Synthesis Report: Advancing Model-Based Essential Fish Habitat Descriptions and Maps for North Pacific Species: North Pacific 2023 Essential Fish Habitat 5-year Review

Councils and NMFS are required to review the essential fish habitat (EFH) components of Fishery Management Plans (FMPs) and revise or amend these components based on available information at least every five years (50 CFR 600.815(a)(10)) in what is referred to as an EFH 5- year Review. The new EFH component 1 information available for the 2023 EFH 5-year Review demonstrates advances in EFH descriptions and identification (maps) based on modernizing the species distribution modeling (SDM) approach to mapping EFH that was established in the 2017 Review. This report and supporting documents present the complete 2023 SDM EFH mapping methods and results and reports the comprehensive and iterative review process that this work has undergone for the 2023 Review.