Document Type
Report
Department/Program
Virginia Institute of Marine Science
Publication Date
1-2001
Series
Virginia Marine Resource Report VMRR 2001 - 01
Abstract
The Magnuson - Stevens Fishery Conservation and Management Act of 1996 strengthened the ability of the ational Marine Fisheries Service and other Fisheries Management Councils to protect and conserve habitats of marine, estuarine, and anadromous fin.fish mollusks, and crustaceans. The 1996 amendments to the act require the identification and description of essential habitat for the managed species, minimization of adverse effects on essential fish habitat (EFH) caused by fishing, and encouragement toward the conservation and enhancement of essential fish habitats. "Essential fish habitat" is broadly defined to include "those waters and substrate necessary to fish for spawning breeding feeding, or growth to maturity " (NMFS 2000). The ational Marine Fisheries Service identified bluefish (Pomatomus saltatrix) as a species for which EFH must be described. Bluefish are considered one of the most important recreational species along the Atlantic coast of the United States and have long captured the attention of saltwater anglers. Our objective is the dissemination of information about bluefish essential fish habitat in Virginia's tidal waters based on long-term data collections.
DOI
https://doi.org/10.21220/V56177
Keywords
Fisheries, Habitat, Virginia
Publication Statement
Prepared for The Chesapeake Bay Program's Bluefish Management Plan
Recommended Citation
Brooks, H., & Geer, P. J. (2001) Assessing Essential Fish Habitat for Bluefish Pomatomus saltatrix (Linnaeus, 1766), in Virginia's Portion of Chesapeake Bay and Near Shore Coastal Waters, 1988-1999. Virginia Marine Resource Report VMRR 2001 - 01. Virginia Institute of Marine Science, William & Mary. https://doi.org/10.21220/V56177
