Habitat Conservation

Habitat Hot List

5 Fish Desperate for Healthy Habitat

Feature Stories

Protecting our natural infrastructure—our global life support systems—is vital to protecting communities, fishing industries, recreational opportunities, and economies along our coasts. With continued widespread loss and deterioration of coastal and marine habitats, we are in danger of losing this infrastructure. Congress has charged NOAA with protecting habitat for fish, threatened and endangered species, marine mammals, and other natural resources within the coastal zone.

Now that we are turning the corner on ending overfishing, we need to increase the sustainability of our fisheries by focusing on the habitat that fish need to spawn and grow, as well as protecting the coastal resources on which our communities depend.

Recognizing the need for more concerted efforts to protect and restore habitat, we developed the NOAA Habitat Blueprint to build on existing programs, prioritize our activities, and guide our future actions.