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WCR Highly Migratory Species (HMS) Essential Fish Habitat
Essential fish habitat (EFH) of Highly Migratory Species (HMS) within the exclusive economic zone (EEZ) off the U.S. West Coast.The Magnuson-Stevens Fishery Conservation and Management Act (MSA) requires that regional management councils describe EFH in their fishery management plans (FMPs), that they minimize to the extent practicable adverse effects on EFH from fishing activities, and that federal agencies consult with the National Marine Fisheries Service on activities that may adversely affect EFH, among other things. Actions that occur outside of EFH, but that may adversely affect EFH, also warrant an EFH consultation. EFH means those waters and substrate necessary to fish for spawning, breeding, feeding, or growth to maturity (50 CFR 600.10). FMPs must describe and identify EFH in text that clearly states the habitats or habitat types determined to be EFH for each life stage of the managed species, if possible. The text descriptions are ultimately determinative of the limits of EFH. Those text descriptions of HMS EFH can be found in the HMS FMP available on the Pacific Fishery Management Council (Council) website: https://www.pcouncil.org/. In addition, FMPs must include maps that display, within the constraints of available information, the geographic locations of EFH or the geographic boundaries within which EFH for each species and life stage is found (50 CFR 600.815(a)(1)(v)(A)). This Geographic Information System (GIS) data which depicts the EFH of HMS within the EEZ off the U.S. West Coast, was developed to meet that requirement.This geodatabase (GDB) contains 12 feature classes: there is one feature class that has all the HMS combined and there are 11 feature classes for each individual species' EFH. The GDB and feature class naming convention contains the date (YYYYMMDD) that the National Marine Fisheries Service (NMFS) approved amendment 8 to the FMP updating the HMS EFH components. The Council includes the following species in its HMS FMP:Tunas: albacore, yellowfin, bigeye, skipjack, and Pacific bluefinSharks: common thresher, shortfin mako, blueBillfish/swordfish: striped marlin, swordfishOther: dolphinfish (also known as dorado and Mahimahi)
Resources
3 resources available
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https://www.habitat.noaa.gov/application/efhinventory/index.html
TEXT/HTML -
GCMD Keyword Forum Page
TEXT/HTML -
Full Metadata Record
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| @type | dcat:Dataset |
|---|---|
| accessLevel | public |
| contactPoint |
{ "fn": "Chavez, Eric", "@type": "vcard:Contact", "hasEmail": "mailto:eric.chavez@noaa.gov" } |
| describedByType | application/octet-steam |
| description | Essential fish habitat (EFH) of Highly Migratory Species (HMS) within the exclusive economic zone (EEZ) off the U.S. West Coast.The Magnuson-Stevens Fishery Conservation and Management Act (MSA) requires that regional management councils describe EFH in their fishery management plans (FMPs), that they minimize to the extent practicable adverse effects on EFH from fishing activities, and that federal agencies consult with the National Marine Fisheries Service on activities that may adversely affect EFH, among other things. Actions that occur outside of EFH, but that may adversely affect EFH, also warrant an EFH consultation. EFH means those waters and substrate necessary to fish for spawning, breeding, feeding, or growth to maturity (50 CFR 600.10). FMPs must describe and identify EFH in text that clearly states the habitats or habitat types determined to be EFH for each life stage of the managed species, if possible. The text descriptions are ultimately determinative of the limits of EFH. Those text descriptions of HMS EFH can be found in the HMS FMP available on the Pacific Fishery Management Council (Council) website: https://www.pcouncil.org/. In addition, FMPs must include maps that display, within the constraints of available information, the geographic locations of EFH or the geographic boundaries within which EFH for each species and life stage is found (50 CFR 600.815(a)(1)(v)(A)). This Geographic Information System (GIS) data which depicts the EFH of HMS within the EEZ off the U.S. West Coast, was developed to meet that requirement.This geodatabase (GDB) contains 12 feature classes: there is one feature class that has all the HMS combined and there are 11 feature classes for each individual species' EFH. The GDB and feature class naming convention contains the date (YYYYMMDD) that the National Marine Fisheries Service (NMFS) approved amendment 8 to the FMP updating the HMS EFH components. The Council includes the following species in its HMS FMP:Tunas: albacore, yellowfin, bigeye, skipjack, and Pacific bluefinSharks: common thresher, shortfin mako, blueBillfish/swordfish: striped marlin, swordfishOther: dolphinfish (also known as dorado and Mahimahi) |
| distribution |
[ { "@type": "dcat:Distribution", "title": "https://www.habitat.noaa.gov/application/efhinventory/index.html", "accessURL": "https://www.habitat.noaa.gov/application/efhinventory/index.html", "mediaType": "text/html", "description": "Essential Fish Habitat Mapper", "describedByType": "application/octet-stream" }, { "@type": "dcat:Distribution", "title": "GCMD Keyword Forum Page", "accessURL": "https://forum.earthdata.nasa.gov/app.php/tag/GCMD%2BKeywords", "mediaType": "text/html", "description": "Global Change Master Directory (GCMD). 2026. GCMD Keywords, Version 24. Greenbelt, MD: Earth Science Data and Information System, Earth Science Projects Division, Goddard Space Flight Center (GSFC), National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA). URL (GCMD Keyword Forum Page): https://forum.earthdata.nasa.gov/app.php/tag/GCMD+Keywords", "describedByType": "application/octet-stream" }, { "@type": "dcat:Distribution", "title": "Full Metadata Record", "accessURL": "https://www.fisheries.noaa.gov/inport/item/80209", "mediaType": "text/html", "description": "View the complete metadata record on InPort for more information about this dataset.", "describedByType": "application/octet-stream" } ] |
| identifier | https://data.noaa.gov/waf/NOAA/nmfs/wcro/iso/xml/80209.xml |
| issued | 2024-01-01T00:00:00.000+00:00 |
| keyword |
[ "DOC/NOAA/NMFS/WCRO > West Coast Regional Office, National Marine Fisheries Service, NOAA, U.S. Department of Commerce", "NOAA Fisheries, SFD, West Coast Region, Essential Fish Habitat" ] |
| landingPage | https://www.fisheries.noaa.gov/inport/item/80209 |
| language |
[]
|
| license | https://creativecommons.org/publicdomain/zero/1.0/ |
| modified | 2024-01-01T00:00:00.000+00:00 |
| publisher |
{ "name": "West Coast Regional Office", "@type": "org:Organization" } |
| spatial | -117.129444,30.541995,-129.162414,48.506117 |
| theme |
[ "geospatial" ] |
| title | WCR Highly Migratory Species (HMS) Essential Fish Habitat |
