Omnibus Habitat Amendment 1 (OHA1) was prepared by the New England Fishery Management Council (NEFMC) to implement the essential fish habitat (EFH) provisions of the Magnuson-Stevens Fishery Conservation and Management Act as reauthorized in 1996.
The action encompasses Amendment 11 to the Northeast Multispecies Fishery Management Plan (FMP), Amendment 9 to the Atlantic Sea Scallop FMP, Amendment 1 to the Atlantic Salmon FMP, and Amendment 1 to the Monkfish FMP. OHA1 also included the EFH components of the Atlantic Herring FMP, which was under development by the NEFMC at the time. Specifically, the amendments describe and identify EFH for the specified fisheries, discuss measures to address the effects of fishing on EFH, and identify other actions for the conservation and enhancement of EFH. Atlantic Salmon Amendment 1 also discusses a definition for overfishing and establishes an aquaculture framework adjustment process for Atlantic salmon. Note that EFH designations for skates, red crab, and Atlantic wolffish are not included in this action because FMPs for these species were developed later.