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Essential Fish Habitat
Necessary Fish Habitat (EFH) was defined by the U. S. Congress in the 1996 changes to the Magnuson-Stevens Fishery Preservation and Management Act, or perhaps Magnuson-Stevens Act, as "those waters and substrate necessary to fish for spawning, breeding, feeding or growth to maturity. "|1| Applying regulations clarified that lakes and rivers include all aquatic areas and their physical, chemical, and biological properties; substrate includes the associated biological communities that make these areas appropriate for fish habitats, and the description and identification of EFH should include habitats used without notice during the species' life spiral.|2| EFH involves all types of aquatic habitat, including wetlands, coral reefs, sand, seagrasses, and rivers.|3|
NOAA Fisheries works with the regional fishery management local authorities to designate EFH making use of the best available scientific information. EFH has been described for over a 1, 000 managed species to date.|4| The primary purpose of EFH regulations should be to minimize the adverse effects of fishing and non sport fishing impacts on EFH towards the maximum extent practicable.
In 1996, the Magnuson-Stevens Fishery Conservation and Management Take action was amended to establish a fresh requirements to identify and illustrate EFH to protect, conserve and enhance EFH for the benefit of the fisheries.|5| The Magnuson-Stevens Act features jurisdiction over the management and conservation of marine seafood species. Federal agencies need to consult with NOAA Fisheries when ever their actions or activities may adversely affect environment identified by federal regional fishery management councils or NOAA Fisheries as EFH.|6| On 12 , 19, 1997, interim last rules were published inside the Federal Register (Vol. sixty two, No . 244) which stipulate procedures for implementation with the EFH provisions of the Magnuson-Stevens Act.|7| These types of rules were amended by simply publication of final rules in January 17, 2002 (Vol. 67, No . 12).|8| he rules, in two subparts, address requirements for fishery management approach (FMP) amendment, and fine detail the coordination, consultation, and recommendation requirements of the Magnuson-Stevens Act.
Has an effect on from certain fishing techniques and coastal and submarine development and may alter, damage, or destroy habitats necessary for fish. NOAA Fisheries, the regional fishery management councils (FMCs), and other federal businesses work together to minimize these risks.|13| Congress has created councils to classify unfavorable impacts on fishes in relation to types of fishing gear, seaside developments and nonpoint and point source pollution, and also, evaluating how well each fishery is managed. The FMCs, with assistance from NOAA Fisheries, has delineated EFH for federally managed variety. As new FMPs will be developed, EFH for recently managed species will also be identified.|14| FMPs need to describe and identify EFH for the fishery, lessen to the extent practicable the adverse effects of fishing in EFH, and identify other actions to encourage the conservation and enhancement of EFH.
Through consultations, NOAA Fisheries can recommend ways federal agencies may avoid or minimize the adverse effects of their actions on the habitat of federally supervised commercial and recreational fisheries.|16| Federal action agencies which fund, grant, or carry out activities which may adversely affect EFH are required to consult with NOAA Fisheries.|17| The federal action agency must provide NOAA Fisheries with an examination of all actions or offered actions authorized, funded, or undertaken by the agency which may adversely affect EFH.|18| Then NOAA The fishing industry will provide the federal action agency with EFH Resource efficiency recommendations.|19| These Conservation Recommendations provide information on keep away from, minimize, mitigate, or counter those adverse effects.|20| Federal action agencies need to provide a written explanation to NOAA Fisheries if some of these recommendations have not been implemented.|21| NOAA Fisheries must also include measures to reduce the adverse effects of sportfishing gear and fishing activities on EFH as well.|22| In addition , NOAA Fisheries and the FMCs may discuss and make recommendations to the state agency on their actions which may affect EFH.|23|
Most consultations are done in the NMFS regional offices: Better Atlantic Regional Fisheries Business office (GARFO), Southeast Regional Office (SERO), West Coast Local Office (WCRO), Alaska Regional Office (AKRO), and Pacific Islands Regional Office (PIRO). National consultations spanning multiple regions can be done at NOAA Fisheries Headquarters.
State companies and private landowners are not necessary to consult with NMFS. EFH consultation services are required if the federal government offers authorized, funded, or carried out part or all of a proposed activity, and if the action will adversely affect EFH.|24| Negatively affecting EFH includes immediate or indirect physical, substance or biological alterations with the waters or substrate and loss of, or injury to species and their habitat, and other ecosystem components, or reduction on the quality and/or quantity of EFH.
Habitat areas of particular concern or HAPCs are considered high main concern areas for conservation, supervision, and research.|26| HAPCs are subsets of EFH that merit attention because they meet for least one of the following 5 criteria:
provide important environmental function;
are sensitive to environmental degradation;
include a natural environment type that is/will come to be stressed by development;
will include a habitat type that is exceptional.|27|
Current HAPCs contain important habitats like estuaries, canopy kelp, corals, seagrass, and rocky reefs, among other areas of interest. HAPCs are afforded the same regulatory protection as EFH and do not leave out activities from occurring in the area, such as fishing, diving, swimming or surfing.
Imperative Fish Habitat is specified for all federally managed fish under the MSA whereas Critical Habitat is designated pertaining to the survival and recovery of species listed as threatened or endangered underneath the Endangered Species Act (ESA).|29| Critical habitats include areas occupied by threatened or endangered varieties that include physical and natural features that are essential to the conservation of the species.|30| Critical Habitat is usually designated as critical at that time a species is listed beneath the ESA.|31| EFH and Critical Habitat are different in terms of designation and rules, but they may overlap for certain species such as salmon.|32|
Home characteristics include sediment type, type of bottoms (sand, silt and clay), structures underlying the water surface, and marine community structures. These refuge are essential for fish and ecosystem health. The fundamental an environment structure begins with crud. Erosion is stabilized by simply submerged aquatic vegetation. There are two main types of bottoms, hard and smooth.|33| A study simply by Christensen at el. (2004) looked at three bottom environment types (vegetated marsh border, submerged aquatic vegetation, and shallow non-vegetated bottom) in terms of juvenile brown shrimp (Farfantepenaeus aztecus). The results from the analysis showed that brown shrimp selected vegetated areas in salinities 15-25 ppt and they would select vegetated areas over marsh edges every time they co-occurred. Finding the areas that had the highest abundance helped to identify EFH of young , small brown shrimp.|34|
Hard bottom also known as coral reefs or live bottom supplies hard complex vertical composition for attachment of a dry sponge, seaweed, and coral, which support a diverse reef fish community.|35| This kind of community can comprise invertebra, coral, hard coral, bryozoans, ploychaete worms, tunicates, a variety of fin-fishes, alga, and sponges. Areas of compacted or sheered mud and sediment also are a form of hard bottom.|36|
Soft bottom consists of unconsolidated sediment and unvegetated areas. In some regions soft bottoms are not protected even though they are often primary nursery areas, anadromous fish spawning areas, and anadromous nursery areas. Characteristics that affect soft lower part in relation to organisms that utilize them include sediment wheat size, salinity, dissolved oxygen and flow.
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