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Essential Fish Habitat
Necessary Fish Habitat (EFH) was defined by the U. H. Congress in the 1996 amendments to the Magnuson-Stevens Fishery Resource efficiency and Management Act, or perhaps Magnuson-Stevens Act, as "those waters and substrate essential to fish for spawning, breeding, nourishing or growth to maturity. "|1| Utilizing regulations clarified that waters include all aquatic areas and their physical, chemical, and biological properties; substrate contains the associated biological organizations that make these areas ideal for fish habitats, and the explanation and identification of EFH should include habitats used without notice during the species' life circuit.|2| EFH incorporates all types of aquatic habitat, such as wetlands, coral reefs, fine sand, seagrasses, and rivers.|3|
NOAA Fisheries works with the regional fishery management local authorities to designate EFH using the best available scientific data. EFH has been described for over a 1, 000 managed types to date.|4| The main purpose of EFH regulations is always to minimize the adverse effects of fishing and non fishing impacts on EFH for the maximum extent practicable.
In 1996, the Magnuson-Stevens Fishery Conservation and Management Action was amended to establish a fresh requirements to identify and express EFH to protect, conserve and enhance EFH for the benefit of the fisheries.|5| The Magnuson-Stevens Act has jurisdiction over the management and conservation of marine fish species. Federal agencies need to consult with NOAA Fisheries once their actions or actions may adversely affect habitat identified by federal territorial fishery management councils or NOAA Fisheries as EFH.|6| On Dec 19, 1997, interim final rules were published inside the Federal Register (Vol. over 60, No . 244) which specify procedures for implementation in the EFH provisions of the Magnuson-Stevens Act.|7| These rules were amended by publication of final rules upon January 17, 2002 (Vol. 67, No . 12).|8| he rules, in two subparts, address requirements for fishery management plan (FMP) amendment, and fine detail the coordination, consultation, and recommendation requirements of the Magnuson-Stevens Act.
Influences from certain fishing practices and coastal and marine development and may alter, destruction, or destroy habitats important for fish. NOAA Fisheries, the regional fishery management councils (FMCs), and other federal businesses work together to minimize these dangers.|13| Congress has established councils to classify unfavorable has an effect on on fishes in relation to types of fishing gear, seaside developments and non-point and point source pollution, and, evaluating how well each fishery is managed. The FMCs, with assistance from NOAA Fisheries, has delineated EFH for federally managed species. As new FMPs happen to be developed, EFH for recently managed species will also be described.|14| FMPs need to describe and identify EFH for the fishery, minimize to the extent practicable the adverse effects of fishing in EFH, and identify different actions to encourage the conservation and enhancement of EFH.
Through consultations, NOAA Fisheries can suggest ways federal agencies can avoid or minimize the adverse effects of their actions for the habitat of federally managed commercial and recreational the fishing industry.|16| Federal actions agencies which fund, support, 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 assessment of all actions or suggested actions authorized, funded, or undertaken by the agency that may adversely affect EFH.|18| Then NOAA The fishing industry will provide the federal action agency with EFH Resource efficiency recommendations.|19| These kinds of Conservation Recommendations provide information on steer clear of, 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 adopted.|21| NOAA The fishing industry must also include measures to reduce the adverse effects of reef fishing gear and fishing actions on EFH as well.|22| In addition , NOAA The fishing industry and the FMCs may comment on and make recommendations to any state agency on their actions which may affect EFH.|23|
Most consultations are done inside the NMFS regional offices: Greater Atlantic Regional Fisheries Office (GARFO), Southeast Regional Workplace (SERO), West Coast Local Office (WCRO), Alaska Local Office (AKRO), and Pacific Islands Regional Office (PIRO). National consultations spanning multiple regions can be done at NOAA Fisheries Headquarters.
State businesses and private landowners are not required to consult with NMFS. EFH discussions are required if the federal government features authorized, funded, or taken on part or all of a proposed activity, and if the action will adversely impact EFH.|24| Badly affecting EFH includes immediate or indirect physical, chemical or biological alterations with the waters or substrate and loss of, or injury to species and their habitat, and other ecosystem components, or reduction from the quality and/or quantity of EFH.
Natural environment areas of particular concern or perhaps HAPCs are considered high concern areas for conservation, administration, and research.|26| HAPCs are subsets of EFH that merit attention because they meet at least one of the following four criteria:
provide important environmental function;
are sensitive to environmental degradation;
include a habitat type that is/will become stressed by development;
will include a habitat type that is exceptional.|27|
Current HAPCs include important habitats like estuaries, canopy kelp, corals, seagrass, and rocky reefs, amongst other areas of interest. HAPCs are afforded the same regulatory safety as EFH and do not leave out activities from occurring inside the area, such as fishing, snorkeling, swimming or surfing.
Fundamental Fish Habitat is chosen for all federally managed fish under the MSA whereas Critical Habitat is designated to get the survival and restoration of species listed as threatened or endangered within the Endangered Species Act (ESA).|29| Critical refuge include areas occupied by the threatened or endangered varieties that include physical and biological features that are essential to the conservation of the species.|30| Critical Habitat is definitely designated as critical at that time a species is listed under the ESA.|31| EFH and Critical Habitat are different in terms of designation and control, but they may overlap for many species such as salmon.|32|
An environment characteristics include sediment type, type of bottoms (sand, silt and clay), structures base the water surface, and marine community structures. These refuge are essential for fish and ecosystem health. The fundamental natural environment structure begins with residue. Erosion is stabilized by submerged aquatic vegetation. There are two main types of bottoms, hard and gentle.|33| A study by Christensen at el. (2004) looked at three bottom an environment types (vegetated marsh border, submerged aquatic vegetation, and shallow non-vegetated bottom) in relation to juvenile brown shrimp (Farfantepenaeus aztecus). The results from the study showed that brown prawn selected vegetated areas in salinities 15-25 ppt plus they would select vegetated areas over marsh edges whenever 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 delivers hard complex vertical structure for attachment of sponges, seaweed, and coral, which support a diverse reef seafood community.|35| This kind of community can comprise invertebra, coral, hard coral, bryozoans, ploychaete worms, tunicates, many different fin-fishes, alga, and a dry sponge. Areas of compacted or sheered mud and sediment can also be a form of hard bottom.|36|
Soft bottom consists of unconsolidated sediment and unvegetated areas. In some regions soft underside are not protected even though they might be primary nursery areas, anadromous fish spawning areas, and anadromous nursery areas. Characteristics that affect soft lower side in relation to organisms that use them include sediment hemp size, salinity, dissolved oxygen and flow.
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