Habitat Use Database: Groundfish Essential Fish Habitat Analysis for the U.S. West Coast

2005 habitat-use analysis supporting groundfish Essential Fish Habitat (EFH) designations. The Habitat Use Database (HUD) was developed by the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration to support fisheries and ecosystem science, with planned upgrades for web-based interfaces and improved habitat suitability models. It integrates with an online EFH data catalog for the Pacific coast.

Use Cases

• Model habitat suitability for west coast groundfish species based on updated seafloor habitat maps.
• Support Essential Fish Habitat (EFH) and Habitat Areas of Particular Concern (HAPC) designations based on biological and ecological information.
• Analyze fishing and non-fishing impacts on groundfish habitats as part of Environmental Impact Statement (EIS) components.
• Integrate habitat models with an online data catalog for fisheries management applications.

Strengths

• Designed for a specific 2005 EFH Environmental Impact Statement, providing focused analytical support.
• Planned upgrades include web-based interfaces and integration with current habitat classification codes.
• Managed by NOAA's National Marine Fisheries Service in consultation with Oregon State University architects.

Limitations

• Column-level documentation is absent; field semantics must be inferred after download.
• Row count is unknown, which may limit suitability assessment.
• The core biological information is from 2005 and may require review and updating.

Provenance

Source

National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, Department of Commerce

Collection Method

Database compilation for habitat-use analyses, with data entry and quality control processes.

Time Range

Analysis supports 2005 EFH components; database is subject to ongoing updates.

Freshness

Last updated 2026-03-14 22:49:50.529071; freshness should be verified.

Geography

U.S. West Coast and Pacific coast seafloor habitats.