This dataset contains four types of Critical Habitat for the Northwest Atlantic Ocean Distinct Population Segment of Loggerhead Sea Turtle (Caretta caretta) for the State of Florida. Critical habitat constitutes areas considered essential for the conservation of a listed species. These data identify, in general, the areas of Sargassum critical habitat, breeding critical habitat, constricted migratory critical habitat, and nearshore reproductive critical habitat for the Northwest Atlantic Ocean Distinct Population Segment of Loggerhead sea turtle (Caretta caretta), providing notice to the public and managers of the importance of the areas to the conservation of this species. Special protections and/or restrictions are possible in areas where Federal funding, permits, licenses, authorizations, or actions occur or are required. For specifics on each of the four critical habitats please see the Supplemental Information section. Please Note: This dataset only contains data present at the Florida extent, and the Loggerhead Winter Critical Habitat is not contained within the Florida extent. Additionally the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (USFWS) maintains a separate dataset for loggerhead critical habitat for terrestrial areas (nesting beaches). Publication Date: 07/10/2014, Final Rule Effective Date: 08/11/2014.
The purpose of these data is to visually represent the critical habitat areas for GIS analysis and display.
AGENCY: National Marine Fisheries Service (NMFS), National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), Commerce. ACTION: Final rule. SUMMARY: We, the National Marine Fisheries Service (NMFS), issue a final rule to designate critical habitat for the Northwest Atlantic Ocean Distinct Population Segment (DPS) of the loggerhead sea turtle (Caretta caretta) within the Atlantic Ocean and the Gulf of Mexico pursuant to the Endangered Species Act of 1973, as amended (ESA). Specific areas for designation include 38 occupied marine areas within the range of the Northwest Atlantic Ocean DPS. These areas contain one or a combination of habitat types: Nearshore reproductive habitat, winter area, breeding areas, constricted migratory corridors, and/or Sargassum habitat. The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (USFWS) is issuing a final rule for loggerhead critical habitat for terrestrial areas (nesting beaches) in a separate document. No marine areas meeting the definition of critical habitat were identified within the jurisdiction of the United States for the North Pacific Ocean DPS, and therefore we are not designating critical habitat for that DPS. Source: https://www.federalregister.gov/documents/2014/07/10/2014-15748/ endangered-and-threatened-species-critical-habitat-for-the-northwest-atlantic-ocean-loggerhead-sea -------------------------------------------------------------------------- Original Descriptions of the four Loggerhead Critical Habitat datasets: -------------------------------------------------------------------------- Sargassum Critical Habitat for the Northwest Atlantic Ocean Distinct Population Segment of Loggerhead Sea Turtle (Caretta caretta) GENERAL DESCRIPTION: Critical habitat constitutes areas considered essential for the conservation of a listed species. These data identify, in general, the areas of Sargassum critical habitat for the Northwest Atlantic Ocean Distinct Population Segment of Loggerhead sea turtle (Caretta caretta), providing notice to the public and managers of the importance of the areas to the conservation of this species. Special protections and/or restrictions are possible in areas where Federal funding, permits, licenses, authorizations, or actions occur or are required. We describe the physical and biological features (PBF) of Sargassum habitat as developmental and foraging habitat for young loggerheads where surface waters form accumulations of floating material, especially Sargassum. Primary constituent elements (PCEs) that support this habitat are the following: (i) Convergence zones, surface-water downwelling areas, the margins of major boundary currents (Gulf Stream), and other locations where there are concentrated components of the Sargassum community in water temperatures suitable for the optimal growth of Sargassum and inhabitance of loggerheads; (ii) Sargassum in concentrations that support adequate prey abundance and cover; (iii) Available prey and other material associated with Sargassum habitat including, but not limited to, plants and cyanobacteria and animals native to the Sargassum community such as hydroids and copepods; and (iv) Sufficient water depth and proximity to available currents to ensure offshore transport (out of the surf zone), and foraging and cover requirements by Sargassum for post-hatchling loggerheads, i.e., >10 meters depth. -------------------------------------------------------------------------- Breeding Critical Habitat for the Northwest Atlantic Ocean Distinct Population Segment of Loggerhead Sea Turtle (Caretta caretta) GENERAL DESCRIPTION: Critical habitat constitutes areas considered essential for the conservation of a listed species. These data identify, in general, the areas of breeding critical habitat for the Northwest Atlantic Ocean Distinct Population Segment of Loggerhead sea turtle (Caretta caretta), providing notice to the