A GIS environmental modelling approach to essential fish habitat designation

Proper designation of essential fish habitat (EFH) is a highly important spatial measure in any management of fishery resources. EFH is characterised by an aggregation of abiotic and biotic parameters that are suitable for supporting and sustaining fish populations during all stages of their life cycle. We propose a multi-parameter model that includes processing and integration of EFH environmental and biological descriptors under a Geographic Information System. We apply the model to short-finned squid population dynamics in the eastern Mediterranean Sea, based on species life history data derived from biological and genetic research. The model output includes squid monthly EFH designations for the 1997–1998 fishing season and reveals the spatiotemporal aspect of the biological and ecological squid dynamics in the region.