EFH are designated by NOAA Fisheries and the regional fishery management councils for species managed under the Magnuson-Stevens Fishery Conservation and Management Act.
EFH for reef fish consists of Gulf of America waters and substrates extending from the US/Mexico border to the boundary between the areas covered by the Gulf Council and the South Atlantic Fishery Management council from estuarine waters out to depths of 100 fathoms.
These maps and corresponding Geographic Information Systems (GIS) shapefile data represent EFH in the Gulf of America. The 2005 Generic EFH Fishery Management Plan Amendment (see link below) should be consulted for specific information on habitats identified as EFH. Esri's ArcGIS software or Google Earth can be used to open GIS shapefiles. Google Earth can also be used to open zipped KML (KMZ) files to view the designated management areas. Click here to download Google Earth. Metadata (information about the GIS shapefile data) is available in XML or an easy-to-read HTML format.
2005 Generic EFH Fishery Management Plan Amendment
For more information or questions about this data please contact the GIS Coordinator at nmfs.ser.gis.coordinator@noaa.gov.
*Executive Order 14172, “Restoring Names That Honor American Greatness” (Jan. 20, 2025), directs that the Gulf of Mexico be renamed the Gulf of America. Gulf of America references in this website refer to the same area as the Gulf of Mexico in the applicable regulations under 50 CFR parts 216–219, 222–226, and 600–699. The name change did not result in any changes to, and had no effect on the applicability or enforceability of, any existing regulations. This website continues to use “Gulf of Mexico” when quoting statutes, existing regulations, or previously published materials.
