DATA UPDATES
This page provides a running list of updates and additions to datasets available on the Northeast Ocean Data Portal. Please note that many datasets viewable on the Portal’s interactive maps are hosted and maintained externally by other entities, and updates to those externally hosted datasets may not be included in this list. To be notified of future updates, please follow us on Twitter and subscribe to our quarterly newsletter.
Next Anticipated Data Updates
Aquaculture
- An updated regional aquaculture layer will integrate the latest aquaculture data from states across the Northeast.
Energy and Infrastructure
- The Portal team works with the Bureau of Ocean Energy Management (BOEM) to ensure that updates to planning areas, lease areas, proposed projects, and infrastructure are included on the Portal in a timely manner. Visit our Offshore Wind Projects overview page to keep up with the latest.
Recreation
- The Portal team is reviewing and updating water trails, boat launches, secured/protected coastal lands, beaches, and coastal access points data.
Navigation
- Updated navigational charts layers, and several additional updated layers in collaboration with the Marine Cadastre including aids to navigation, deepwater ports, navigation channels, principal ports, and submarine cable areas.
June 20, 2024: Water Quality
Added study locations for a proposed mCDR research study. More information
June 13, 2024: Commercial Fishing > Fishing Footprints & Transit Density
Added two new commercial fisheries datasets showing commercial fishing activity and vessel transit activity. More information
June 6, 2024: Marine Transportation > Vessel Traffic
Vessel traffic and activity data for 2023 are now available. More information
May 9, 2024: Energy & Infrastructure > Planning Areas
Added Gulf of Maine Proposed Sale Notice Lease Areas.
April 30, 2024: Bathymetry & Imagery > Planned Seafloor Mapping Areas
Added several layers showing areas of coverage for planned seafloor mapping surveys. More information
April 30, 2024: Habitat > Blue Carbon
Added new high-resolution maps of salt marsh carbon and soil properties. More information
April 24, 2024: Marine Life > Birds
Updated bird distribution models. More information
April 17, 2024: Energy & Infrastructure > Planning Areas
Replaced ‘Coastal Energy Facilities’ with ‘Power Plants’.
March 21, 2024: Energy & Infrastructure > Planning Areas
Added data layer for the BOEM Gulf of Maine Final Wind Energy Area.
April 17, 2024: Energy & Infrastructure > Planning Areas
Replaced ‘Coastal Energy Facilities’ with ‘Power Plants’.
March 21, 2024: Energy & Infrastructure > Planning Areas
Added data layer for the BOEM Gulf of Maine Final Wind Energy Area.
January 24, 2024: Marine Life > Marine Mammals Vulnerable to Climate Change
Added new data products that depict the total abundance and species richness of marine mammals in the western North Atlantic (U.S. east coast) that are vulnerable to climate change. More information
December 13, 2023: Habitat > Gulf of Maine Seafloor Geomorphology
Added three map layers showing regional seafloor geomorphology data for collaborative planning and assessment offshore in the Gulf of Maine. More information
November 6, 2023: Energy and Infrastructure
Added five map layers that depict the relative suitability modeling results from the Bureau of Ocean Energy Management (BOEM) for draft Wind Energy Areas (WEAs) in the Gulf of Maine. More information
October 11, 2023: Commercial Fishing
Added map layer for a proposed Habitat Area of Particular Concern (HAPC) offshore of southern New England More information
September 14, 2023: Marine Life – Sea Turtles
Added new sea turtle surface density model data products including monthly estimates of average density and model coefficient of variation for four species: Green, Kemp’s Ridley, Loggerhead, and Leatherback sea turtles. More information (See also: Update 12/12/2023)
August 24, 2023: Bathymetry – BlueTopo
Added new BlueTopo data layer. BlueTopo is curated bathymetric source data to provide a definitive nationwide model of the seafloor and navigational lakes. More information
July 13, 2023: Habitat – Blue Carbon
Added new data from regional inventory of blue carbon stocks. Includes heat maps for eelgrass and tidal marsh habitats individually as well as a heat map showing blue carbon reservoirs for both coastal vegetation types together. More information
May 18, 2023: Marine Transportation – 2022 Commercial Traffic (AIS)
Added vessel traffic and activity data for 2022 (annual and monthly). More information
April 26, 2023: Energy & Infrastructure – Planning Areas
Added Gulf of Maine Final Call Area – April 2023 map layer associated with the Gulf of Maine’s Call for Information and Nominations announced by BOEM on April 25, 2023. More information
April 18, 2023: Marine Transportation > Proposed Areas and Studies.