public and managers of the importance of the areas to the conservation of this species. Special protections and/or restrictions are possible in areas where Federal funding, permits, licenses, authorizations, or actions occur or are required. We describe the physical and biological features (PBF) of breeding habitat as sites with high densities of both male and female adult individuals during the breeding season. Primary constituent elements (PCEs) that support this habitat are the following: (i) High densities of reproductive male and female loggerheads; (ii) Proximity to primary Florida constricted migratory corridor; and (iii) Proximity to Florida nesting grounds. -------------------------------------------------------------------------- Constricted Migratory Critical Habitat for the Northwest Atlantic Ocean Distinct Population Segment of Loggerhead Sea Turtle (Caretta caretta) GENERAL DESCRIPTION: Critical habitat constitutes areas considered essential for the conservation of a listed species. These data identify, in general, the areas of constricted migratory critical habitat for the Northwest Atlantic Ocean Distinct Population Segment of Loggerhead sea turtle (Caretta caretta), providing notice to the public and managers of the importance of the areas to the conservation of this species. Special protections and/or restrictions are possible in areas where Federal funding, permits, licenses, authorizations, or actions occur or are required. We describe the physical and biological features (PBF) of constricted migratory habitat as high use migratory corridors that are constricted (limited in width) by land on one side and the edge of the continental shelf and Gulf Stream on the other side. Primary constituent elements (PCEs) that support this habitat are the following: (i) Constricted continental shelf area relative to nearby continental shelf waters that concentrate migratory pathways; and (ii) Passage conditions to allow for migration to and from nesting, breeding, and/or foraging areas. -------------------------------------------------------------------------- Nearshore Reproductive Critical Habitat for the Northwest Atlantic Ocean Distinct Population Segment of Loggerhead Sea Turtle (Caretta caretta) GENERAL DESCRIPTION: Critical habitat constitutes areas considered essential for the conservation of a listed species. These data identify, in general, the areas of nearshore reproductive critical habitat for the Northwest Atlantic Ocean Distinct Population Segment of Loggerhead sea turtle (Caretta caretta), providing notice to the public and managers of the importance of the areas to the conservation of this species. Special protections and/or restrictions are possible in areas where Federal funding, permits, licenses, authorizations, or actions occur or are required. We describe the physical and biological features (PBF) of nearshore reproductive habitat as a portion of the nearshore waters adjacent to nesting beaches that are used by hatchlings to egress to the open-water environment as well as by nesting females to transit between beach and open water during the nesting season. Primary constituent elements (PCEs) that support this habitat are the following: (i) Nearshore waters directly off the highest density nesting beaches, as identified in 78 FR 43006, July 18, 2003, to 1.6 km (1 mile) offshore; (ii) Waters sufficiently free of obstructions or artificial lighting to allow transit through the surf zone and outward toward open water; and (iii) Waters with minimal man-made structures that could promote predators (i.e., nearshore predator concentration caused by submerged and emergent offshore structures), disrupt wave patterns necessary for orientation, and/or create excessive longshore currents.
publication date
The spatial data contained herein and their associated coordinates are not the legal
source for determining the critical habitat boundaries described in this dataset, but
are used to identify areas which contain the physical and biological features
essential to the conservation of the species or areas otherwise determined to be
essential. Inherent in any dataset used to develop graphical representations, are
limitations of accuracy as determined by, among others, the source, scale and
resolution of the data. While the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration's
(NOAA) Fisheries Service has made every effort to represent the critical habitat data
contained herein as completely and accurately as possible (given existing time and
resource constraints), NOAA's Fisheries Service gives no warranty, expressed or
implied, as to the accuracy, reliability, or completeness of these data. In addition,
NOAA's Fisheries Services shall not be held liable for improper or incorrect use of
the spatial data described and/or contained herein. Graphical representations
provided by the use of these data do not represent a legal description of the critical
habitat boundary. The user is referred to the critical habitat textual description in the
appropriate final rule for this species as published in the Federal Register. These
data are to be used only in the context of the definition and purpose of critical
habitat. This primarily relates to Section 7 consultation under the Endangered
Species Act. These data may be used for planning and management purposes.
