Habitat Areas of Particular Concern (HAPC) for Seven Fish Species and Groups Now Available
A new collection of map layers showing National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration-designated Habitat Areas of Particular Concern (HAPC) for seven fish species and groups on the East Coast are now available on the Portal. The purpose of HAPCs is to focus conservation, management, and research efforts on subsets of Essential Fish Habitat (EFH) that are vulnerable to degradation or are especially important ecologically for federally managed fish.
A HAPC designation does not provide additional protection or restrictions upon an area, but can help prioritize conservation efforts. Regional fishery management councils are encouraged to identify habitat types or areas within EFH as HAPCs, based on one or more of the following considerations: the importance of the ecological function provided by the habitat; the extent to which the habitat is sensitive to human-induced environmental degradation; whether, and to what extent, development activities are, or will be, stressing the habitat type; and the rarity of the habitat type.
Portal users can click the “Habitat Areas of Particular Concern (HAPC)” dropdown in either the Habitat or Conservation themes to view layers showing HAPCs for Atlantic Cod, Bluefin Tuna, Lemon Shark, Sand Tiger Shark, Sandbar Shark, Tilefish, and Multiple Species. For convenience, the collection also includes a HAPC- All Layers option to activate all of the layers at once.
HAPC maps for other species and groups may be added in the future. Users are also encouraged to visit the NOAA Fisheries Essential Fish Habitat Mapper for a comprehensive collection of maps of EFH, HAPCs, and EFH areas protected from fishing throughout the country.
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