Added the USCG Consolidated Port Approaches Port Access Route Studies (CPAPARS) map layer and the USCG Approaches to Maine, New Hampshire, and Massachusetts Port Access Route Study (MNMPARS) map layer. More information
April 11, 2023: Physical Oceanography – Ocean Observing Buoys and Monitoring Stations
Added map layer with the locations of federal ocean observing buoys and monitoring stations that measure and record physical oceanographic and meteorological data. Clicking on a buoy or station on the map opens a dynamically updated graph of ocean conditions for the past seven days at that location. More information
January 25, 2023: Marine Transportation – Proposed Areas and Studies
Added proposed routing measures from the U.S. Coast Guard draft report for the Approaches to Maine, New Hampshire, and Massachusetts Port Access Route Study (MNMPARS). More information
November 21, 2022: Commercial Fishing – Vessel Activity
Added nine data products that broadly characterize the density of commercial fishing vessel activity (2015-2019) based on VMS data. More information
November 17, 2022: Commercial Fishing – Management Areas
Added seven new layers showing Maine modern lobster landings data (2010-2020) summarized by Maine port and by Maine lobster zone. More information
September 8, 2022: Marine Transportation – Navigation
Added NOAA ECDIS Display Service map layer, which provides a seamless portrayal of latest electronic navigational chart (ENC) data using symbology similar to that used by the Electronic Chart Display and Information Systems (ECDIS) used by many large commercial vessels.
September 8, 2022: Water Quality – Wastewater Outfalls
Added NOAA Wastewater Outfalls data showing locations of publicly owned treatment works and other significant point source discharges to surface waters at or near the contiguous U.S. coastline. Three types of features are provided in this data: facility location, outfall pipes, and the outfall discharge point.
August 30, 2022: Marine Transportation – Navigation
Added 2022 Proposed North Atlantic Right Whale Seasonal Speed Zones. More information
August 23, 2022: Energy & Infrastructure – Planning Areas
Added BOEM Request for Interest (RFI) and Request for Competitive Interest (RFCI) areas in the Gulf of Maine. More information
July 1, 2022: Marine Life – Marine Mammal Strandings
Added data on marine mammal strandings from Maine to Virginia by season, species and county. More information
June 30, 2022: Recreation – Whale Watching
Added whale watching activity data for the mid-Atlantic region. More information
May 31, 2022: Marine Life – Fish
Added maps showing potential vulnerability of fish species to EMF. More information
May 16, 2022: Marine Transportation – 2021 Commercial Traffic (AIS)
Added vessel traffic and activity data for 2021 (annual and monthly). More information
May 13, 2022: Marine Life – Fish
- New data products and time slider depicting historical fish biomass from the NEFSC trawl. More information
- New stressor sensitivity species group for fish species Potentially Vulnerability to Electric and Magnetic Fields (EMF) More information
April 18, 2022: Marine Transportation – Proposed Areas and Studies
Added boundary for the U.S. Coast Guard-led “Approaches to Maine, New Hampshire, and Massachusetts Port Access Route Study” (MNMPARS). More information
April 7, 2022: Marine Life – Marine Mammals
The cetacean data products developed by the Marine life Data & Analysis Team (MDAT), including all summary products, now include the latest North Atlantic right whale models developed by the Duke University Marine Geospatial Ecology Lab (MGEL). In addition, the MDAT cetacean sound sensitivity species group products have been updated based on the findings of a recent journal article (Southall et al., 2019). More information
February 28, 2022: Marine Transportation
Added ferry routes and ferry terminals. More information • View map
