National Marine Fisheries Service
06/12/2025 | Press release | Distributed by Public on 06/12/2025 12:44
Alaska Essential Fish Habitat (EFH) Fact Sheet
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Alaska Essential Fish Habitat (EFH) Fact Sheet
June 12, 2025
A fact sheet about essential fish habitat in Alaska.
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Alaska
In 1996, Congress added new habitat conservation provisions to the Magnuson-Stevens Fishery Conservation and Management Act (Magnuson-Stevens Act), the federal law that governs U.S. marine fisheries management. The Magnuson-Stevens Act mandated the identification of Essential Fish Habitat (EFH) for managed species as well as measures to conserve and enhance the habitat necessary to fish to carry out their life cycles. The Magnuson-Stevens Act encourages cooperation among NMFS, the Council, fishing participants, Federal and state agencies, and others to conserve and enhance EFH.
The Magnuson-Stevens Act defines EFH as "those waters and substrate necessary to fish for spawning, breeding, feeding or growth to maturity" (16 U.S.C. 1802(10)). NOAA Fisheries further interprets EFH in the guidelines under 50 CFR 600 Subparts J and K.
Last updated by Alaska Regional Office on 06/12/2025
More Information
- Essential Fish Habitat (EFH) in Alaska
- EFH Consultations
- Conserving Habitat in Alaska
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