WCR Marine Salmon Essential Fish Habitat Geodatabase

The Magnuson-Stevens Fishery Conservation and Management Act (MSA) requires that regional management councils describe EFH in their fishery management plans (FMPs), that they minimize to the extent practicable adverse effects on EFH from fishing activities, and that federal agencies consult with the National Marine Fisheries Service on activities that may adversely affect EFH, among other things. Actions that occur outside of EFH, but that may adversely affect EFH, also warrant an EFH consultation. EFH means those waters and substrate necessary to fish for spawning, breeding, feeding, or growth to maturity (50 CFR 600.10). FMPs must describe and identify EFH in text that clearly states the habitats or habitat types determined to be EFH for each life stage of the managed species, if possible. The text descriptions are ultimately determinative of the limits of EFH. Those text descriptions of marine salmon EFH can be found in the Salmon Fishery Management Plan (FMP) available on the Pacific Fishery Management Council (Council) website: https://www.pcouncil.org/. In addition, FMPs must include maps that display, within the constraints of available information, the geographic locations of EFH or the geographic boundaries within which EFH for each species and life stage is found (50 CFR 600.815(a)(1)(v)(A)). This Geographic Information System (GIS) data which depicts the EFH of marine salmon within the EEZ off the U.S. West Coast, was developed to meet that requirement.This geodatabase (GDB) contains three feature classes, providing marine EFH data for the following species:Chinook salmonCoho salmonPuget Sound Pink salmon Naming Convention: The names of the GDB and its feature classes include the date (YYYYMMDD) that the National Marine Fisheries Service (NMFS) approved Amendment 18 to the FMP, updating the marine salmon EFH components.Citation details for 79 FR 75450Fisheries Off West Coast States; West Coast Salmon Fisheries; Amendment 18 to the Salmon Fishery Management PlanA Rule by the Commerce Department, and the National Oceanic and Atmospheric AdministrationPublication date: December 18, 2014Effective date: January 20, 2015

This geodatabase compiles the spatial boundaries for marine salmon Essential Fish Habitat (EFH) located within the U.S. West Coast Exclusive Economic Zone (EEZ). It is comprised of three specific feature classes that detail the marine EFH for Chinook salmon, Coho salmon, and Puget Sound Pink salmon.

This spatial data is intended to assist the public and our partners with visually interpreting marine salmon EFH designations. Please refer to the Salmon FMP for official text descriptions of EFH.

These data are a generalized interpretation of the textual description of EFH and do not fully represent the complexity of the habitats described in the FMP. The textual description of the EFH is always ultimately determinative of the limits of EFH.

The West Coast Region (WCR) marine salmon EFH GIS data was developed using spatial descriptions from the Pacific Fishery Management Council (PFMC) Fishery Management Plan (FMP). The primary reference document is: Pacific Fishery Management Council (2014). Appendix A to the Pacific Coast Salmon Fishery Management Plan, as modified by Amendment 18: Identification and description of essential fish habitat, adverse impacts, and recommended conservation measures for salmon (Portland, OR). Available at: https://www.pcouncil.org/documents/2019/08/salmon-efh-appendix-a.pdf

Marine Coho and Chinook Salmon EFH Boundary Definitions and Source Data:

The following spatial parameters and source datasets were utilized to define the West Coast Region (WCR) marine Coho and Chinook salmon Essential Fish Habitat (EFH) boundaries:

Northern Extent: Defined by the U.S. Exclusive Economic Zone (EEZ) and the International Maritime Boundary (Source: NOAA U.S. Maritime Limits & Boundaries).

Southern Extent: Terminated at Point Conception, California (approx. 34.448° N).

Western/Seaward Extent: Bounded by the U.S. Exclusive Economic Zone (EEZ) as delineated on NOAA Nautical Charts.

Eastern/Shoreward Extent (North of Pajaro River): Aligned with the shoreward limit of the 2014 WCR freshwater Chinook and Coho salmon EFH data (Source: NOAA EFH Mapper).

Eastern/Shoreward Extent (South of Pajaro River): For the coastal segment extending from the mouth of the Pajaro River south to Point Conception, the NOAA Historical Medium Resolution Shoreline was utilized to maintain consistency with the shoreline source cited in the 2014 WCR freshwater salmon EFH metadata.

Exclusions: All internal bays, estuaries, and inlets were explicitly excluded from the marine EFH polygon in this southern segment to maintain the coastal marine designation.

Marine Puget Sound Pink Salmon EFH Boundary Definitions and Source Data: The following spatial parameters and source datasets were utilized to define the Essential Fish Habitat (EFH) for WCR marine Puget Sound Pink Salmon:

Northern/Seaward Extent: Defined by the seaward expansion of the 2014 WCR Puget Sound pink salmon baseline (Source: NOAA EFH Mapper) to the U.S. Exclusive Economic Zone (EEZ) and International Maritime Boundary. This encompasses all marine waters north and east of Cape Flattery, WA, including the Strait of Juan de Fuca, the Strait of Georgia, and Puget Sound.

Western/Seaward Extent: Bounded by the U.S. EEZ and limited to marine waters north of the 48° N latitude parallel.

Eastern/Shoreward Extent: Bounded by the landward limit of the 2014 WCR Puget Sound pink salmon EFH dataset, serving as the interface between freshwater and marine designations.