The eight regional fishery management councils work with NOAA Fisheries Service to describe and identify EFH for each life stage of each managed species. These EFH descriptions and identifications provide the public information on those marine, coastal and riverine habitats most important to fisheries, and enable Federal agencies to determine whether or not an action may adversely affect EFH. Identifying an area as EFH does not result in the exclusion of any specific activities in the area, but is instead meant to highlight those areas most important to maintaining sustainable fisheries. Each of the links below provides additional information on individual Councils and the EFH designations for the fisheries under their management authority. Additional life history information on individual species and their habitat needs is also included.
