Essential Fish Habitat (EFH) is defined as waters and substrate necessary to fish for spawning, breeding, feeding, or growth to maturity and is typically designated by life history stage (egg, larvae, juvenile, adult). Under the Magnuson-Stevens Act, Regional Fishery Management Councils must designate EFH, which consists of a text description and geographic area (EFH map). Most species managed by the New England Fishery Management Council (NEFMC) have undergone two rounds of designations via Omnibus EFH Amendments 1 and 2. The Council is currently collaborating with the Mid-Atlantic Fishery Management Council on an EFH Review for the Northeast U.S. region. The Northeast Regional Marine Fish Habitat Assessment (NRHA) provides information to support the EFH Review.
Resources below include EFH consultation correspondence prepared by the Greater Atlantic Regional Fisheries Office of NOAA Fisheries, the EFH map repository, which is maintained by NOAA Fisheries, the NRHA webpage, which includes links to the Data Explorer, EFH designations and supplementary information from the 2018 Omnibus EFH Amendment 2, and the 2002 EFH regulations.