New England and Mid-Atlantic Councils and Partners Launch Habitat Data Explorer; One-Stop Tool Ready for Use

FOR

IMMEDIATE RELEASE PRESS CONTACT: Janice Plante, jplante@nefmc.org

August 26,

2022 PRESS CONTACT: Mary Sabo, msabo@mafmc.org

New England and Mid-Atlantic Councils and Partners Launch

Habitat Data Explorer; One-Stop Tool Ready for Use

What began five years ago as a commitment to improve fish habitat science has resulted in the creation of

a revolutionary tool that allows users to explore information on fish distribution and survey abundance,

species life history, essential fish habitat (EFH), fish vulnerability to climate change, and much more – all on

one website. Welcome to the Northeast Regional Habitat Assessment Data Explorer

The Data Explorer was developed as part of the Northeast Regional Marine Fish Habitat Assessment

(NRHA), a collaborative, multi-disciplinary effort to describe and characterize estuarine, coastal, and

offshore fish habitat distribution, abundance, and quality in the Northeast. Based on a plan approved by

NRHA’s Steering Committee

, a work team spent three years collecting and analyzing data and populating

the Data Explorer with information for more than 65 finfish and shellfish species through 2019. New data

will be added over time.

Who Should Use the Data Explorer? Everyone!

While stock assessment scientists, researchers, and fishery managers will be the primary users of this

comprehensive collection of information, commercial and recreational fishermen will be able to call up

maps showing key information about the species they catch. Other stakeholder groups interested in habitat

issues, seasonal ocean conditions such as salinity, and fish survey information also should find the site

helpful. For example, offshore wind and aquaculture developers can use the tool to identify habitat types

and fish distribution within areas being considered for development.

The data-heavy portal takes 15 to 20 seconds to load on the first launch. Subsequent data searches go quickly. Use a

desktop computer, laptop, or tablet. The Data Explorer tool, which runs on a

R-Shiny application, is not intended for cell

phone use. Visit the NRHA Data Explorer website

to learn more about the available products and reports.

New England Fishery Management Council | Phone: (978) 465-0492 | www.nefmc.org

Mid-Atlantic Fishery Management Council | Phone: (302) 674-2331 | www.mafmc.org

New England Fishery Management Council | Phone: (978) 465-0492 | www.nefmc.org

Mid-Atlantic Fishery Management Council | Phone: (302) 674-2331 | www.mafmc.org

Winter Flounder Abundance in Numbers of Fish,

All Sizes, All Fall Surveys From 1959 Through 2019

An example of winter flounder information retrieved under “Species View” on the NRHA Data Explorer.

Survey, Species, and Model Views Plus a Habitat Crosswalk

Below is a quick rundown of the four major categories of products available on the Data Explorer and a few

tips for how to navigate the pages to access the information you want. Specific examples of NRHA’s

products are shown in the winter flounder map below and in two other data runs on the following page.

Survey View: This tab summarizes fishery independent survey data at both a Northeast regionwide scale

and in inshore waters at a bay/estuary scale. Specific surveys and year ranges can be selected to display: (1)

species abundance and biomass; (2) species that are caught together, which is called a cluster analysis; and

(3) salinity and temperature data from selected surveys.

Species View: This view

provides a deeper dive into

species-specific fishery

independent survey data.

Click on the tabs to view a

species distribution map,

abundance and biomass by

year, relative abundance by

month and salinity zone, and

species reports with life

history info, vulnerability to

climate change, and EFH

designations.

Select your desired location,

surveys, and species, and then

hit “Run Analysis.” Your results

will pop up.

Model View: This tab is under

development but will include

habitat distribution model

results when completed.

Habitat Crosswalk: This work integrates the outputs from the Northeast Habitat Climate Vulnerability

Assessment (HCVA), the Northeast Fish and Shellfish Climate Vulnerability Assessment (FSCVA), and the

Atlantic Coastal Fish Habitat Partnership (ACFHP) habitat-species matrix for use in fisheries management.

The major objectives were to create a habitat-species vulnerability matrix and develop species narratives

for 66 managed and forage species in the region.

Reports: Be sure to check out the Reports tab, which gives users the ability to download survey metadata.

The Reports tab is located on the toolbar at the top of NRHA homepage.

New England Fishery Management Council | Phone: (978) 465-0492 | www.nefmc.org

Mid-Atlantic Fishery Management Council | Phone: (302) 674-2331 | www.mafmc.org

NRHA Data Explorer Survey View of National Marine Fisheries Service (NMFS)

Trawl Survey Data From 1963-2019 for Top 20 Species of Abundance

The information at right was

generated by clicking on the Survey

View tab on the NHRA Data

Explorer homepage and then

selecting: (1) Inshore View in the

left column; (2) Maine-New

Hampshire Coast under location;

(3) ME/NH Inshore Trawl under

“Select Surveys”; and (4) 2000-2019

for the year range. After that, click

on “Run Analysis.”

Maine/New Hampshire

Trawl Survey 2000-2019

Seasonal Temperatures

New England Fishery Management Council | Phone: (978) 465-0492 | www.nefmc.org

Mid-Atlantic Fishery Management Council | Phone: (302) 674-2331 | www.mafmc.org

One Stop Shopping for Trawl Surveys: The NRHA Data Explorer hosts information from many Northeast

Region trawl and seine surveys, making it an easy launching point for data searches. Here’s a list of surveys

NRHA Contacts

Anyone with specific questions about the

Northeast Regional Habitat Assessment

Data Explorer and its various products

should feel free to contact one of the

following team members:

• Jessica Coakley, Mid-Atlantic Fishery

Management Council

jcoakley@mafmc.org

• Michelle Bachman, New England

Fishery Management Council

mbachman@nefmc.org

• Christopher Haak, Monmouth

University/NOAA Fisheries

chrishaak@monmouth.edu

• Tori Kentner, Mid-Atlantic Fishery

Management Council

tkentner@mafmc.org

• Laurel Smith, Northeast Fisheries

Science Center laurel.smith@noaa.gov

A Note From the NRHA Team

~ ~ ~ ~

“NRHA did not create the data and cannot

guarantee its accuracy or its suitability for use for

other applications. NRHA encourages proper use and

attribution of any datasets summarized on this site.

The portal is a data viewer for trawl surveys. The

datasets are not available for download.”

~ Visit the Mid-Atlantic Council’s Northeast Regional

Marine Fish Habitat Assessment informational webpage. ~

included in the Data

Explorer. Data can be

displayed for one or more

surveys by species or

resource wide.

What is NRHA: The

Northeast Regional Marine

Fish Habitat Assessment is

a collaborative, multi-

disciplinary effort to

describe and characterize

estuarine, coastal, and

offshore fish habitat

distribution, abundance, and quality in the Northeast. The

project aims to align habitat science goals and priorities with

human and financial resources to develop habitat science

products that support an assessment. The NRHA Steering

Committee is composed of leadership from the major habitat

conservation, restoration, and science organizations in the

region.

Stay Tuned! The NRHA team, in conjunction with the New

England and Mid-Atlantic Councils, will be developing

outreach and communications materials over the fall and

winter to help everyone learn how to navigate the Data

Explorer and make the most of its extensive repository of

information.