They are not to be used for legal survey use. Please refer to Federal Register
Citation Number Vol. 79, pg. 39855, published July 10, 2014 for the legal critical
habitat information.
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National Marine Fisheries Service (NMFS), Greater Atlantic Regional Fisheries
Office (GARFO) or Southeast Regional Office (SERO) [producer] {SHAPEFILE
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the boundaries of NMFS Regulated Areas in Northeast, Mid-Atlantic, and Southeast
Waters (Regulated Areas) only. The dataset should not be used for a legal
definition. The dataset should not be used to infer information regarding the
existence or details of other marine features or resources, including, but not limited
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dataset is not the legal definition of the Regulated Area. The description published
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*** Shorelines/Base Layers *** The accuracy of this dataset is dependent upon the
accuracy and resolution of the datasets (e.g., shoreline, bathymetry, National
Hydrographic Database, shared administrative boundaries) used in the creation
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were selected for their suitability to a broad audience, and may not be suitable for
specific uses requiring higher-resolution information. Coastlines change. Unless
otherwise noted, where the NOAA Medium Resolution Shoreline is used, assume
the regulatory boundary reaches the most current coastline delineation available.
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National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) Fisheries Service's Office of Protected Resources.
GeoPlan relied on the integrity of the attribute information within the original data.
This data is provided 'as is'. GeoPlan relied on the integrity of the original data layer's topology
This data is provided 'as is' by GeoPlan and is complete to our knowledge.
This data is provided 'as is' and its horizontal positional accuracy has not been verified by GeoPlan
This data is provided 'as is' and its vertical positional accuracy has not been verified by GeoPlan
Spatial and Attribute Information
The Gulf of Mexico Sargassum habitat polygon was delineated using depth contours generated from 30 arc- second GEBCO bathymetry data, the United States Exclusive Economic Zone (U.S. EEZ) boundary, gridded mean summer sea surface currents (1993-2011) calculated from 1/3-degree Ocean Surface Current Analyses- Real time (OSCAR) data, and the Gulf Loop Current and Gulf Stream as modeled by the Naval Oceanographic Office from 2010 sea surface temperature data. The 10 meter depth contour starting at the mouth of South Pass of the Mississippi River and proceeding west and south to the outer boundary of the U.S. EEZ makes up the northern and western boundaries of the polygon. The southern boundary consists of the U.S. EEZ from the 10 meter depth contour off of Texas to the Gulf of Mexico-Atlantic border (83 W longitude). The eastern boundary follows the 10 m depth contour from the mouth of South Pass of the Mississippi River at 28.97 N latitude, 89.15 W longitude, in a straight line to the northernmost boundary of the Loop Current (28 N latitude, 89 W longitude) and then along the eastern edge of the Loop Current roughly following the velocity of 0.101-0.20 m/second (from the gridded mean summer sea surface currents) to the Gulf of Mexico-Atlantic Ocean border (24.58 N latitude, 83 W longitude). The delineation between the Gulf of Mexico and the Atlantic Ocean starts near the Dry Tortugas at 24.58 N latitude, 83 W longitude, and proceeds southward along 83 W longitude to the outer boundary of the U.S. EEZ (23.82 N latitude). The Atlantic Ocean Sargassum habitat polygon was delineated using the boundaries of the breeding and migratory critical habitat polygons, depth contours generated from 30 arc-second GEBCO bathymetry data, the United States Exclusive Economic Zone (U.S. EEZ) boundary, gridded mean summer sea surface currents (1993-2011) calculated from Ocean Surface Current Analyses-Real time (OSCAR) data, and the Loop Current and Gulf Stream as modeled by the Naval Oceanographic Office from 2010 sea surface temperature data. The polygon has as its outer boundary the U.S. EEZ, starting at the Gulf of Mexico-Atlantic border (23.82 N latitude, 83 W longitude) and proceeding east and north until the U.S. EEZ coincides with the Gulf Stream at 37.84 N latitude, 70.59 W longitude. The inner boundary of the polygon starts at the Gulf of Mexico-Atlantic border (24.58 N latitude, 83 W longitude) to the outer edge of the breeding/migratory critical habitat at 24.34 N latitude, 82.16 W longitude, along the outer edge of the corridor (following the 200 m depth contour) until it coincides with the breeding habitat off of Cape Canaveral at 27.97 N latitude, 80.14 W longitude, and from there roughly follows the velocity of 0.401-0.50 m/second from the gridded mean summer sea surface currents until it coincides with the outer edge of the U.S. EEZ at 37.84 N latitude, 70.59 W longitude.
