Critical habitat is habitat needed to support recovery of listed species. When a species is listed under the Endangered Species Act, NOAA Fisheries is required to determine whether there are areas that meet the definition of critical habitat. Once critical habitat is designated, other federal agencies consult with NOAA Fisheries to ensure actions they fund, authorize, or undertake are not likely to destroy or adversely modify the critical habitat. Critical habitat is defined as: Specific areas within the geographical area occupied by the species at the time of listing that contain physical or biological features essential to conservation of the species and that may require special management considerations or protection; and Specific areas outside the geographical area occupied by the species if the agency determines that the area itself is essential for conservation.

The Endangered Species Act (ESA) requires the Federal government to designate critical habitat, areas of habitat essential to the species' conservation, for ESA listed species. This dataset is a compilation of the NOAA National Marine Fisheries Service and the U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service designated critical habitat in coastal areas of the United States. Critical habitat is defined as: (1) Specific areas within the geographical area occupied by the species at the time of listing that contain physical or biological features essential to conservation, which may require special management considerations or protection; and (2) specific areas outside the geographical area occupied by the species if the agency determines that the area itself is essential for conservation. See metadata for online linkages to reference full listings of proposed and final critical habitat areas.

Several reserves collaborated to develop the Climate Change Vulnerability Assessment Tool for Coastal Habitats. The tool helps decision makers evaluate a habitat’s vulnerability to climate change and prioritize it for conservation or restoration. South Carolina’s North Inlet-Winyah Bay Reserve and the Chesapeake Bay Virginia Reserve worked with local partners to refine and pilot this tool and share it with the national reserve system.

Critical habitat is identified for species listed as Endangered or Threatened under the federal Species at Risk Act (SARA) and where federal critical habitat protection orders are in effect. Fisheries and Oceans Canada (DFO) is the responsible authority for the protection, recovery and conservation of all listed aquatic species at risk in Canada. Critical habitat is defined as the habitat that is necessary for the survival or recovery of a listed wildlife species and that is identified as such in the recovery strategy or action plan for the species (https://www.canada.ca/en/environment-climate-change/services/species-risk-public-registry.html). SARA makes it illegal to destroy any part of the critical habitat of a listed species and may impose restrictions on development and construction. Species in this layer have federal protection of critical habitat under a Critical Habitat Order pursuant to subsections 58(4) and (5) of SARA, which brings into force the subsection 58(1) prohibition against the destruction of any part of critical habitat. This dataset delineates an area or extent in which the species and its critical habitat may be found. Exterior extent polygons are derived from the detailed data provided in DFO's Fisheries and Oceans Canada Species at Risk dataset, reproduced under the Open Government Licence - Canada. Alberta Environment and Protected Areas Fish and Wildlife Management Information System (FWMIS) Hydrology Arc and Polygons data, and a surrounding larger buffer. This dataset communicates to users the following information: the proximity of aquatic critical habitat. the prohibition against the destruction of any part of aquatic critical habitat. directs users to DFO to ensure compliance with federal legal instruments. and ensures that any activities which may result in the destruction of critical habitat are managed to the extent required under SARA. Users must consult Fisheries and Oceans Canada (Projects Near Water webpage: www.dfo-mpo.gc.ca/pnw-ppe/index-eng.html. Fisheries Protection Program: FisheriesProtection@dfo-mpo.gc.ca) in relation to the application of the Species at Risk Act and published Critical Habitat Orders (SARA Public Registry).

