Fish Habitat

Fish habitat plays an essential role in the reproduction, growth, and sustainability of commercial and recreational fisheries and is essential to the biodiversity of marine and coastal ecosystems.  Marine fish depend on healthy habitats for survival, and many species require specific types of habitats for spawning, breeding, feeding, and growth. The Council works cooperatively with its management partners to protect essential fish habitat areas and minimize adverse impacts of fishing activities on fish habitat. 

Essential Fish Habitat

The Magnuson-Stevens Fishery Conservation and Management Act requires federal fishery management councils and NOAA’s National Marine Fisheries Service to designate Essential Fish Habitat (EFH) for species managed under federal fishery management plans (FMPs). EFH is defined as “those waters and substrates necessary to fish for spawning, breeding, feeding, or growth to maturity.” Designation of EFH is important because it means those areas will be given additional consideration before any federal agencies are allowed to carry out activities in those areas.

The Council is also involved in the designation of Habitat Areas of Particular Concerns (HAPCs). HAPCs are subsets of EFH which are rare, particularly susceptible to human-induced degradation, especially ecologically important, or located in an environmentally stressed area. EFH and HAPC designations in the Mid-Atlantic region can be found on the NOAA Fisheries Essential Fish Habitat Mapper.

EFH Profiles for MAFMC Species

EFH Amendment

The Council is currently conducting a review of all EFH designations for Council-managed species. Learn more at the page linked below.

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Omnibus Essential Fish Habitat Amendment

This action will concurrently conduct the 5-year EFH review required under the Magnuson Stevens Act while amending fishery management plans for the Council, as needed.

Habitat Policies

Council Policy on Impacts of Fishing on Fish Habitat

The Council has adopted a set of policies to address impacts of fishing activities on fish habitat. These policies ensure that changes to fishery management plans incorporate effective approaches to managing the impact of fishing on sensitive fish habitat.

Council Policies on Non-Fishing Activities that Impact Fish Habitat

The Council has also developed a series of policies that articulate its positions on a variety of non-fishing activities as they relate to fish habitat. These policies address the following activities: Wind Energy, Offshore Oil, Marine Transport, Liquefied Natural Gas, and Coastal Development.

Habitat Initiatives

Northeast Regional Marine Fish Habitat Assessment

The Northeast Regional Marine Fish Habitat Assessment (NRHA) is a collaborative effort to describe and characterize estuarine, coastal, and offshore fish habitat distribution, abundance, and quality in the Northeast. Work associated with the NRHA occurred over a three-year time period from July 2019 through July 2022. All NRHA products are housed in the NRHA Data Explorer Tool, an R-Shiny application used to explore data on trends in fish species distribution at state and regional scales, and to share other products and documentation including model-based outputs and reports.

Integration of Habitat Into Ecosystem Approaches to Fisheries Management (EAFM) 

In August 2016 the Council completed development of an Ecosystem Approaches to Fisheries Management (EAFM) Guidance Document. The EAFM Guidance Document is designed to help the Council incorporate key ecosystem considerations, such as habitat interactions, into decision making. The Council is also continuing to pursue traditional approaches to addressing habitat issues, including spatial/temporal mapping of habitat to inform the definition of ecological production units for management consideration.

Additional Resources

Council Reports and Resources

NOAA Fisheries Resources

Related Pages

Staff Contact

Jessica Coakley - (302) 526-5252