NOAA Fisheries recently completed an updated draft of the report titled Impacts to Essential Fish Habitat from Non-Fishing Activities in Alaska. This report was first written in response to the Essential Fish Habitat (EFH) provisions of the Magnuson-Stevens Fishery Conservation and Management Act (MSA).

As part of a North Pacific Fisheries Management Council (NPFMC) and NMFS process to review EFH components every five years, Azura’s marine scientists and fisheries biologists worked with biologists from NOAA Fisheries, Alaska Region, Habitat Conservation Division (HCD) to review and update this report to reflect the most recent information available. The new draft includes a summary of impacts to EFH from non-fishing activities, such as mining, oil and gas development, dredging, and pile driving, and recommended conservation measures to minimize impacts on EFH and to encourage the conservation and enhancement of EFH. This report is currently undergoing final reviews and will be available soon.