Salmon range from more than 1,000 miles inland to thousands of miles out at sea. Although the waters off Canada are salmon habitat, they are also not included in the description of salmon EFH because they are outside
of U.S. jurisdiction. However, waters off Alaska are included in the description.
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In estuaries and marine areas, salmon habitat extends from the shoreline to the 200-mile limit of the EEZ and
beyond. In freshwater, salmon EFH includes all the lakes, streams, ponds, rivers, wetlands, and other bodies of
water that have been historically accessible to salmon. The description of EFH also includes areas above artificial
barriers, except for certain barriers and dams that fish cannot pass. However, activities that occur above
these barriers, and that are likely to affect salmon below the barriers, may be affected by EFH rulings.
The Council is required to minimize the negative impacts of fishing activities
on essential salmon habitat. The ocean activities that the Council
is concerned with include the effects of fishing gear, removal of salmon
prey by other fisheries, and the effect of salmon fishing on reducing nutrients
in streams due to fewer salmon carcasses in the spawning grounds.
The Council may use gear restrictions, time and area closures, and harvest
limits to reduce negative impacts on salmon EFH.
The Council is also required to comment and make recommendations regarding
other agencies’ actions that may effect salmon EFH. This usually
takes the form of endorsing an enhancement program or other type of
program, requesting information and justification for actions that might
effect salmon habitat, and promoting the needs of the salmon fisheries.
The Council works with many other agencies to identify cumulative
impacts on salmon habitat, to encourage conservation, and to take other
actions to protect salmon habitat.
For more information about essential fish habitat for salmon, please see
the Salmon Fishery Management Plan, Amendment 14.
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Essential Fish Habitat for Highly Migratory Species
Defining EFH for highly mobile species such as tuna, swordfish, and
sharks is a challenging task. These species range widely in the ocean, both
in terms of area and depth. Highly migratory species are usually not associated
with the features that are typically considered fish habitat (such as
seagrass beds, rocky bottoms, or estuaries). Their habitat may be defined
by temperature ranges, salinity, oxygen levels, currents, shelf edges, and
seamounts. Little is known about why highly migratory species frequent
particular areas. Nevertheless, these species may be affected by actions
close to shore or on land, such as fishing, dredging, wastewater discharge,
oil and gas exploration and production, aquaculture, water withdrawals, release of hazardous materials, and
coastal development.
A more detailed description of EFH for highly migratory species is included
in the Fishery
Management Plan and Environmental Impact Statement for U.S. West Coast
Fisheries for Highly Migratory Species.
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The Council’s Habitat Committee
The Council’s Habitat Committee works with other teams and panels on habitat issues that affect Council fisheries.
The group helps develop ways to resolve habitat problems and avoid future habitat conflicts, and it makes
recommendations for actions that will help achieve the Council’s habitat objectives. The Habitat Committee
includes one member each from National Marine Fisheries Service, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, and
the Pacific States Marine Fisheries Commission; one at-large member; one conservation representative; four
members from the four state fishery agencies; two tribal representatives; two fishing industry members, and one
National Marine Sanctuaries representative.
The Habitat Committee usually meets on the first Monday of a Council meeting. Check the Council website to confirm meeting dates. Meetings are open to the public.
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EFH Consultation
Federal agencies are required to consult with
National Marine Fisheries Service (NMFS)
when any activity proposed to be permitted,
funded, or undertaken by a federal agency may
have adverse impacts on designated EFH. Only
Federal actions require consultation. States are
not required to consult, but if NMFS receives
information on a State action that may adversely
affect EFH, NMFS is required to provide
EFH conservation recommendations to the
State agency. States are not required to initiate
consultation with NMFS nor respond to its recommendations.
Private landowners do not need to consult with NMFS on private land activities (however, such activities may
be subject to Endangered Species Act or National Environmental Policy Act regulations). Only if the project is
funded, permitted, or authorized by a Federal agency and the project may adversely affect EFH is consultation
with NMFS required.
The EFH regulations define an adverse effect as “any impact which reduces quality and/or quantity of
EFH...[and] may include direct (e.g. contamination or physical disruption), indirect (e.g. loss of prey, reduction
in species’ fecundity), site-specific or habitat wide impacts, including individual, cumulative, or syunergistic
consequences of actions.”
Once NMFS learns of a federal or state project that may have an adverse effect on EFH, NMFS is required to develop EFH Conservation Recommendations for the project. These recommendations may include measures to avoid, minimize, mitigate, or otherwise offset adverse effects on EFH. Federal agencies are required to
respond to EFH Conservation Recommendations in writing within 30 days. For more information on federaconsultation
requirements, see http://swr.nmfs.noaa.gov/hcd/efhprim.htm.
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For more information
Have more questions about habitat and EFH? Please contact the following staff:
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Highly migratory species: Kit Dahl; phone 1-866-806-7204 ext. 422
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Coastal pelagic species: Mike Burner; phone 1-866-806-7204 ext. 414
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Groundfish: John DeVore; phone 1-866-806-7204 ext. 413
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Salmon: Chuck Tracy; phone 1-866-806-7204 ext. 415
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Habitat Committee: Jennifer Gilden; phone 1-866-806-7204 ext. 418
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Groundfish EFH EIS: Steve Copps (NMFS); phone 1-206-526-6187
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