February 14, 2022: Energy & Infrastructure
In collaboration with BOEM, added Central Atlantic DRAFT Call for Information and Nominations Area map layer. More information
February 14, 2022: Marine Transportation
In collaboration with the US Coast Guard, added Final Recommendations from USCG Port Access Route Study for Northern New York Bight. More information
January 22, 2022: Energy & Infrastructure
In collaboration with BOEM, added New York Bight Final Sale Notice (FSN) Areas map layer, showing six offshore wind energy lease areas scheduled to be auctioned on February 23, 2022. More information
December 13, 2021: Marine Life – Fish & Shellfish
In collaboration with the University of Massachusetts School of Marine Science and Technology (SMAST), added a map layer showing the results of a multi-year survey to characterize Atlantic sea scallop distribution. More information
December 2, 2021: Marine Life – Birds
In collaboration with the US Geological Survey South Carolina Cooperative Fish and Wildlife Research Unit and the US Fish & Wildlife Service, added a new map layer depicting the first satellite tracks of the endangered black-capped petrel. More information
November 4, 2021: Commercial Fishing – Management Areas
In collaboration with the NOAA Greater Atlantic Regional Fisheries Office (GARFO), added a layer showing the Atlantic Large Whale Take Reduction Plan (ALWTRP) Phase 1 modifications. More information
September 28, 2021: Habitat – Glacial Moraines
In collaboration with the Rhode Island Coastal Resources Management Council (RI CRMC), added a layer that depicts the extent of glacial moraines offshore of Rhode Island, as mapped during the Ocean Special Area Management Plan (Ocean SAMP) development process. More information
September 28, 2021: Marine Life – Marine Mammals & Sea Turtles
Added New England Aquarium Megafauna Aerial Survey Transects 2011-2021 and data layers for the components of a proposed Passive Acoustic Monitoring (PAM) design for regional long-term monitoring in North and Mid-Atlantic offshore lease areas and wind energy areas. More information
September 15, 2021: Marine Life – Fish
Updated maps of distribution and biomass of fish species. More information
August 5, 2021: Commercial Fishing – Management Areas
Final coral protection areas designated by NOAA Fisheries on Georges Bank and in the Gulf of Maine. More information
June 30, 2021: Energy & Infrastructure
Added New York Bight Proposed 2021 Lease Sale Areas in collaboration with BOEM. More information
June 24, 2021: Bathymetry
Added several new map layers that provide access to high-resolution bathymetry data and information: 4- and 16-meter resolution northeast regional bathymetry composites; footprints of surveys with digital sounding data; and footprints of planned NOAA hydrographic surveys. More information
June 18, 2021: Aquaculture
In collaboration with the US Army Corps of Engineers New England District, added the boundaries of the two open water sites in a permit application filed by Blue Water Fisheries. More information
June 4, 2021: Marine Transportation – Commercial Traffic
Added vessel traffic data for 2020 in collaboration with US Coast Guard, Marine Cadastre, and marine industry. More information
April 28, 2021: Habitat & Restoration – Eelgrass & Tidal Marsh Vegetation
Added and updated eelgrass and tidal marsh vegetation data in collaboration with US EPA Region 1, states, and others. More information
April 28, 2021: Recreation – Whale Watching & Scuba
Updated whale watching and scuba data in collaboration with local industry, stakeholders, and experts.
April 8, 2021: Marine Transportation – Proposed Areas and Studies
Added Proposed Ambrose Anchorage Ground in collaboration with USCG. More information
April 8, 2021: National Security; Energy & Infrastructure – Planning Areas
Added Department of Defense Offshore Wind Mission Compatibility Assessments.
