Relative abundance map.

Maps available at this web site show relative abundance distributions of managed fishery species in the Gulf of Mexico. The maps were developed through cooperative efforts between the National Marine Fisheries Service SEFSC Fisheries Ecology Branch in Galveston, TX and NOAA-NOS's Biogeography Program in Silver Spring, MD.  Relative abundance estimates were obtained from the Estuarine Living Marine Resources (ELMR) database. ELMR was substantially upgraded by the Biogeography Program in support of the EFH effort.

The maps are presented in a compressed data format (PDF) for viewing with the Adobe Acrobat Reader. Although some resolution is lost by the compression, we chose this format to save time downloading, permit zooming in on particular sub-areas of maps, and to permit viewing on both the PC and Macintosh platforms. Adobe Acrobat Reader is available as a free download from Adobe.

There are three categories of maps (Estuaries, Regions, Gulf-wide). Individual estuary maps are located in the first section with adults and juveniles of each species mapped separately for four salinity seasons. The four salinity season maps have been placed on one page to facilitate comparisons. Information about estuary-specific salinity seasons is presented in Table 1 on the Estuaries page. Some estuaries of interest may not be listed by name, but may be viewed by accessing a named, adjacent estuary. The regional maps consolidate information on estuaries into three coastal regions: Texas, Louisiana-Mississippi-Alabama, and Florida. These regional maps show relative abundance by calendar seasons because salinity seasons differ among adjacent estuaries. Adults and juveniles are also mapped separately as they were for individual estuaries. The third mapping category is for Gulf-wide maps of selected species and habitats showing general distribution patterns.

Map Sections:

For additional EFH products visit the NOS Strategic Environmental Assessments Division's EFH web site.