Data Layer Information
Blue Plan Policy Area
The Blue Plan Policy area as defined by CGS 25-157t(c) identifies the area, generally delineated by the10ft bathymetric contour (NAVD88) and modified as part of the Blue Plan development process, where any siting policies or performance standards from the Plan shall apply.
Map Service Layer Name: Blue Plan Policy Area
Blue Plan "Area of Interest"
The Blue Plan “Area of Interest,” illustrates the geographic extent of the human use and ecological resource data used in the Blue Plan. The Area of Interest is simply used to show the general extent of the data sources used. It does not affect the area where policies and performance standards apply, or the policies and performance standards themselves.
Map Service Layer Name: Blue Plan Area of Interest
Hard Bottom and Complex Sea Floor
Areas of hard bottom are characterized by exposed bedrock or concentrations of boulder, cobble, pebble, gravel or other similar hard substrate. Complex seafloor is a morphologically rugged seafloor characterized by high variability in neighboring bathymetry around a central point. Biogenic reefs and man-made structures may provide additional suitable substrate for the development of hard bottom biological communities. Areas of hard bottom and complex seafloor are areas characterized singly or by any combination of hard seafloor, complex seafloor, artificial reefs, biogenic reefs, or wrecks and obstructions.
Map Service Layer Name: ESA - Hard and Complex Sea Floor
Wrecks & Obstructions
Wrecks and obstructions is component of the Hard Bottom & Complex Seafloor ESA. Wrecks tend to serve as artificial reefs, and obstructions can include boulders or other hard bottom not delineated in geologic maps.
Map Service Layer Name: ESA - Wrecks-Obstructions sublayer
Hard Bottom
Hard bottom is a component of the Hard Bottom & Complex Seafloor ESA and includes granules, pebbles, and cobbles (collectively called gravel) as well as boulders and outcrops of bedrock. Hard bottom points have a 160-meter buffer so they are visible.
Map Service Layer Name: ESA - Hard Bottom sublayer
Complex Sea Floor
Complex seafloor is a component of the Hard Bottom & Complex Seafloor ESA and identifies the top 20% of complexity as a measured by the Terrain Ruggedness Index (TRI). The TRI metric reflects the difference between the depth at each point on the seafloor and the depth of the points surrounding it. The higher the TRI metric, the more complex the seafloor is.
Map Service Layer Name: ESA - Complex Seafloor sublayer
Submerged Aquatic Vegetation
Areas where submerged aquatic vegetation, e.g., eelgrass (Zostera marina), etc., are present or have been found to be present. Submerged aquatic vegetation refers to rooted, vascular plants that occur in the shallow waters of Long Island Sound.
Map Service Layer Names: ESA - Submerged Aquatic Vegetation
Cold Water Corals
Areas where cold-water corals have been observed or where habitat suitability or other scientific models predict they occur. Cold water corals are a visibly unique expression of a healthy, thriving marine ecosystem.
Map Service Layer Names: ESA - Cold Water Corals
Coastal Wetlands
Coastal wetlands generally include, but are not limited to banks, bogs, salt marshes, swamps, meadows, flats, or other low lands subject to tidal action. Although coastal wetlands occur in environments landward of the Blue Plan policy area, they are included because of their importance as supporting habitats for the Long Island Sound ecosystem. Coastal wetlands serve as nursery grounds and nesting habitat for many species, and provide ecosystem services such as wave attenuation and nutrient cycling. A more complete definition can be found in Connecticut General Statute (CGS) 22a-29 and 22a-29(2).
Map Service Layer Names: ESA - Coastal Wetlands
Endangered, Threatened, Species of Concern
The species listed by federal or state statutes as endangered, threatened, species of concern, or candidates for listing, and their associated habitats, (recognizing that detailed spatial data depicting the distribution and abundance are potentially unavailable), were mapped together in this single layer.