March 30, 2021: Energy and Infrastructure – Planning Areas
Added New York Bight Wind Energy Areas (WEAs) in collaboration with BOEM. More information
March 8, 2021: Commercial Fishing – Management Areas
Updated various fishery management areas in collaboration with NOAA Greater Atlantic Regional Fisheries Office.
March 8, 2021: Water Quality – Impaired Waters
Added Water Quality Assessment Areas from the EPA Assessment Total Maximum Daily Load (TMDL) Tracking and Implementation System (ATTAINS) in collaboration with EPA. More information
March 8, 2021: Demography and Economy
Added total population data from the U.S. Census Bureau’s American Community Survey (ACS) 2014-2018 5-year estimates. More information
February 3, 2021: Energy and Infrastructure – Planning Areas
Added Gulf of Maine Floating Offshore Wind Research Array Area of Interest, in collaboration with Maine Department of Marine Resources. More information
January 22, 2021: Energy and Infrastructure – Planning Areas
Added South Fork Wind Farm and South Fork Export Cable Project Work Area, Proposed Cable Route, Interarray Cables, and Proposed Turbine Generator Locations. More information
November 20, 2020: Marine Transportation – Navigation
Added NOAA Dynamic Management Areas for North Atlantic Right Whales. More information
November 17, 2020: Energy and Infrastructure
Added Virginia Offshore Wind Turbine Locations map layer. More information
November 17, 2020: Administrative Boundaries
Added Coastal Zone Management Act map layer. More information
October 21, 2020: Marine Transportation
Added Isles of Shoals North Disposal Site designated by EPA September 25, 2020. More information
October 21, 2020: Physical Oceanography
Added the following North Atlantic Coast Comprehensive Study (NACCS) layers: NACCS Tropical Storm Peaks, NACCS 100-year Return Period Water Levels, NACCS 100-year Return Period Wave Heights, and NACCS Storm Tracks.
September 9, 2020: Habitat – Physical
Added estimated median bottom shear stress (annual and seasonal) based on USGS model. More information
July 30, 2020: Commercial Fishing – Management Areas
Finalized map layer showing Research Areas in the Great South Channel Habitat Management Area. More information
July 29, 2020: Marine Transportation – Proposed Areas and Studies
Added new category under Marine Transportation called Proposed Areas and Studies with new map layers showing boundaries for five U.S. Coast Guard-led Port Access Route Study (PARS) areas along the East Coast and nine Atlantic Coast shipping safety fairways under consideration by the U.S. Coast Guard.
July 6, 2020: Energy & Infrastructure – Planning Areas
Updated Active Renewable Energy Leases and BOEM Wind Planning Areas map layers. More information
June 19, 2020: Commercial Fishing – Management Areas
Added data on Clam Dredge Exemption Areas, implemented by NOAA Fisheries, where dredge fishing for surfclams or mussels will be allowed in the Great South Channel Habitat Management Area. More information
June 12, 2020: Marine Transportation – 2018 and 2019 Vessel Traffic
Added annual and monthly data on vessel transits for several categories of vessels in 2018 and 2019. More information
June 2, 2020: Habitat – Northeast Fishing Effects Model
Added three types of data and maps from the NEFMC Northeast Fishing Effects Model: Sediment, Percent Seabed Habitat Disturbance, and Intrinsic Seabed Habitat Vulnerability. More information
May 19, 2020: Cultural Resources & Recreation – Parks and Reserves
Updated map layer representing Parks and Reserves within 10 kilometers of the New England shoreline. More information
May 19, 2020: Commercial Fishing – Management Areas
Updated map layer with revised boundaries for Sea Scallop Rotational Areas. More information
March 26, 2020: Energy and Infrastructure – Transmission Lines and Substations
Updated map layers showing the voltage and location of electric transmission lines and substations in the Northeast and Mid-Atlantic regions. More information
March 25, 2020: Marine Transportation – Navigation
Added new map layer from US Army Corps of Engineers showing congressionally authorized navigation channels. More information
December 9, 2019: Marine Life – Sea Turtles
Added new map layers showing annual and monthly densities of tagged loggerhead sea turtles from Florida to southern New England. More information
November 18, 2019: Marine Life – Birds
Added new map layers showing migration routes and winter habitats of northern gannet, red-throated loon, and surf scoter. More information
