Conserving aquatic habitats

Protecting endangered aquatic habitats

Description

Conserving aquatic habitats involves implementing measures to protect and restore rivers, lakes, wetlands, and marine environments from degradation caused by pollution, overexploitation, habitat destruction, and invasive species. Essential actions include enforcing sustainable water management, establishing protected areas, rehabilitating degraded ecosystems, and regulating harmful activities. These strategies aim to maintain biodiversity, ensure clean water supplies, and support the livelihoods of communities dependent on healthy aquatic systems, directly addressing threats to ecosystem integrity and resilience.

Implementation

Essential fish habitat (EFH) is defined in the U.S. Fishery Conservation and Management Act of 1976, as "those waters and substrate necessary to fish for spawning, breeding, feeding, or growth to maturity."