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Essential Fish Habitat – U.S

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Essential Fish Habitat – U.S Essential Fish Habitat – U.S. Caribbean Fish require healthy surroundings to survive and reproduce. Essential fish habitat includes all types of aquatic habitat - wetlands, coral reefs, seagrasses, mangroves - where fish spawn, breed, feed, or grow to maturity. NOAA This document has been prepared by the Habitat Conservation FISHERIES Division of NOAA’s National Marine Fisheries Service (NMFS) Southeast Regional Office to provide an overview of the essential fish SERVICE habitat (EFH) provisions of the Magnuson-Stevens Fishery Conservation and Management Act in the U.S. Caribbean. Southeast Region NMFS and the Caribbean Fishery Management Council have identified essential fish habitat for federally managed species and federal agencies are required to consult with NMFS when their activities, including permits and licenses they issue, may adversely Habitat Conservation affect EFH. NMFS must also include measures to minimize the Division adverse affects of fishing gear and fishing activities on EFH. https://www.fisheries.noaa.gov/ Where to find: region/southeast#habitat Background Information ........................................................ 2 EFH in the U.S. Caribbean.................................................... 3 EFH HAPCs in the U.S. Caribbean ....................................... 4 Summarized EFH Designation Processes ............................ 5 EFH Consultations ............................................................ 6-7 EFH Consultation Flow Diagram ........................................... 8 Points of Contact ................................................................... 9 Regulatory Background .................................................10-11 Council & HMS Managed Species .................................12-14 References & Useful Websites ........................................... 15 Science, Service, Stewardship 1 Background The 1996 amendments to the Magnuson-Stevens Fishery Conservation and Management Act (Magnuson-Stevens Act) set forth WHAT IS ESSENTIAL FISH a mandate for NMFS, regional fishery management councils, and HABITAT (EFH)? other federal agencies to identify and protect important marine and anadromous fish habitat. The EFH provisions of the Magnuson- The Magnuson-Stevens Act, defines Stevens Act support one of the nation’s overall marine resource essential fish habitat as “those waters management goals - maintaining sustainable fisheries. Maintaining suitable marine fishery habitat quality and quantity is critical to and substrate necessary to fish for achieve this goal. spawning, breeding, feeding or growth Habitat Conservation Division to maturity.” The Southeast Region’s Habitat Conservation Division (HCD) implements the NMFS EFH program in the coastal states from North Carolina south through Texas as well as the territories of Puerto Rico and the U.S. Virgin Islands. One of the principal authorities for protecting and conserving marine fishery habitats is the EFH provisions of the Magnuson-Stevens Act, which requires federal agencies that authorize, fund, or undertake projects that may adversely affect EFH to consult with NMFS. Through consultation, the HCD provides recommendations to federal agencies to avoid, minimize, mitigate, or otherwise offset the effects of their actions on EFH. The review, advisory, and consultative services provided by the HCD to effect conservation and enhancement of fishery habitats use existing laws in addition to the Magnuson-Stevens Act, including the Fish and Wildlife Coordination Act, Clean Water Act, the National Environmental Policy Act, Federal Power Act, and the Coral Reef Conservation Act. The HCD has offices located in San Juan, Puerto Rico, and Christiansted, St. Croix and area of responsibility coincides with the Caribbean Fishery Management Council’s. Caribbean Fishery Management Council (Caribbean Council) The Magnuson-Steven’s Act created regional fishery management councils to advise NMFS on fishery management issues. Three regional fishery management councils exist within the area encompassed by the NMFS Southeast Region: Gulf of Mexico; South Atlantic; and Caribbean. The Caribbean Council first described EFH in a 1998 fishery management plan (FMP) amendment. The most recent revisions and updates became effective in 2005 and were reviewed in 2012 and again in 2019. Fishery management actions developed by fishery management councils, and approved by NMFS, are required to minimize adverse affects of fishing activities on EFH to the maximum extent practicable. NMFS Highly Migratory Species Division NMFS is responsible for identifying and describing EFH in fishery management plans for highly migratory species (HMS) such as sharks, tunas, and billfish which