Fish require healthy surroundings to survive and reproduce. Essential Fish Habitat includes all types of aquatic habitat—wetlands, coral reefs, seagrasses, rivers—where fish spawn, breed, feed, or grow to maturity. The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration’s (NOAA) National Marine Fisheries Service (Fisheries) works with the regional fishery management councils to identify the essential habitat for every life stage of each federally managed species using the best available scientific information.

The Magnuson-Stevens Fishery Conservation and Management Act requires that fishery management plans describe and identify essential fish habitat (EFH) and minimize to the extent practicable adverse effects on EFH caused by fishing. EFH is defined as habitats that are necessary to the species for spawning, breeding, feeding, or growth to maturity. Some EFH that is especially important ecologically or particularly vulnerable to degradation may be further designated as “habitat areas of particular concern” (HAPC) to provide additional focus for conservation efforts.

There are three types of designations for identified areas: EFH, HAPC, and EFH Conservation Areas. Only EFH Conservation Areas are closed to specific types of fishing. These areas are defined by latitude and longitude coordinates. Fishery managers must evaluate the effect of fishing and non-fishing activities on EFH. Fishery Management Councils may restrict fishing with specific gear types in EFH Conservation Areas as a protection measure.

There are many ways to protect marine life. No-take and fishing gear restrictions, adding to the endangered or threatened list, and setting aside critical areas where a species is known to live can all help. A Habitat Area of Particular Concern (HAPC) is a designation that encompasses discrete subsets of Essential Fish Habitat (EFH), which provide extremely important ecological functions or are especially vulnerable to degradation. The purpose of HAPCs is to highlight priority areas within EFH to focus conservation, management, and research efforts. These areas typically possess detailed information on ecological function and habitat vulnerability.