Groundfish Essential Fish
Habitat (EFH) GIS Mapping
Van Hare
Pacific States Marine Fisheries Commission
PSMFC managed the
contracts that supported
development of the
Pacific Coast
Groundfish Essential
Fish Habitat (EFH) EIS.
The final EIS was
published in December
of 2005.
Through the EFH EIS
process a wealth of data
was assembled related to
West Coast Groundfish.
compiled from work by researchers
at OSU & Moss Landing
A Habitat Use Database (HUD) was developed documenting the
habitat preferences for individual species and life stage
combinations as gathered from the literature.
The HUD was used in combination with spatial data to model the Habitat
Suitability Probability for each of the species / lifestage combinations based on:
1. Benthic Habitat Type, 2. Depth, and 3. Latitude Zone
Essential Fish
Habitat: 100%
of areas identified
to have a Habitat
Suitability
Probability (HSP)
>0 for all species
and additional
areas with depth
less than 3500m
Habitat Areas of
Particular Concern
(HAPCs): includes
areas of seagrass,
canopy kelp, rocky
reef, estuaries, oil
platforms and ‘areas
of interest’
Ecologically
Important Areas
(EIAs): including
gear type restrictions
Pacific Coast Marine Habitat Program Website
http://marinehabitat.psmfc.org
Access documents and links related to Pacific Coast
Groundfish management
Download GIS data for the west coast
Interactively map areas off the west coast and browse the
EFH EIS data using a standard web browser.
Navigate using
standard
mapping tools
Turn on and
activate map
layers of
interest
Zoom to areas of
interest and create a
custom map
Select between viewing the
Table of Contents or the map
legend
Measure
distance
and area
Determine
coordinates
for points of
interest
Add labels and
create map
layout for
printing
Customize map
elements and print or
export map