Data Management Plan

Critical habitat in bays and estuaries includes tidally influenced areas as defined by the elevation of mean higher high water (MHHW). The boundary between coastal marine areas and bays and estuaries is delineated by the COLREGS lines (33 CFR 80). Critical habitat in coastal marine areas is defined by the zone between the 60 fathom (fm) depth bathymetry line and the line on shore reached by mean lower low water (MLLW), or to the COLREGS lines.No areas were deemed ineligible for designation. No unoccupied areas were designated. 14 areas based on economic impacts and 5 areas based on national security impacts were excluded from this critical habitat designation and clipped out of the data. The following tribal lands were excluded from this designation, but were not clipped out of the data:(1) Cachil DeHe Band of Wintun Indians of the Colusa Indian Community, California(2) Cher-Ae Heights Trinidad Rancheria, California(3) Confederated Tribes of the Coos, Lower Umpqua, and Siuslaw, Oregon(4) Coquille Indian Tribe, Oregon(5) Hoh Tribe, Washington(6) Jamestown S'Klallam Tribe, Washington(7) Lower Elwha Tribe, Washington(8) Makah Tribe, Washington(9) Quileute Tribe, Washington(10) Quinault Tribe, Washington(11) Shoalwater Bay Tribe, Washington(12) Wiyot Tribe, California(13) Yurok Tribe, California

Process Steps:

• 2009-01-20 00:00:00 - Marine polygons were created using data from NOAA Office of Coast Survey for the shoreline along with Terra Logic bathymetry lines at the 110 meter depth contour. The final rule states that the 60 fathom depth line should be considered the most westerly boundary but the GIS producers were not aware of the availability of a reliable Pacific Coast continous 60 fathom bathymetry line at the time these data were created. Because the difference between the 110 meter depth and the 60 fathom depth is a minimal .1487 fathoms or .272 meters, the GIS producers along with the NMFS Critical Habitat Review Team (CHRT) decided for GIS purposes only to use the 110 meter bathymetric contour line. The eastern boundary was created using the NOAA Electronic Nautical Charts (ENC) Shoreline Feature Class which represent the Mean Lower Low Water (MLLW) for the Pacific Coast. One continuous MLLW shoreline was created by merging the individual charts shoreline data. ENCs used to create the MLLW are listed below: US3CA14M US3CA15M US3CA52M US3CA69M US3CA70M US3CA85M US3OR01M US3OR02M US3OR03M US3WA01M US3WA02M US3WA03M Only the mainland shoreline was used; islands were removed. The marine zone was clipped at numerous west coast estuary mouths to create a marine zone-only layer. Estuaries considered for critical habitat designation were clipped out based on COLREG lines as found on NOAA nautical charts. The coastal bathymetry polygons did not extend to Strait of Juan de Fuca. To create a polygon for that area, a 10m DEM was used to create the 110m bathymetry line. Using the RasterToPolygon tool, a polygon was created for the area between the coastline and the 110m-depth bathymetry line. The coastline to 110m marine zone for the Strait of Juan de Fuca was merged with the 110m marine zone for the rest of the Pacific Coast to create a single polygon describing marine waters within 110m depth from Monterey Bay, California, north to Cape Flattery, Washington, and east to include areas in the Strait of Juan de Fuca, Washington, to the U.S.-Canada boundary. Edited the resulting polygon by dividing it into specific areas as defined by NMFS biologists developing the critical habitat designation.
• 2009-10-05 00:00:00 - Yolo and Sutter Bypass boundaries were modified according to where members of the NMFS critical habitat review team determined green sturgeon to be present.
• 2009-10-05 00:00:00 - Marsh areas were created using aerial imagery as a basemap and performing on-screen digitizing of polygons.
• 2009-10-05 00:00:00 - Navy areas excluded from designation were created through the input of coordinates, that were provided by the Department of Defense, and clipped out. Polygon filename: GreenSturgeonCHDepartmentofDefense.shp (1) Mare Island U.S. Army Reserve Center, San Pablo Bay, CA; (2) Strait of Juan de Fuca naval air-to-surface weapon range, restricted area, WA; (3) Strait of Juan de Fuca and Whidbey Island naval restricted area, WA; (4) Admiralty Inlet naval restricted area, Strait of Juan de Fuca, WA; and (5) Navy 3 operating area, Strait of Juan de Fuca, WA.
• 2009-10-05 00:00:00 - Estuary polygons were selected and exported from NOAA's Medium resolution digital Vector Pacific Coast Shoreline. They represent the best available information to depict the specific estuarine areas occupied by the Southern DPS of green sturgeon. Estuary polygons were modified to depict areas downstream from the head of tide (where determinable). In the case where green sturgeon presence extended further upstream than where the estuary boundary was depicted, polyline data were used to depict head of tide and stream lines to the extent of tidal influence. The original estuary polygons were modified as needed to align the estuary-ocean boundary consistent with the Pacific Coast COLREG Demarcation lines. Head of tide extents in estuaries were compiled (originally as point data - GreenSturgeonCHHeadofTide.shp) from visual inspection of 1:24,000 USGS topographic maps, aerial photographs, as well as various sources. For a listing of these sources and additional information regarding each of the head of tide locations and the sources or rationale for each point, see Appendix A in the final biological report for the final green sturgeon critical habitat rule (NMFS. 2009. Designation of Critical Habitat for the Threatened Southern Distinct Population Segment of North American Green Sturgeon: Final Biological Report, prepared by the National Marine Fisheries Service, Southwest Region, Long Beach, CA).
• 2020-05-21 00:00:00 - 2009 source data converted to NMFS ESA critical habitat national standard 2020. Geometry was merged but boundaries were not edited. Attributes were edited. Metadata was compiled from 7 source files: 5 polygon files GreenSturgeonCHBypassAreas.shp GreenSturgeonCHEstuaries.shp GreenSturgeonCHMarineCoastalZones.shp GreenSturgeonCHMarshAreas.shp GreenSturgeonCHDepartmentofDefense.shp 1 point file GreenSturgeonCHHeadofTide.shp 1 line file GreenSturgeonCHTribalExclusions.shp