Black abalone critical habitat for use in ESA/FIFRA consultations

These data represent the areas designated under the Endangered Species Act as critical habitat for black abalone (Haliotis cracherodii).This designation (October 27, 2011, 76 FR 66806) includes rocky intertidal and subtidal habitat along the California coast between the Del Mar Landing Ecological Reserve to the Palos Verdes Peninsula, as well as surrounding the Farallon Islands, Año Nuevo Island, San Miguel Island, Santa Rosa Island, Santa Cruz Island, Anacapa Island, Santa Barbara Island, and Santa Catalina Island. This designation includes rocky intertidal and subtidal habitats from the mean higher high water (MHHW) line to a depth of 6 meters (relative to the mean lower low water (MLLW) line), as well as the coastal marine waters above the rocky bottom in these areas. Areas excluded from the critical habitat designation or deemed ineligible for designation were clipped out of this data set. See the final rule (76 FR 66806) for descriptions of excluded and ineligible areas.

This spatial data file was modified from NMFS’s “agency-official” species critical habitat data to aid in the ESA/FIFRA section 7 pesticide consultation process. For example, existing data were adapted to incorporate associated watersheds where applicable, based on the USGS Watershed Boundary Dataset HUC-12 data (https://www.usgs.gov/national-hydrography/watershed-boundary-dataset). The modifications to the NMFS critical habitat spatial data make the data more compatible for future analyses with EPA’s Use Data Layers (UDLs). The following “Description” is from the original, “agency-official” data that was used to make this HUC-based map. Most of the metadata record for this species matches the “agency-official” record; however, NMFS added a new "Citation", "File Identifier", “Credits”, “Point of Contact”, and “Lineage Process Step” that are unique to this HUC-based critical habitat data.

This data set is meant as a general locational reference and is not the official definition. See 50 CFR 226.221 for the legal definition of black abalone critical habitat.

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