Map Service Layer Names: ESA - Endangered, Threatened, Species of Concern
Atlantic Sturgeon Critical Habitat
The US Endangered Species Act Critical Habitats – Atlantic sturgeon component of the Endangered, Threatened, Species of Concern ESA. Critical habitats for Atlantic sturgeon, one of six federally endangered species known to occur in Long Island Sound, is spatially defined under the US Endangered Species Act and shown on this map.
Map Service Layer Names: ESA - Atlantic Sturgeon Critical Habitat sublayer
Connecticut Critical Habitats
Connecticut Critical Habitats is a component of the Endangered, Threatened, Species of Concern ESA. It provides the identification and distribution of a subset of important wildlife habitats identified in the Connecticut Comprehensive Wildlife Conservation Strategy.
Map Service Layer Names: ESA - CT Critical Habitats sublayer
Connecticut Natural Diversity Database
The Connecticut Natural Diversity Database (NDDB) is a component of the Endangered, Threatened, Species of Concern ESA. It depicts the approximate locations of endangered, threatened and special concern species and significant natural communities in Long Island Sound.
Map Service Layer Names: ESA - CT Natural Diversity Database sublayer
New York Significant Natural Communities
New York Significant Natural Communities is a component of the Endangered, Threatened, Species of Concern ESA. It depicts New York Natural Heritage Program locations of rare or high-quality wetlands, forests, grasslands, ponds, streams, and other types of habitats, etc. Because some significant natural communities contain rare plants and/or rare animals, there is some overlap between this layer and the New York Rare Plants and Rare Animals layer.
Map Service Layer Names: ESA - NY Significant Natural Communities sublayer
Roseate Tern Occurrence
The Roseate tern occurrence is a component of the Endangered, Threatened, Species of Concern ESA. A May - September predicted occurrence map for roseate tern was provided by the Univ. of CT. All areas where roseate tern was predicted to be present were considered ecologically significant.
Map Service Layer Names: ESA - Roseate Tern sublayer
New York Significant Coastal Fish and Wildlife Habitats
These significant Coastal Fish and Wildlife Habitats have been designated and mapped by the New York Department of State, after recommendation by the New York Department of Environmental Conservation, which applied a rating system to identify and rate the habitats.
Map Service Layer Names: ESA - NY Signif. Coastal Fish-Wildlife sublayer
New York Rare Plants and Animals
New York Rare Plants and Rare Animals is a component of the Endangered, Threatened, Species of Concern ESA. It depicts approximate locations of rare plants and animals in New York waters of Long Island Sound from the New York Department of Environmental Conservation.
Map Service Layer Names: ESA - NY Rare Plants-Animals sublayer
Atlantic & Shortnose Sturgeon
Atlantic and shortnose sturgeon is component of the Endangered, Threatened, Species of Concern ESA. It includes Atlantic sturgeon gear restriction areas, high and medium use sturgeon areas, and Atlantic sturgeon migratory corridor.
Map Service Layer Names: ESA - Atl-Shortnose Sturgeon Habitat sublayer
Cetaceans (Marine Mammals)
Areas where cetaceans occur in higher concentrations and/or significant areas that support cetaceans (e.g. particular feeding areas, nursery grounds). Cetaceans include whales, dolphins, and porpoises.
Map Service Layer Names: ESA - Cetaceans
Pinnipeds (Seals)
Areas where pinnipeds occur in higher concentrations and/or significant areas that support pinnipeds (e.g. particular haul-out locations, feeding areas). Pinniped species found on Long Island include Harbor, Grey, Harp, Hooded, and Ringed seals.
Map Service Layer Names: ESA - Pinnipeds
Sea Turtles & Other Reptiles
Areas where sea turtles and other reptiles occur in higher concentrations and/or significant areas that support sea turtles and other reptiles (e.g. particular feeding areas, nesting grounds, hibernation areas). Includes sea turtle species common in the Sound such as Loggerhead, Kemp’s Ridley, and Green, as well as a different species of turtle, the Northern diamondback terrapin. Diamondback terrapins are not sea turtles, but are more similar to terrestrial and aquatic turtle species and live in coastal wetlands.