cross fishery management council boundaries. EFH for HMS in the Caribbean was updated in 2017 in an FMP amendment by NMFS HMS. 2 NOAA FISHERIES SERVICE - SOUTHEAST REGION (REVISED SEPT-2020) EFH Designations for Current Caribbean General Habitat Types Identified as EFH Council Fishery Management Plans by the Caribbean Council in the U.S. Caribbean Photos: NOAA Photo Library Reef Fish EFH – EFH for the Reef Fish Fishery in the U.S. Caribbean consists of all waters from mean high water to the ←Salt Marshes outer boundary of the EEZ (habitats used by eggs and larvae) and all substrates from mean high water to 100 fathoms depth (habitats used by other life stages). Queen Conch EFH – EFH for the queen conch fishery in the Seagrass U.S. Caribbean consists of all waters from mean high water to ← the outer boundary of the EEZ (habitats used by eggs and larvae) and seagrass, benthic algae, coral, live/hard bottom and sand/shell substrates from mean high water to 100 fathoms depth (habitats used by other life stages). ←Intertidal Flats Salt Ponds Spiny Lobster EFH – EFH for the spiny lobster fishery in the Sandy Beaches U.S. Caribbean consists of all waters from mean high water to Rocky Shores the outer boundary of the EEZ (habitats used by phyllosome larvae) and seagrass, benthic algae, mangrove, coral, and live/hard bottom substrates from mean high water to 100 ←Estuarine & Marine fathoms depth (habitats used by other life stages). Water Column Coral EFH – EFH for the Coral Fishery in the U.S. Caribbean consists of all waters from mean low water to the outer boundary of the EEZ (habitats used by larvae) and coral and hard bottom substrates from mean low water to 100 fathoms depth (habitat ←Mangrove Wetlands used by other life stages). EFH Designations for Highly Migratory Species Fishery Management Plan ←Live (Hard)Bottoms Mud, Sand, Shell, and NMFS HMS identified geographic areas, rather than Rock Substrates specific habitat types, as EFH. Maps of HMS EFH are located in Amendment 10 of the Consolidated HMS FMP (NMFS, 2017) as well as the online EFH Mapper Tool: Corals & Coral Reefs http://www.habitat.noaa.gov/ ← protection/efh/habitatmapper.html Science, Service, Stewardship 3 EFH-HAPC: Habitat Areas of Particular Reef Fish - Spawning Habitats Concern in the U.S. Caribbean Puerto Rico • Tourmaline Bank/Buoy 8 The EFH regulations encourage NMFS and fishery • Abrir La Sierra Bank/Buoy 6 management councils to consider a second, more • Bajo de Sico limited habitat designation for each species in addition • Vieques, El Seco to EFH. EFH-HAPC are described as subsets of EFH which are rare, particularly susceptible to human- induced degradation, especially ecologically St. Croix important, or located in an environmentally stressed • Mutton snapper spawning aggregation area area. EFH-HAPCs are not afforded any additional • East of St. Croix (Lang Bank) regulatory protection under the Magnuson-Stevens Act; however, federal actions with potential adverse St. Thomas impacts to EFH-HAPCs will be more carefully • Hind Bank Marine Conservation District scrutinized during the EFH consultation process. • Grammanik Bank These areas may be subject to more stringent EFH conservation recommendations. Reef Fish - Ecologically Important Habitats NMFS HMS has not designated any EFH-HAPCs in the U.S. Caribbean. The following areas have been Puerto Rico designated by the Caribbean Council as EFH-HAPC: • Hacienda la Esperanza, Manití • Bajuras and Tiberones, Isabela Coral - Ecologically Important Habitats • Cabezas de San Juan, Fajardo • JOBANNERR, Jobos Bay Puerto Rico • Bioluminescent Bays, Vieques • Luis Peña Channel, Culebra • Boquerón State Forest • Mona/Monito • Pantano Cibuco, Vega Baja • La Parguera, Lajas • Piñones State Forest • Caja de Muertos, Ponce • Río Espiritu Santo, Río Grande • Tourmaline Reef • Seagrass beds of Culebra Island (nine sites • Guánica State Forest designated as Resource Category 1 and two • Punta Petrona, Santa Isabel additional sites) • Ceiba State Forest • Northwest Vieques seagrass west of Mosquito • La Cordillera, Fajardo Pier, Vieques • Guayama Reefs • Steps and Tres Palmas, Rincon St. Thomas • Los Corchos Reef, Culebra • Southeastern St. Thomas, including Cas Key • Desecheo Reefs, Desecheo and the mangrove lagoon in Great St. James Bay St. Croix • Saba Island/Perseverance Bay, including Flat • St. Croix Coral Reef Area of Particular Key and Black Point Reef Concern, including the East End Marine Park • Buck Island Reef National Monument St. Croix • South Shore Industrial Area Patch Reef and • Salt River Bay National Historical Park and Deep Reef System Ecological Preserve and Marine Reserve and • Frederiksted Reef System Wildlife Sanctuary • Cane Bay • Altona Lagoon • Green Cay Wildlife Refuge • Great Pond South Shore Industrial Area • Sandy Point National Wildlife
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