Welcome to the EFH Project site for the National Marine Fisheries Service, Galveston Laboratory.  A major goal of the NMFS is to identify habitats that are essential for maintaining fishery productivity.  Once such habitats are identified, we can work to reduce activities that adversely impact them.  We can also work to ensure their conservation, enhancement, and restoration.  The Fishery Ecology Branch is actively involved in research projects directed towards meeting these goals.  We believe that creating healthy habitats for fish and people go hand-in-hand. This web site was developed to support EFH efforts of the Gulf of Mexico Fishery Management Council .  Maps and information are presented for use in identifying EFH in the Gulf of Mexico, and to complement the text of the EFH amendment (see Legislation section).  Also try the Gulf States Marine Fishery Commission site.  Additional EFH amendment information for the South Atlantic area of the U.S. is offered at the web site for the South Atlantic Fisheries Management Council - choose the "Final Essential Fish Habitat Plan" link when you get there.   You might also check for similar information for the Caribbean Sea at the web site for the Caribbean Fisheries Management Council.  We hope your interest in conservation and creation of essential fish habitat will be stimulated.

Section I. Legislation.

Documents available in this section include a primer to EFH, the full text of the EFH amendment,  a model for determining EFH for nekton, as well as an introduction to our laws that serve to protect the environment for humans and fish.  Documents and internet links provide additional related information for NMFS habitat conservation. Access by clicking on the picture of the Capitol Building at the left.

Section II. Relative abundance maps.

Relative abundance distribution maps of several important fisheries species are provided for estuaries and regions along the Gulf, and for the Exclusive Economic Zone (EEZ) of the United States in the Gulf of Mexico. These maps are directly relevant to the Sustainable Fisheries Act and  EFH amendment, and illustrate distributions of many species included in fishery management policy statements.  You can choose data for the species and/or areas that interest you. Access by clicking on the picture at the left.

Section III. Monitoring created salt marshes.

Information about salt marshes, their functions and their creation, is offered.  A map utility lets you access some of our data and imagery about created salt marshes in Galveston Bay.  Access by clicking on the picture on to the left.

Please try it out, and let Jeff know what you think.  Do you have data you can share with us?  We would like to include it.   Thanks!

Section IV. Literature.

A core collection of our favorite references about salt marshes and seagrass beds is provided for you who are interested in digging a little deeper into their creation and ecology issues. You can also find links to the on-line publications from the NMFS Galveston Laboratory, and to a list of Technical Memoranda published by the SE Fisheries Science Center of NMFS.

A primer for EFH, the EFH amendment, and a paper presenting a model for defining EFH are provided in the Legislation Section . 

Section V. Links.

Here are a few links to other internet sites of organizations with a fisheries or wetlands conservation mission or of environmental interest.