The Fisheries Habitat Program protects and enhances marine fisheries resources by studying and protecting existing habitats, restoring habitats, and communicating habitat information.
The Technical Review team reviews permit applications for coastal and marine construction projects and provides recommendations to avoid and minimize impacts to marine resources.
This project focuses on establishing where different seafloor habitats are. Currently, the project works on developing methods for benthic habitat delineation.
Climate change is expected to have widespread consequences for many elements of Massachusetts' coastal areas, including its ecosystems, fisheries habitats, and coastal communities. This project consolidates data collected across the agency and develops strategies and policies to address ecosystem changes resulting from climate change.
Emerging Issues uses a team approach to handling a wide variety of topics that the agency addresses. These issues may need immediate attention or require dedicated focus for a decade or more. Many of these issues require the development of policies or interdisciplinary representation on task forces and workgroups. Some of the more recent topics are listed below.
To address issues of habitat degradation, due to coastal construction, MarineFisheries and the Army Corps of Engineers administer In-Lieu Fee Mitigation to support on-the-ground restoration activities in aquatic resources, particularly those to Essential fish Habitat and aquatic and shellfish habitats in Massachusetts.