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The northern breeding polygon located in the waters just south of Cape Canaveral, FL was generated using a minimum convex polygon (MCP) created from positional data from breeding adult male loggerheads. Detailed information regarding the creation of the MCP can be found in M.D. Arendt et al. Distributional patterns of adult male loggerhead sea turtles (Caretta caretta) in the vicinity of Cape Canaveral, Florida, USA during and after a major annual breeding aggregation , Marine Biology (2012) 159:101 112. The MCP was clipped using a shoreline vector digitized using the ArcGIS Online World Imagery Basemap (zoomed to an approximate scale of 1:24000) as a reference to include only the seaward portion. The southern breeding polygon stretches along the coast of Florida from the Martin/Palm Beach county line (29.97 N latitude) to the western edge of the Marquesas Keys (82.17 W longitude). The seaward boundary of the polygon is the 200 meter depth contour generated from 30 arc-second GEBCO bathymetry data. The landward boundary of the polygon was created using a combination of shoreline digitized using the ArcGIS Online World Imagery Basemap (zoomed to an approximate scale of 1:24000) as a reference and line features from the 2012 TIGER/Line roads shapefile. For the landward boundary, digitized shoreline is used from the Martin/Palm Beach county line south to Key Largo. At approximately 25.17 N latitude, the digitized shoreline is connected to a line feature from the roads shapefile representing US Route 1. Heading south, the US Route 1 line feature from the roads shapefile serves as the landward boundary until it ends in Key West. The end of the US Route 1 line feature is connected back to the digitized shoreline, which serves as the landward boundary to the western edge of the Marquesas Keys. The landward boundary at the Martin/Palm Beach county line is connected to the seaward boundary using a segment that extends due east, while the landward boundary at the western edge of the Marquesas Keys connects to the seaward boundary using a segment that extends due south.
The landward boundary of northern constricted migratory habitat polygon consists of shoreline digitized using the ArcGIS Online World Imagery Basemap as a reference (zoomed to an approximate scale of 1:24000) from 36.0 N latitude to Cape Lookout (34.58 N latitude). The seaward boundary of the northern constricted migratory habitat polygon is the 200 meter depth contour generated from 30 arc-second GEBCO bathymetry data. The landward boundary of the northern constricted migratory habitat polygon connects to the seaward boundary with due east segments at 36.0 and 34.58 N latitudes. The landward boundary of the southern constricted migratory habitat polygon was created using a combination of shoreline digitized using the ArcGIS Online World Imagery Basemap (zoomed to an approximate scale of 1:24000) as a reference and line features from the 2012 TIGER/Line roads shapefile. For the landward boundary, digitized shoreline is used from the tip of Cape Canaveral, FL (28.46 N latitude) south to Key Largo. At approximately 25.17 N latitude, the digitized shoreline is connected to a line feature from the roads shapefile representing US Route 1. Heading south, the US Route 1 line feature from the roads shapefile serves as the landward boundary until it ends in Key West. The end of the US Route 1 line feature is connected back to the digitized shoreline, which serves as the landward boundary to the western edge of the Marquesas Keys. The northern border stretches from the shoreline at 28.46 N latitude to the 30 meter depth contour. From the 30 meter depth contour at 28.46 N latitude, the seaward boundary stretches to the 200 meter depth contour at 27.0 N latitude. The seaward boundary continues south and west along the 200 meter depth contour until it reaches the western edge of the Marquesas Keys at 82.17 W longitude. The landward boundary of the southern constricted migratory habitat polygon at the western edge of the Marquesas Keys connects to the seaward boundary using a segment that extends due south.
