Layer Name:		Bottomfish Restricted Fishing Areas

File Name:		BRFA100407.shp

Layer Type:	      	Polygon

Date:			October 4, 2007

Status:			This file delimiting the geographic boundaries of
			Hawaii Bottomfish Restricted Fishing Areas (BRFAs:
			Effective September 22, 2007) is a subset of
			a more comprehensive file (AMA_2007.shp),
			containing all Hawaii's Aquatic Managed Areas
			(marine and freshwater).  It includes only BRFAs,
			a type of Fisheries Management Area (FMA) regulated
			under Hawaii Administrative Rules (HAR) Chapter 13-94
			of the Department of Land & Natural Resource's
			Division of Aquatic Resources (DLNR-DAR).

Geog. Extent:		Main Hawaiian Islands (rectangle encompassing the
			region from Ka'ula Rock to the Island of Hawaii)

Projection:	      	Universal Transverse Mercator (UTM)

Datum:			North American Datum 1983 (Zone 4), Meters

Description:		Geographic boundaries of the twelve Bottomfishing
			Restricted Fishing Areas in the Main Hawaiian
			Islands (MHI = 8 southeasternmost Hawaiian Islands
			including Kauai, Ni'ihau and Ka'ula Rock.
		
Source:			Digital GIS coverage provided by DLNR-DAR to Garmin
			International and available on the State of Hawaii
			GIS Website (www.hawaii.gov/dbedt/gis)

History:		Areas selected by intersecting surveyed and compiled
			100-400 meter depth contours (derived from NOAA point
			soundings) with areas containing habitat features
			preferred by bottomfish species (deep slope snappers,
			carangids and groupers). Surveys by C. Kelly et al.
			(2006) under contract to DLNR-DAR.  Final areas
			selected revised with public input and based on
			assessment of commercial fisheries data from
			the DLNR-DAR. Layer created by M.K. Lowe (2007).

Attributes:		Polygons:

	FID		Polygon Feature. Internal Arc/Info sequential polygon number
			for the coverage.

	SHAPE		Polygon Geometry (used by software).

	AREA		Area of the polygon (square meters)

	PERIMETER	Length of the perimeter of the polygon (meters)

	BRFA_Let	Areas are lettered A through M (there is no letter I)
			in a northwest-to-southeasterly direction

	MGMTTYPE	This is always "BRFA" for this subset.  The attribute is
			a relic from the parent coverage AMA_2007.shp, which
			contains various management types under the broader
			category FMA.

	TYPE		Either "Navigation" (portions within the broad
			parallels/meridians delimiting each BRFA, but not
			in the depth range preferred by bottomfish) or
			"Effective" (portions both within the BRFA navigation
			lines and containg depths bottomfish frequent, therefore
			closed to bottomfishing)

	OPN_CLS		Specifically whether the area is open or closed
			(this and previous item for labelling purposes)

	LOCATION	Whether polygon represents an "Inshore" or
			"Offshore" area (for symbology)

	Dist_nmi	Minimum nautical miles from shore of closure boundary
			(variable according to inshore bathymetry)

	COMMENTS	Descriptive information, landmarks

	ISLAND		Primary land mass (one of the eight MHI)

	NAME:		BRFA name



NOTE:  For more information, please visit the following website:

http://www.hawaii.gov/dlnr/dar/bottomfishing.htm



Contact:		M. Kimberly Lowe
			State of Hawaii
			Department of Land & Natural Resources
			Division of Aquatic Resources
			1151 Punchbowl St., Rm 330, Honolulu, HI  96813
			telephone:	(808) 587-0114.
			email:		Kimberly.Lowe@hawaii.gov