Abstract
The affected environment related to the SFWF and SFEC consists of areas of habitat that may be designated as EFH for managed fish, shellfish, and mollusk species that reside within these habitats. Regional FMCs and NOAA work together to delineate areas of EFH and manage them. As part of the management, descriptions for general habitats preferred by individual species are created and used as an identification guide. Additionally, these agencies coordinate to create individual fishery management plans.
Official EFH data relevant to the SFWF and SFEC are published by the New England Fishery Management Council (NEFMC) and Mid Atlantic Fishery Management Council (MAFMC). EFH data and text descriptions were downloaded from the NOAA Habitat Conservation EFH Mapper, an online mapping application (NOAA, 2018). EFH data were queried using GIS software based on SFWF and SFEC project components.