The Endangered Species Act (ESA) provides a program for the conservation of threatened and endangered species and the habitats in which they are found. The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (USFWS) and the National Marine Fisheries Service of U.S. National Oceanic and Atmospheric Organization (NMFS/NOAA) lead federal implementation of the ESA, though they are supported by other federal agencies, including the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (US EPA). Section 7 of the ESA directs all Federal agencies to conserve endangered and threatened species and to use their authorities to ensure actions do not jeopardized the further existence of threatened and endangered species or adversely modify designated critical habitats. As part of the Section 7 coordination, federal agencies work with USFWS and NMFS to identify species found within the jurisdiction of the United that could be affected by actions carried out by the agency. Of note, the US EPA’s Office of Pesticide Programs (OPP) is responsible for ensuring that Agency actions under the Federal Insecticide, Fungicide, and Rodenticide Act (FIFRA) are in compliance with ESA. OPP determines if ESA-listed species or their designated critical habitat may be affected by pesticide products. Pesticide products that “may affect” an ESA-listed species or its designated critical habitat may be subject to additional regulation. Species ranges represent anywhere an individual of the listed species could be found based on the best available information at the time of delineation. As defined in ESA, critical habitat delineates habitat characteristics in specific geographical areas and may be occupied or unoccupied by a threatened or endangered species at the time of listing. These areas must contain physical or biological features essential to conservation of a species and may require special management considerations or protection. Critical habitat may also include areas that are not currently occupied by the species but that may be needed for their recovery. Range areas represent more generalized habitat where species are or could be found based on the best available information. For some species, best available information is based on site specific surveys. For others, it will be historical location information based on political boundaries. These areas are, therefore, less geographically explicit than critical habitat. Consideration of both the species range and critical habitat ensures the conservation of the ecosystems upon which endangered and threatened species depend. To support EPA’s implementation of ESA, critical habitat and range data for species listed under ESA Section 7 were obtained by the US EPA from the USFWS Environmental Conservation Online System (ECOS) database in November 2020. These data were supplemented with areas provided by NOAA’s National Marine Fisheries Service (NMFS) where NOAA has species authority. For NMFS species not found in either location, a request was made directly to the NMFS scientists. The last download of the species locations occurred in November 2020.

The Endangered Species Act (ESA) provides a program for the conservation of threatened and endangered species and the habitats in which they are found. The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (USFWS) and the National Marine Fisheries Service of U.S. National Oceanic and Atmospheric Organization (NMFS/NOAA) lead federal implementation of the ESA, though they are supported by other federal agencies, including the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (US EPA). Section 7 of the ESA directs all Federal agencies to conserve endangered and threatened species and to use their authorities to ensure actions do not jeopardized the further existence of threatened and endangered species or adversely modify designated critical habitats. As part of the Section 7 coordination, federal agencies work with USFWS and NMFS to identify species found within the jurisdiction of the United that could be affected by actions carried out by the agency. Of note, the US EPA’s Office of Pesticide Programs (OPP) is responsible for ensuring that Agency actions under the Federal Insecticide, Fungicide, and Rodenticide Act (FIFRA) are in compliance with ESA. OPP determines if ESA-listed species or their designated critical habitat may be affected by pesticide products. Pesticide products that “may affect” an ESA-listed species or its designated critical habitat may be subject to additional regulation. Species ranges represent anywhere an individual of the listed species could be found based on the best available information at the time of delineation. As defined in ESA, critical habitat delineates habitat characteristics in specific geographical areas and may be occupied or unoccupied by a threatened or endangered species at the time of listing. These areas must contain physical or biological features essential to conservation of a species and may require special management considerations or protection. Critical habitat may also include areas that are not currently occupied by the species but that may be needed for their recovery. Range areas represent more generalized habitat where species are or could be found based on the best available information. For some species, best available information is based on site specific surveys. For others, it will be historical location information based on political boundaries. These areas are, therefore, less geographically explicit than critical habitat. Consideration of both the species range and critical habitat ensures the conservation of the ecosystems upon which endangered and threatened species depend. To support EPA’s implementation of ESA, critical habitat and range data for species listed under ESA Section 7 were obtained by the US EPA from the USFWS Environmental Conservation Online System (ECOS) database in November 2020. These data were supplemented with areas provided by NOAA’s National Marine Fisheries Service (NMFS) where NOAA has species authority. For NMFS species not found in either location, a request was made directly to the NMFS scientists. The last download of the species locations occurred in November 2020.