Map Service Layer Names: ESA - Sea turtles and other reptiles
Birds
Areas where birds are abundant or diverse including feeding areas; areas of high bird productivity including nesting areas with focus on seabird species that are expected to use the open-water habitats of Long Island Sound.
Map Service Layer Names: ESA - Birds
High Bird Species Richness: Summer
Summer high bird species richness modeling is a component of the Birds ESA. It depicts the top 20% of summer predicted bird species richness from preliminary models developed by the University of Connecticut.
Map Service Layer Names: ESA - Bird Species Richness: Summer sublayer
High Bird Species Richness: Winter
Winter high bird species richness modeling is a component of the Birds ESA. It depicts the top 20% of winter predicted bird species richness from preliminary models developed by the University of Connecticut.
Map Service Layer Names: ESA - Bird Species Richness: Winter sublayer
Key Bird Areas for Roosting, Foraging, Wintering
Key areas for roosting, foraging, wintering expert mapping is a component of the Birds ESA. It depicts areas important to bird staging, nesting, foraging identified through expert participatory mapping.
Map Service Layer Names: ESA - Key Bird Areas: Winter Roosting sublayer
Key Bird Areas for Staging, Nesting, Foraging
Key areas for staging, nesting, foraging expert mapping is a component of the Birds ESA. It depicts areas important to bird roosting, foraging, wintering identified through expert participatory mapping.
Map Service Layer Names: ESA - Key Bird Areas: Nesting-Foraging sublayer
Fish
Areas of high fish persistence and high fish abundance and concentration. The fish criterion includes species using water column habitats (i.e., diadromous and pelagic species), and seafloor habitats (i.e., demersal species).
Map Service Layer Names: ESA - Fish
Fish: Demersal High Weighted Persistence
Depicts areas of high weighted fish persistence for species using seafloor habitats (i.e., demersal species) from data derived from the CT DEEP Marine Fisheries Long Island Sound Trawl Survey (LISTS). The data reflect the top quintiles for the Fall and Spring Seasons across two decades (1995-2004 & 2005-2014).
Map Service Layer Names: ESA - Fish: Water Column High Weighted Persistence
Fish: Water Column High Weighted Persistence
Depicts areas of high weighted fish persistence for species using water column habitats (i.e., diadromous and pelagic species) from data derived from the CT DEEP Marine Fisheries Long Island Sound Trawl Survey (LISTS). The data reflect the top quintiles for the Fall and Spring Seasons across two decades (1995-2004 & 2005-2014).
Map Service Layer Names: ESA - Fish Water column species: Fall sublayer
Fish: Demersal Fall Abundance 1995-2004
Depicts areas of high abundance for fish species using seafloor habitats (i.e., demersal species) from data derived from the CT DEEP Marine Fisheries Long Island Sound Trawl Survey (LISTS). The data reflect the top quintiles for the Fall Seasons across 1995-2004.
Map Service Layer Names: ESA - Fish: Demersal Fall Abundance 1995-2004
Fish: Demersal Spring Abundance 1995-2004
Depicts areas of high abundance for fish species using seafloor habitats (i.e., demersal species) from data derived from the CT DEEP Marine Fisheries Long Island Sound Trawl Survey (LISTS). The data reflect the top quintiles for the Spring Seasons across 1995-2004.
Map Service Layer Names: ESA - Fish: Demersal Spring Abundance 1995-2004
Fish: Demersal Fall Abundance 2005-2014
Depicts areas of high abundance for fish species using seafloor habitats (i.e., demersal species) from data derived from the CT DEEP Marine Fisheries Long Island Sound Trawl Survey (LISTS). The data reflect the top quintiles for the Fall Seasons across 2005-2014.
