78284 Data Set Published / External 78059 Florida Panhandle ESI, 2024 Project Completed 2025-09 This data set contains sensitive biological resource data for marine, estuarine, and freshwater species in the Florida Panhandle. Vector polygons in this data set represent fish distribution and aggregation areas. Species specific abundance, seasonality, status, life history, and source information are stored in relational data tables (described below) designed to be used in conjunction with this spatial data layer. This data set comprises a portion of the ESI data for Florida. ESI data characterize the marine and coastal environments and wildlife by their sensitivity to spilled oil. The ESI data include information for three main components: shoreline habitats, sensitive biological resources, and human-use resources. The ESI data provide sensitive areas data for oil spill planning and response and other environmental management and natural resource purposes. The Clean Water Act with amendments by the Oil Pollution Act of 1990 requires response plans for immediate and effective protection of sensitive areas. These data also support other related state and federal regulatory requirements for oil spill prevention, planning, response, and restoration. Theme ISO 19115 Topic Category biota Theme ISO 19115 Topic Category environment Theme Coastal Zone Management Theme Coastal resources Theme Environmental Monitoring,ESI Theme Fish Theme Oil spill planning Theme Sensitivity maps Theme Wildlife Theme biota Theme environment Spatial Florida Data Set Map (digital) Data Steward 2025-09 Position ESI Program Manager orr.esi@noaa.gov 7600 Sand Point Way NE Seattle WA 98115 Distributor 2025-09 Organization Office of Response and Restoration ORR https://ror.org/03g5tqa50 1305 East-West Highway Silver Spring MD 20910 https://response.restoration.noaa.gov/ ORR Home Page Online Resource Metadata Contact 2025-09 Position ESI Program Manager orr.esi@noaa.gov 7600 Sand Point Way NE Seattle WA 98115 -87.53319 -83.69784 30.77393 29.54792 Range 2022 2023 The data were compiled during 2021-2023. The currentness dates for this data range from 2022 to 2023 and are documented in the Lineage section. Geographic 2D EPSG:4269 NAD83 North American Datum 1983 GRS 1980 6378137 298.257222101 1 Geodetic Latitude Lat degree north 1 Geodetic Latitude Lat degree north 2 Geodetic Longitude Lon degree east 2 Geodetic Longitude Lon degree east Custom Unclassified Although these data have been processed successfully on a computer system at the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, no warranty, expressed or implied, is made by NOAA regarding the utility of the data on any other system, nor shall the act of distribution constitute any such warranty. NOAA warrants the delivery of this product in computer-readable format, and will offer a replacement copy of the product when the product is determined unreadable by computer input peripherals, or when the physical medium is delivered in damaged condition. https://response.restoration.noaa.gov/esi 2025-09 Organization Office of Response and Restoration https://ror.org/03g5tqa50 Data access URL ESRI File Geodatabase A multi-stage error checking process is used to verify both attribute accuracy and logical consistency throughout data production. The process includes a standardized data entry methodology, data review by in-house and external resource experts, a final Quality Assurance/Quality Control (QA/QC) process, and multiple automated logical consistency checks. Quantitative data (such as densities, counts, abundances, or concentrations) provided by resource experts for inclusion in the data set may vary widely in attribute accuracy, depending upon the methodology used to collect and compile such data. For a more detailed evaluation of source data attribute accuracy, contact the sources listed in the Lineage section. The attribute accuracy is estimated to be 'good' given the years of ESI experience, the data input methodology, the quality control review sessions, and the digital logical consistency checks. Spatial components for the biological data layers can come from expert interviews, hardcopy, or digital sources. Some of the spatial components of the biological data layers may have been developed using regional experts who estimate concentration areas. It is difficult to estimate the positional accuracy of such data, except to state that they are compiled on hardcopy base maps with a scale of 1:24,000. Some of the spatial components of the biological data sets are developed from pre-existing digital or hardcopy sources and reflect the positional accuracy of these original data. Note that biological resource data by their very nature are considered "fuzzy", and this should be understood when considering