November 13, 2019: Administrative Boundaries – USCG Sectors
Added new map layer showing US Coast Guard Sectors. More information
October 24, 2019: Commercial Fishing – Management Areas
Added new map layer showing NOAA Fisheries Statistical Reporting Areas. More information
October 22, 2019: Physical Oceanography – Wind Speed
Updated map layer characterizing the annual offshore wind speed in the northeast and mid-Atlantic regions. More information
October 21, 2019: Bathymetry – High-resolution Gulf of Maine Bathymetry
Added two new map layers with high-resolution bathymetry for the Gulf of Maine. More information
October 1, 2019: Navigation – Isles of Shoals North Disposal Site (Proposed)
Added new map layer with boundaries for a proposed new ocean dredged materials disposal site located approximately 10.8 nautical miles east of Portsmouth, New Hampshire. More information
July 29, 2019: Habitat – Submarine Canyons and Deep-Sea Coral Habitat
Added a submarine canyons layer under Habitat:Physical and replaced the deep-sea coral habitat suitability layers with new versions under Habitat:Biological. More information
July 22, 2019: Commercial Fishing – Management Areas
Added Atlantic Large Whale Take Reduction Plan Regulated and Exempted Areas. More information
July 22, 2019: Marine Life – Habitat: Deep-Sea Corals
Due to changes in data availability from the national Marine Cadastre, replaced deep-sea coral layers with new layers showing two broad groups of deep-sea corals: stony coral species and soft coral species. More information
July 18, 2019: Marine Transportation – Navigation
Updated with the latest information and enhanced with improved visualizations. More information
June 28, 2019: Marine Life
Fish (Version 3): Added individual species data from spring NEFSC trawl surveys, updated data from fall surveys, provided higher spatial resolution (2 km), used NEFSC methods and code, and updated Species Group data products. Marine mammals (Version 2.1): Updated Individual Species data products for several cetacean species that did not receive updates in Version 2 (2018) and updates all Species Group data products. More information
June 4, 2019: Energy and Infrastructure
Added new map layers for the proposed Vineyard Wind development and the South Fork Wind Farm proposed by Deepwater Wind South Fork LLC. Updated map layers for renewable energy leases and planning areas to reflect outcomes of competitive lease sale held by the Bureau of Ocean Energy Management (BOEM) in December 2018. More information
April 24, 2019: Administrative Boundaries
Added new map layer for Amended Rhode Island Geographic Location Description. More information
April 17, 2019: Commercial Fishing – Communities at Sea
Added dozens of new map layers showing which areas of the ocean are important to different fishing communities. More information
April 16, 2019: Aquaculture
Updated with the latest dataset available for New Hampshire. More information
March 7, 2019: Sand
Added new map layer related to sand resources on the Outer Continental Shelf (OCS): Atlantic OCS Aliquots with Sand Resources. More information
February 7, 2019: Commercial Fishing – Management Areas
Added new map layers related to NEFMC Clam Dredge Framework: (1) Clam and Mussel Dredge Exemptions and (2) Research Areas. More information
January 14, 2019: Offshore Energy Planning Areas
Enhanced visualizations of and updated information about offshore energy development in the region. More information
December 13, 2018: Commercial Fishing – Fishery Management Areas
Updated to reflect the latest information from the NOAA National Marine Fisheries Service Greater Atlantic Regional Fisheries Office (GARFO). More information
November 27, 2018: Energy & Infrastructure – Planning Areas
Added New York Draft Wind Energy Areas and Massachusetts Final Sale Notice Areas. More information
November 16, 2018: Commercial Fishing – Fishery Management Areas
Added NEFMC Clam Dredge Framework Alternatives and Habitat Management Areas. More information
November 8, 2018: Marine Transportation – Commercial Traffic
Added 2017 AIS data on transit counts for eight vessel categories: All, Cargo, Passenger, Tug-Tow, Fishing, Tanker, Pleasure Craft-Sailing Vessel, and Other. More information | Metadata
November 6, 2018: Administrative Boundaries
Added U.S. Coast Guard Districts (metadata) and U.S. Army Corps of Engineers Regulatory Boundary (metadata).