Map Service Layer Names: ESA - Fish: Demersal Fall Abundance 2005-2014
Fish: Demersal Spring Abundance 2005-2014
Depicts areas of high abundance for fish species using seafloor habitats (i.e., demersal species) from data derived from the CT DEEP Marine Fisheries Long Island Sound Trawl Survey (LISTS). The data reflect the top quintiles for the Spring Seasons across 2005-2014.
Map Service Layer Names: ESA - Fish: Demersal Spring Abundance 2005-2014
Fish: Water Column Fall Abundance 1995-2004
Depicts areas of high abundance for fish species using water column habitats (i.e., diadromous, pelagic species) from data derived from the CT DEEP Marine Fisheries Long Island Sound Trawl Survey (LISTS). The data reflect the top quintiles for the Fall Seasons across 1995-2004.
Map Service Layer Names: ESA - Fish: Water Column Fall Abundance 1995-2004
Fish: Water Column Spring Abundance 1995-2004
Depicts areas of high abundance for fish species using water column habitats (i.e., diadromous, pelagic species) from data derived from the CT DEEP Marine Fisheries Long Island Sound Trawl Survey (LISTS). The data reflect the top quintiles for the Spring Seasons across 1995-2004.
Map Service Layer Names: ESA - Fish: Water Column Abundance Spring 1995-2004
Fish: Water Column Fall Abundance 2005-2014
Depicts areas of high abundance for fish species using water column habitats (i.e., diadromous, pelagic species) from data derived from the CT DEEP Marine Fisheries Long Island Sound Trawl Survey (LISTS). The data reflect the top quintiles for the Fall Seasons across 2005-2014.
Map Service Layer Names: ESA - Fish: Water Column Fall Abundance 2005-2014
Fish: Water Column Spring Abundance 2005-2014
Depicts areas of high abundance for fish species using water column habitats (i.e., diadromous, pelagic species) from data derived from the CT DEEP Marine Fisheries Long Island Sound Trawl Survey (LISTS). The data reflect the top quintiles for the Spring Seasons across 2005-2014.
Map Service Layer Names: ESA - Fish: Water Column Spring 2005-2014
Mobile Invertebrates
Areas of high mobile invertebrate abundance and concentration. Mobile invertebrates include large benthic crustaceans like lobster and crabs, as well as pelagic invertebrates such as squid.
Map Service Layer Names: ESA - Mobile Invertebrates
Mobile Invertebrates: Horseshoe Crab Spawning Beaches
Represents predicted horseshoe crab spawning use classifications for Connecticut beaches. These data were included in Connecticut’s 2015 Wildlife Action Plan Key Habitats and Communities. High and medium use beaches were considered ecologically significant.
Map Service Layer Names: ESA - Mobile Invertebrates: Horseshoe Crab spawning
Mobile Invertebrates: American Lobster Predicted Thermal Refuge
This layer represents those LIS Trawl Survey grid cells where projected future temperatures remain within American lobsters’ tolerance (between 12-20°C) from July to September for at least 32% of the time. This threshold was chosen because between 2002-2012 temperatures remained between 12-20°C from July to September for ~32% of the time and allowed for some American lobster survival.
Map Service Layer Names: ESA - Mobile Invertebrates: Lobster Thermal Refuge
Mobile Invertebrates: Decapod Biomass Fall 1995-2004
Areas of high biomass for five decapod species (Blue crab, flat claw hermit crab, lady crab, rock crab, and spider crab) from the LIS Trawl Survey. These were mapped and considered together as a group due to similarities in their biology, habitat preferences, and catchability in the trawl survey. The data reflect the top quintiles for the Fall Seasons across 1995-2004.