1.6 km buffers were created around the nesting beach critical habitat line features published in the Federal Register Volume 79, pg. 39755, July 10, 2014. The buffers were clipped to include polygons of only the portion seaward of the nesting beach critical habitat line features portion. Adjacent seaward nearshore reproductive polygons within 1.6 km of each other were connected to make the final nearshore reproductive units using a shoreline vector digitized using the ArcGIS Online World Imagery Basemap as a reference (zoomed to an approximate scale of 1:24000) or by delineating a straight line from the end of one beach to the beginning of another (either from island to island or across an inlet or the mouth of an estuary).
The GeoPlan Center downloaded the critical habitat dataset on October 17th, 2019 from NOAA's National Marine Fisheries Service (NMFS) Critical Habitat Website: ENDANGERED SPECIES CONSERVATION: Critical Habitat https://www.fisheries.noaa.gov/national/endangered-species-conservation/critical-habitat Southeast critical habitat maps and data https://www.fisheries.noaa.gov/tags/southeast-critical-habitat-map Loggerhead Turtle - Northwest Atlantic Ocean DPS Critical Habitat Map Loggerhead sea turtle critical habitat map and associated data files for the Northwest Atlantic Ocean DPS. June 26, 2019 - Map , New England/Mid-Atlantic Southeast https://www.fisheries.noaa.gov/resource/map/loggerhead-turtle-northwest-atlantic-ocean-dps-critical-habitat-map https://www.fisheries.noaa.gov/webdam/download/67006521 loggerheadturtleCH.zip loggerhead_ch_winter.shp (NOT IN FLORIDA) loggerhead_ch_sargassum.shp loggerhead_ch_nearshore_reproductive.shp loggerhead_ch_constricted_migratory.shp loggerhead_ch_breeding.shp During the QA/QC process the following tasks were undertaken: - Select features that intersected the CH_NMFS_EXTENT_OCT19.shp - Reprojected all 5 datasets to FGDL Albers via the following: Original Projection: GCS_WGS_1984 Transformation used to Reproject to FGDL Albers: WGS_1984_(ITRF00)_To_NAD_1983 + NAD_1983_To_HARN_Florida - Clipped to the CH_NMFS_EXTENT_OCT19.shp - Merged in the following order for drawing purposes: SARGASSUM CRITICAL HABITAT BREEDING CRITICAL HABITAT CONSTRICTED MIGRATORY CRITICAL HABITAT NEARSHORE REPRODUCTIVE CRITICAL HABITAT Please Note: WINTER CRITICAL HABITAT dataset was located outside the Florida extent and was not included. - Uppercased all records in the table (Except Scientific Names). - Uppercased all field names - A DESCRIPT field was added based on the following: DESCRIPT: Critical Habitat layer description and field UNIT_NUM DESCRIPT CALCULATION: "NEARSHORE REPRODUCTIVE CRITICAL HABITAT (UNIT NUMBER: " & [UNIT_NUM] & ")" - A FGDLAQDATE field was added based on date downloaded from source. - Renamed to: CH_NMFS_LOGGERHD_JUL14 - Updated Metadata.
Dataset copied.
Internal feature number.
ESRI
Feature geometry.
ESRI
Critical habitat unit number.
NOAA - NMFS
Common Name.
GeoPlan
Combination of Critical Habitat layer description and UNIT_NUM field. DESCRIPT CALCULATION EXAMPLE: "NEARSHORE REPRODUCTIVE CRITICAL HABITAT (UNIT NUMBER: " & [UNIT_NUM] & ")"
GeoPlan
The date FGDL acquired the data from the Source.
GeoPlan
Unique ID added by GeoPlan
GeoPlan
Area in meters
GeoPlan
Perimeter in meters
GeoPlan
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