November 6, 2018: Aquaculture
Updated datasets for Maine and Rhode Island
August 8, 2018: Marine Life (Mammals, Birds, Fish)
The original Version 1 marine life data products from the Marine-life Data and Analysis Team (MDAT) were released in 2016 in conjunction with the Northeast Ocean Plan. The Version 2 MDAT products released August 8, 2018, include extensive updates and other changes. Broadly, the changes include:
- updates to Individual Species products for mammals and birds, reflecting new and recent marine life observations such as from the NOAA Atlantic Marine Assessment Program for Protected Species (AMAPPS);
- new Individual Species products for seven bird species that were not previously included;
- a new Individual Species product for a cetacean species (Cuvier’s beaked whale) that was previously only modeled as part of a guild;
- new Species Group products for fish showing the distribution of some species (Stressor Groups) that are particularly vulnerable to climate change stressors; and
- updates to all other Species Group products (such as Total Abundance, Total Biomass, and Species Richness products for Ecological Groups, Species of Concern Groups, and Stressor Groups) for mammals, birds, and fish using refined calculation methods.
For more information: MDAT Technical Report • MDAT Cetacean Product Updates Summary of Changes • MDAT Avian Product Updates Summary of Changes • MDAT Fish Product Updates Summary of Changes
July 12, 2018: Vessel Traffic (AIS)
Added annual vessel traffic data for 2015 and 2016 with data on transit counts as well as density, revised vessel categories, and added monthly data for some years and vessel categories. More information
May 24, 2018: Commercial Fishing
Under Draft Alternative Management Areas, added Coral Amendment – Final Council Preferred Alternatives (pending NMFS approval, rulemaking) and removed previous Draft Alternative Management Areas.
May 24, 2018: Administrative Boundaries
Added Federal Consistency Geographic Location Descriptions.
May 16, 2018: Eelgrass
Updated the regional eelgrass map with state datasets updated since 2014. More information
May 3, 2018: Energy and Infrastructure
Added the New York Bight Call for Information and Nominations Areas (BOEM) to the Planning Areas subtheme of the Energy and Infrastructure theme. More information
May 1, 2018: Energy and Infrastructure
Added the Massachusetts Proposed Sale Notice Areas (BOEM) to the Planning Areas subtheme of the Energy and Infrastructure theme. More information
April 30, 2018: Commercial Fishing
Updated commercial fishing vessel activity datasets with two more years of data (through 2016) and organized the datasets according to fishery management plans developed by the New England Fishery Management Council and the Mid-Atlantic Fishery Management Council. More information
April 13, 2018: Energy and Infrastructure
Added two map layers associated with the 2019-2024 National OCS Oil and Gas Leasing Draft Proposed Program: 2019-2014 Oil and Gas Draft Proposed Program Areas and 2019-2024 Draft Proposed Program Exclusion Option Areas.
April 13, 2018: Administrative Boundaries
Added the 12NM Territorial Sea.