Map Service Layer Names: ESA - Mobile Invertebrates: Decapod Biomass Fall 1995-2004
Mobile Invertebrates: Decapod Biomass Spring 1995-2004
Areas of high biomass for five decapod species (Blue crab, flat claw hermit crab, lady crab, rock crab, and spider crab) from the LIS Trawl Survey. These were mapped and considered together as a group due to similarities in their biology, habitat preferences, and catchability in the trawl survey. The data reflect the top quintiles for the Spring Seasons across 1995-2004.
Map Service Layer Names: ESA - Mobile Invertebrates: Decapod Biomass Spring 1995-2004
Mobile Invertebrates: Decapod Biomass Fall 2005-2014
Areas of high biomass for five decapod species (Blue crab, flat claw hermit crab, lady crab, rock crab, and spider crab) from the LIS Trawl Survey. These were mapped and considered together as a group due to similarities in their biology, habitat preferences, and catchability in the trawl survey. The data reflect the top quintiles for the Fall seasons across 2005-2014.
Map Service Layer Names: ESA - Mobile Invertebrates: Decapod Biomass Fall 2005-2014
Mobile Invertebrates: Decapod Biomass Spring 2005-2014
Areas of high biomass for five decapod species (Blue crab, flat claw hermit crab, lady crab, rock crab, and spider crab) from the LIS Trawl Survey. These were mapped and considered together as a group due to similarities in their biology, habitat preferences, and catchability in the trawl survey. The data reflect the top quintiles for the Spring Seasons across 2005-2014.
Map Service Layer Names: ESA - Mobile Invertebrates: Decapod Biomass Spring 2005-2014
Mobile Invertebrates: Horseshoe Crab Biomass Fall 1995-2004
Areas of high biomass for horseshoe crabs from the LIS Trawl Survey. The data reflect the top quintiles for the Fall Seasons across 1995-2004.
Map Service Layer Names: ESA - Mobile Invertebrates: Horseshoe Crab Biomass Fall 1995-2004
Mobile Invertebrates: Horseshoe Crab Biomass Spring 1995-2004
Areas of high biomass for horseshoe crabs from the LIS Trawl Survey. The data reflect the top quintiles for the Spring Seasons across 1995-2004..
Map Service Layer Names: ESA - Mobile Invertebrates: Horseshoe Crab Biomass Spring 1995-2004
Mobile Invertebrates: Horseshoe Crab Biomass Fall 2005-2014
Areas of high biomass for horseshoe crabs from the LIS Trawl Survey. The data reflect the top quintiles for the Fall Seasons across 2005-2014.
Map Service Layer Names: ESA - Mobile Invertebrates: Horseshoe Crab Biomass Fall 2005-2014
Mobile Invertebrates: Horseshoe Crab Biomass Spring 2005-2014
Areas of high biomass for horseshoe crabs from the LIS Trawl Survey. The data reflect the top quintiles for the Spring Seasons across 2005-2014.
Map Service Layer Names: ESA - Mobile Invertebrates: Horseshoe Crab Spring Biomass 2005-2014
Mobile Invertebrates: Lobster Biomass Fall 1995-2004
Areas of high biomass for American lobster from the LIS Trawl Survey. The data reflect the top quintiles for the Fall Seasons across 1995-2004.
Map Service Layer Names: ESA - Mobile Invertebrates: Lobster Biomass Fall 1995-2004
Mobile Invertebrates: Lobster Biomass Spring 1995-2004
Areas of high biomass for American lobster from the LIS Trawl Survey. The data reflect the top quintiles for the Spring Seasons across 1995-2004.
Map Service Layer Names: ESA - Mobile Invertebrates: Lobster Biomass Spring 1995-2004
Mobile Invertebrates: Lobster Biomass Fall 2005-2014
Areas of high biomass for American lobster from the LIS Trawl Survey. The data reflect the top quintiles for the Fall Seasons across 2005-2014.