the positional accuracy of vector digital objects representing these resources. See the Lineage and Process_Description sections for more information on the original source data and how these data were integrated or manipulated to create the final data set. These data represent a synthesis of digital data on SAV, hardbottom, and Sargassum distribution. See also the BENTHICPT data layer, part of the larger Florida Panhandle ESI database, for additional benthic information. These data do not necessarily represent all benthic occurrences in Florida Panhandle. The following species are included in this data set: (Species_ID, Common Name, Scientific Name [n/a if not applicable]): 253, Hardbottom reef, n/a; 317, Sargassums, Sargassum spp.; 609, Submerged aquatic vegetation, n/a. A multi-stage error checking process, described in the above Attribute_Accuracy_Report, is used to verify both attribute accuracy and logical consistency throughout data production. This process includes multiple automated logical consistency checks that test the files for missing or duplicate data, rules for proper coding, GIS topological consistencies, and SQL SERVER(R) to ArcGIS(R) consistencies. A final review is made by the ESI manager, where the data are written to CD-ROM and the metadata are written. RARNUM's are defined on an element basis, so 'resources at risk' groupings will contain only a single element. For full lineage source details, please see metadata xml file in the distribution download file. 1 Fish polygons were created based on survey information, digital data, and expert opinion provided primarily by resource experts at FWC, USFWS, and NOAA. Gulf sturgeon (FT, ST) were mapped based on critical habitat as defined by USFWS and expert opinion. Areas that are part of the critical habitat were mapped as ‘high’ concentration areas, and other areas where sturgeon are known to occur were included in the atlas as ‘low’ concentration areas. The offshore extent of Gulf Sturgeon distribution was provided by NOAA Fisheries. Giant manta ray (FT, ST) was mapped based on species distribution models provided by NOAA’s Protected Resources Division (Farmer et al., 2022) and expert opinion. Species distribution models indicated that Giant manta rays are more commonly found in coastal Panhandle waters from April through December and were assigned the concentration ‘Relatively common’ in the ESI data for those months. The inshore extent of Giant manta ray distribution was delineated based on the NOAA Fisheries Consultation area, per communication with NOAA Fisheries staff. Smalltooth sawfish (FE, SE) are rare throughout the Gulf of Mexico in the Panhandle and were mapped to their potential distribution with a concentration of ‘Rare’ based on consultation with NOAA Fisheries staff. Other state-listed estuarine and freshwater fish, including saltmarsh topminnow (ST), Okaloosa darter (ST) and blackmouth shiner (ST), were mapped using FNAI habitat polygons. These areas may include land due to the methods used for mapping. Nearshore and estuarine fish species – Fishery Independent Monitoring data (FWC 2024) were provided by FWC to map common estuarine and inshore species. ESI water was delineated into polygons coincident with FIM monitoring areas, and the percent occurrence of each species was calculated monthly for seine and trawl data from 2010-2022. Economically and ecologically important species were retained in the dataset if they occurred in more than 5% of the samples taken in a geographic area in any month of the year. Seasonality information was taken from published datasets. Gulf of Mexico fish – Fish polygons in the Gulf of Mexico represent marine distributions of T/E species, known aggregation areas, or general distributions of commercial, recreational, and ecological species of interest. Aggregation areas include (1) areas that host known spawning aggregations for reef fish species, which were delineated based on survey data and expert opinion and (2) whale shark summer aggregation areas, which are based on the 95% kernel use density polygon presented in Hoffmayer et al. (2021). Most of the information on fish distribution in the Gulf of Mexico is based on the BSEE Gulf of Mexico Sensitive Species geodatabase (see metadata at https://www.bsee.gov/sites/bsee.gov/files/2024-01/BSEE_GOM_METADATA.zip for a complete description). 2023-06-01T00:00:00 Organization Florida Fish & Wildlife Conservation Commission FWC-FWRI 100 Eighth Avenue Southeast St. Petersbug FL 33701 USA (727)-896-8626 http://research.myfwc.com 8:00 am - 5:00 pm EST gov.noaa.nmfs.inport:78284 Zachary Winters-Staszak 2025-09-29T21:27:30 SysAdmin InPortAdmin 2026-08-19T18:33:58 2025-09-30 Office of Response and Restoration ORR 1002 Public No No 2025-09-30 1 Year 2026-09-30