February 5, 2018: Energy and Infrastructure
Updated information about energy development projects: Atlantic Link, Maine Aqua Ventus, a marine hydrokinetic energy testing site at the Cape Cod Canal, and offshore energy planning areas. More information
January 9, 2018: Commercial Fishing
Under Draft Proposed Management Areas, added revised Option 7 broad zone under consideration by the New England Fishery Management Council (NEFMC) for the Deep-Sea Coral Amendment. More information
November 29, 2017: Recreation
Added South Shore Blueway, Long Island (Water Trails). Added new Boat Launch data for Connecticut, Massachusetts, New York, and Rhode Island. Added more features to Other Parks and Reserves. More information
November 20, 2017: Energy and Infrastructure
Added New York’s Area for Consideration for offshore wind energy development. More information
September 1, 2017: Commercial Fishing
Updated lobster management areas and scallop rotational areas. More information
August 16, 2017: Ocean Observing Buoys and Stations
Updated by adding and removing buoys, indicating buoy status as active or inactive, and adding URL for accessing buoy data. More information
May 18, 2017: Commercial Fishing
Added new draft alternatives for deep-sea coral management areas. More information
April 12, 2017: Marine Life – Fish
Added data on fish distribution and biomass in Long Island Sound. More information
March 29, 2017: Commercial Fishing
Added draft alternatives for deep-sea coral management areas. More information
October 19, 2016: Marine Life
Added data for groups of fish, marine mammals, and birds, including biological groups, species of concern, ecological groups, and groups of species with similar sensitivity to specific stressors. More information
July 19, 2016: Bathymetry
Added 25 new datasets covering areas of Long Island Sound, New York Harbor and vicinity, and southern and midcoast Maine. More information
May 25, 2016: Marine Life
Added data on distribution and abundance or biomass of 29 marine mammal species and species guilds, 40 bird species, and 82 fish species. More information
May 25, 2016: National Security
Added offshore military ranges, operational areas, equipment testing areas, and additional data showing the Department of Defense presence and footprint in the region. More information
May 25, 2016: Demography and Economy
Added data on human population, housing, employment, gross domestic product (GDP), tourism, marinas, seafood processing facilities, commercial fishery landings, and port cargo volumes. More information
March 17, 2016: Restoration
Added potential restoration projects focused on watershed and water quality improvement. More information
March 17, 2016: Physical and Biological Habitat
Added physical habitat data: seabed forms, estimated sediment grain size, surficial sediment (with data quality index), surface and bottom currents, surface and bottom temperature, and water column stratification. Added biological habitat data: eelgrass beds, wetlands, shellfish beds, and cold-water corals. More information
December 8, 2015: Commercial Fishing
Updated commercial fishing vessel activity. Added fishery management areas. More information
November 6, 2015: Recreation
Added commercial whale watching areas, SCUBA diving locations, long-distance sailing race routes, and other individual recreational activities. More information
November 6, 2015: Marine Transportation
Added 2013 data on commercial vessel traffic including: all vessels, cargo vessels, passenger vessels, tanker vessels, and tow-and-two vessels. More information
July 16, 2015: Aquaculture
Updated aquaculture data.
March 26, 2015: Eelgrass
Added data on eelgrass coverage and past eelgrass surveys. More information
March 11, 2015: Energy and Infrastructure
Updated renewable energy planning areas to reflect lease sale of portions of Massachusetts Wind Energy Area. More information
February 27, 2015: Bathymetry
Added bathymetry dataset covering areas around New York and New Jersey. More information
January 15, 2015: Bathymetry
Added planned hydrographic surveys. Added new data product with bathymetry contours for area southward of Rhode Island and Cape Cod. More information
December 16, 2014: Culture
Added historically and culturally significant sites within ten kilometers of the coastline in Maine, Massachusetts, Rhode Island, and New York. More information
October 16, 2014: Bathymetry
Added data from more than 100 multibeam sonar surveys. More information
September 26, 2014: Water Quality
Added water bodies for which a Total Maximum Daily Load (TMDL) has been established. More information
September 24, 2014: Habitat
Added predicted habitat for deep-sea corals. More information
September 15, 2014: Water Quality
Added beaches designated under the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) Beach Advisory and Closing Online Notification system (BEACON). More information
August 27, 2014: Culture
Added administrative boundaries of the National Park System, including historic sites, memorials, monuments, and other features. More information