Atlantic Migratory Fish Habitat (Southeast Blueprint Indicator)

<p><strong>Reason for Selection</strong></p><p>This indicator represents aquatic connectivity between fresh and salt water in Atlantic drainages. It incorporates both physical barriers to connectivity and indirect barriers related to habitat quality. It also promotes consistency with the priorities of the Atlantic Coast Fish Habitat Partnership.</p><p><strong>Input Data</strong></p><ul><li><a target='_blank' href='https://www.atlanticfishhabitat.org/science-and-data-projects/' rel='nofollow ugc noopener noreferrer'>Atlantic Coast Fish Habitat Partnership (ACFHP) Fish Habitat Conservation Area Mapping and Prioritization Project</a>: South Atlantic and Mid-Atlantic Diadromous Analysis</li><li><a target='_blank' href='https://secas-fws.hub.arcgis.com/maps/8bde4161a8af4ab9ad8341ef79d9d307/about' rel='nofollow ugc noopener noreferrer'>Base Blueprint 2022 extent</a></li><li><a target='_blank' href='https://secas-fws.hub.arcgis.com/maps/0b3e3940763a4e3aae7647b0fe4c31e4/about' rel='nofollow ugc noopener noreferrer'>Southeast Blueprint 2023 extent</a></li></ul><p><strong>Mapping Steps</strong></p><ul><li>Convert the South Atlantic Diadromous Analysis from vector to 30 m raster using the FINALSCORE field.</li><li>Convert the Mid-Atlantic Diadromous Analysis from vector to 30 m raster using the TotalPoints field.</li><li>Combine the above rasters using the ArcPy Spatial Analyst Cell Statistics “MAX” function.</li><li>Reclassify the above raster into 8 classes, seen in the final indicator values below.</li><li>Clip to the spatial extent of Base Blueprint 2022.</li><li>As a final step, clip to the spatial extent of Southeast Blueprint 2023.&nbsp;</li></ul><p>Note: For more details on the mapping steps, code used to create this layer is available in the&nbsp;<a target='_blank' href='https://www.sciencebase.gov/catalog/file/get/68ba6308d4be021908ad78ae?name=Southeast_Blueprint_2025_Data_Download.zip' rel='nofollow ugc noopener noreferrer'>Southeast Blueprint Data Download</a>&nbsp;under &gt; 6_Code.</p><p><i>Final indicator values</i></p><p>Indicator&nbsp;values&nbsp;are&nbsp;assigned&nbsp;as&nbsp;follows:</p><p>8 = Final score of 80 (areas of excellent fish habitat)</p><p>7 = Final score of 70 (areas of excellent fish habitat)</p><p>6 = Final score of 60 (restoration opportunity areas)</p><p>5 = Final score of 50 (restoration opportunity areas)</p><p>4 = Final score of 40 (restoration opportunity areas)</p><p>3 = Final score of 30 (restoration opportunity areas)</p><p>2 = Final score of 20 (restoration opportunity areas)</p><p>1 = Final score of 10 (degraded areas of opportunity)</p><p>0 = Final score of 0 (degraded areas of opportunity)</p><p><strong>Known Issues</strong></p><ul><li>This indicator under and overrepresents migratory fish habitat in some areas. The South Atlantic and Mid-Atlantic Diadromous Analysis did not include fish presence and fishing data because of inconsistent sampling methods across the study area and because this data was unavailable in many shallow water habitats.</li></ul><p><strong>Disclaimer: Comparing with Older Indicator Versions&nbsp;</strong></p><p>There are numerous problems with using Southeast Blueprint indicators for change analysis. Please consult Blueprint staff if you would like to do this (email&nbsp;<a href='mailto:[e-mail]' rel='nofollow ugc'>[e-mail]</a>).</p><p><strong>Literature Cited</strong></p><p>Martin, Erik, Kat Hoenke, and Lisa Havel. Atlantic Coast Fish Habitat Partnership. Fish Habitat Conservation Area Mapping and Prioritization Project: A Prioritization of Atlantic Coastal, Estuarine, and Diadromous Fish Habitats for Conservation. August 2020. [<a target='_blank' href='https://www.atlanticfishhabitat.org/wp-content/uploads/2020/08/ACFHP-Mapping-and-Prioritization-Final-Report.pdf' rel='nofollow ugc noopener noreferrer'>https://www.atlanticfishhabitat.org/wp-content/uploads/2020/08/ACFHP-Mapping-and-Prioritization-Final-Report.pdf</a>].</p>