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.