Atlantic salmon Gulf of Maine DPS critical habitat for use in ESA/FIFRA consultations

These data represent Endangered Species Act critical habitat designated for Atlantic salmon (Gulf of Maine DPS). The final rule for this designation can be found in the Federal Register at 74 FR 29300 (June 19, 2009).Critical habitat for Atlantic salmon (Gulf of Maine DPS) includes the stream channels within the designated stream reaches, and includes a lateral extent as defined by the ordinary high-water line (33 CFR 329.11). In areas where the ordinary high-water line has not been defined, the lateral extent will be defined by the bankfull elevation. Bankfull elevation is the level at which water begins to leave the channel and move into the floodplain and is reached at a discharge which generally has a recurrence interval of 1 to 2 years on an annual flood series. Critical habitat in estuaries is defined by the perimeter of the water body as displayed on standard 1:24,000 scale topographic maps or the elevation of extreme high water, whichever is greater.Watershed boundaries provide a standard level of detail that is an acceptable unit to describe salmon habitat, and the watershed level 5 (HUC 10s) are nationally recognized by the USGS to spatially relate any dataset that contains these codes.

This spatial data file was modified from NMFS’s “agency-official” species critical habitat data to aid in the ESA/FIFRA section 7 pesticide consultation process. For example, existing data were adapted to incorporate associated watersheds where applicable, based on the USGS Watershed Boundary Dataset HUC-12 data (https://www.usgs.gov/national-hydrography/watershed-boundary-dataset). The modifications to the NMFS critical habitat spatial data make the data more compatible for future analyses with EPA’s Use Data Layers (UDLs). The following “Description” is from the original, “agency-official” data that was used to make this HUC-based map. Most of the metadata record for this species matches the “agency-official” record; however, NMFS added a new "Citation", "File Identifier", “Credits”, “Point of Contact”, and “Lineage Process Step” that are unique to this HUC-based critical habitat data.

This data set is to be used as a primary reference source. This is public information and may be interpreted by organizations, agencies, units of government, or others based upon needs; however, each is responsible for the appropriate application. Federal, state, or local regulatory bodies are not to reassign to the Natural Resources Conservation Service any authority for the decisions that they make based upon these data. Photographic or digital enlargement of these maps to scales greater than that at which they were originally delineated can cause misrepresentation of the data. If enlarged, the maps will not include the fine detail that would be appropriate for mapping at the larger scale. Digital data files are periodically updated. Files are dated, and users are responsible for obtaining the latest version of the data.

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