Scientific input on natural resource decision-making tools used at NOAA Fisheries for kelp and seagrass habitat conservation, restoration, and management

This white paper provides a strategic synthesis of scientific evaluations of four habitat quantification tools commonly used by NOAA Fisheries natural resource managers to make decisions about kelp and seagrass habitats: 1. The Wetland Mitigation Ratio Calculator/California Eelgrass Mitigation Policy. 2. The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers’ Mitigation Ratio Standard Operating Procedure. 3. Habitat equivalency analysis. 4. The Puget Sound Nearshore Habitat Conservation Calculator. Grant no. NA20NMF0080244