The Endangered Species Act (ESA) provides a program for the conservation of threatened and endangered species and the habitats in which they are found. The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (USFWS) and the National Marine Fisheries Service of U.S. National Oceanic and Atmospheric Organization (NMFS/NOAA) lead federal implementation of the ESA, though they are supported by other federal agencies, including the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (US EPA). Section 7 of the ESA directs all Federal agencies to conserve endangered and threatened species and to use their authorities to ensure actions do not jeopardized the further existence of threatened and endangered species or adversely modify designated critical habitats. As part of the Section 7 coordination, federal agencies work with USFWS and NMFS to identify species found within the jurisdiction of the United that could be affected by actions carried out by the agency. Of note, the US EPA’s Office of Pesticide Programs (OPP) is responsible for ensuring that Agency actions under the Federal Insecticide, Fungicide, and Rodenticide Act (FIFRA) are in compliance with ESA. OPP determines if ESA-listed species or their designated critical habitat may be affected by pesticide products. Pesticide products that “may affect” an ESA-listed species or its designated critical habitat may be subject to additional regulation. Species ranges represent anywhere an individual of the listed species could be found based on the best available information at the time of delineation. As defined in ESA, critical habitat delineates habitat characteristics in specific geographical areas and may be occupied or unoccupied by a threatened or endangered species at the time of listing. These areas must contain physical or biological features essential to conservation of a species and may require special management considerations or protection. Critical habitat may also include areas that are not currently occupied by the species but that may be needed for their recovery. Range areas represent more generalized habitat where species are or could be found based on the best available information. For some species, best available information is based on site specific surveys. For others, it will be historical location information based on political boundaries. These areas are, therefore, less geographically explicit than critical habitat. Consideration of both the species range and critical habitat ensures the conservation of the ecosystems upon which endangered and threatened species depend. To support EPA’s implementation of ESA, critical habitat and range data for species listed under ESA Section 7 were obtained by the US EPA from the USFWS Environmental Conservation Online System (ECOS) database in November 2020. These data were supplemented with areas provided by NOAA’s National Marine Fisheries Service (NMFS) where NOAA has species authority. For NMFS species not found in either location, a request was made directly to the NMFS scientists. The last download of the species locations occurred in November 2020.

A compilation of ocean water quality (temperature, salinity, and dissolved oxygen) data at ¼ degree spatial resolution for the entire United States Exclusive Economic Zone. The dataset is derived from the ESRI Ecological Marine Unit (EMU) dataset, which was assembled from non-supervised statistical clustering of over 52 million points from NOAA’s World Ocean Atlas (2013) WoA database, an authoritative 57 year archive of global water column data. This derived dataset is divided into three separate point shapefiles, each representing either temperature (degrees Celsius), salinity (practical salinity units), or dissolved oxygen (mg/L). Values represent a climatological average. Each shapefile is formatted such that a single point location (i.e., unique associated latitude and longitude) contains a unique column entry for a given depth interval. Depth intervals are variable from 5 m near the surface to 100 m in the deeper regions (> 2000 m) for a total of 102 depth levels. All disclaimers provided by the original dataset authors apply to this derived dataset. For detail on these disclaimers, please refer to the following reference: Sayre, R., J. Dangermond, D. Wright, S. Breyer, K. Butler, K. Van Graafeiland, M.J. Costello, P. Harris, K. Goodin, M. Kavanaugh, N. Cressie, J. Guinotte, Z. Basher, P. Halpin, M. Monaco, P. Aniello, C. Frye, D. Stephens, P. Valentine, J. Smith, R. Smith, D.P. VanSistine, J. Cress, H. Warner, C. Brown, J. Steffenson, D. Cribbs, B. Van Esch, D. Hopkins, G. Noll, S. Kopp, and C. Convis. 2017. A New Map of Global Ecological Marine Units – An Environmental Stratification Approach. Washington, DC: American Association of Geographers. 36 pages.

In this project, National Estuarine Research Reserves in North and South Carolina worked to improve local understanding of climate change effects on southeastern salt marsh and provide decision makers with the information and skills they need to address these vulnerabilities. North Carolina Reserve staff members were trained in the Climate Change Vulnerability Assessment Tool for Coastal Habitats (CCVATCH) by their colleagues from North Inlet-Winyah Bay Reserve. This decision support tool incorporates existing information on climate change impacts with knowledge of local conditions to help users develop vulnerability scores for specific areas. The project team used CCVATCH to conduct habitat vulnerability assessments for seven estuaries in North and South Carolina, summarized regional findings to help managers in the Southeast improve salt marsh resilience, and developed guidance and outreach products. This science transfer project was funded by NOAA through the National Estuarine Research Reserve System Science Collaborative to promote the use of science. It did not produce any new data.