Map Service Layer Names: ESA - Mobile Invertebrates: Lobster Biomass Fall 2005-2014
Mobile Invertebrates: Lobster Biomass Spring 2005-2014
Areas of high biomass for American lobster from the LIS Trawl Survey. The data reflect the top quintiles for the Spring Seasons across 2005-2014.
Map Service Layer Names: ESA - Mobile Invertebrates: Lobster Biomass Spring 2005-2014
Mobile Invertebrates: Squid Biomass Fall 1995-2004
Areas of high biomass for long-finned squid from the LIS Trawl Survey. The data reflect the top quintiles for the Fall Seasons across 1995-2004.
Map Service Layer Names: ESA - Mobile Invertebrates: Squid Biomass Fall 1995-2004
Mobile Invertebrates: Squid Biomass Spring 1995-2004
Areas of high biomass for long-finned squid from the LIS Trawl Survey. The data reflect the top quintiles for the Spring Seasons across 1995-2004.
Map Service Layer Names: ESA - Mobile Invertebrates: Squid Spring Biomass 1995-2004
Mobile Invertebrates: Squid Biomass Fall 2005-2014
Areas of high biomass for long-finned squid from the LIS Trawl Survey. The data reflect the top quintiles for the Fall Seasons across 2005-2014.
Map Service Layer Names: ESA - Mobile Invertebrates: Squid Biomass Fall 2005-2014
Mobile Invertebrates: Squid Biomass Spring 2005-2014
Areas of high biomass for long-finned squid from the LIS Trawl Survey. The data reflect the top quintiles for the Spring Seasons across 2005-2014.
Map Service Layer Names: ESA - Mobile Invertebrates: Squid Spring Biomass 2005-2014
Sessile-mollusk-dominated Communities
Areas where wild, natural sessile-mollusk-dominated communities occur. Sessile-mollusk-dominated communities are assemblages of non-mobile gastropods (e.g., slipper shells) and bivalves (e.g., blue mussels, clams) that are not harvested by humans.
Map Service Layer Names: ESA - Sessile mollusk dominated communities
Managed Shellfish Beds
Locations of commercial and recreational shellfishing harvest areas, including shellfish restoration activities and areas closed to shellfishing. In Connecticut, shellfish are defined as oysters, clams, mussels and scallops; either shucked or in the shell, fresh or frozen, whole or in part.
Map Service Layer Names: ESA - Managed Shellfish Beds
Areas with rare, sensitive or vulnerable species, communities or habitats Rollup
The overlaps among the criteria that contribute to “Ecologically Significant Areas with rare, sensitive, or vulnerable species, communities, or habitats.” It is important to note that this represents the best available knowledge about the location of ESA, and if a map doesn’t depict ESA, it does not mean that one does not exist there. Therefore, composite maps for ESA should be viewed as the “minimum number of ESA”, so a value of 5 corresponds to at least 5 ESA present in a location.
Map Service Layer Names: ESA - Pillar 1 Rollup
Areas of high natural productivity (HNP), biological persistence, diversity and abundance Rollup
The overlaps among the criteria that contribute to “Ecologically Significant Areas of high natural productivity, biological persistence, diversity, and abundance.” It is important to note that this represents the best available knowledge about the location of ESA, and if a map doesn’t depict ESA, it does not mean that one does not exist there. Therefore, composite maps for ESA should be viewed as the “minimum number of ESA”, so a value of 5 corresponds to at least 5 ESA present in a location.
Map Service Layer Names: ESA - Pillar 2 Rollup
ESA All
The overlaps among the criteria that contribute to both the “Ecologically Significant Areas with rare, sensitive, or vulnerable species, communities, or habitats” and the “Ecologically Significant Areas of high natural productivity, biological persistence, diversity, and abundance.” It is important to note that this represents the best available knowledge about the location of ESA, and if a map doesn’t depict ESA, it does not mean that one does not exist there. Therefore, composite maps for ESA should be viewed as the “minimum number of ESA”, so a value of 5 corresponds to at least 5 ESA present in a location.