 What’s swimming in Raritan Bay and Sandy Hook Bay? It turns out quite a bit. On a beautiful Saturday, June 4, from 10am to 3:30pm, members of the all-volunteer Bayshore Regional Watershed Council conducted the sixth annual late spring “Seine the Bay Day.” The goal was to discover what fish, crabs and other aquatic creatures live along the edge of Raritan Bay and Sandy Hook Bay, the southern shore of New York Harbor. Surveys were conducted at four locations: Cliffwood Beach in Aberdeen Township, Conaskonck Point in Union Beach, near the mouth of Pews Creek in Port Monmouth, and near the mouth of Many Mind Creek in Atlantic Highlands. As in years past, a 50-foot-long seine net, a horizontal nylon net with buoys on top and weights on the bottom, was dragged through shallow waters and pulled towards the shore. All aquatic creatures were identified, cataloged, and returned to the estuary. By seining the shore, watershed members were able to show how local waters are an important nursery. Many of the critters found included young-of-year (YOY) fish - juvenile fish that have hatched out of eggs this past spring. Schools of young herring were found in abundance at Cliffwood Beach, Port Monmouth, and Atlantic Highlands. The herring hatched out of eggs in freshwater portions of the estuary several weeks ago, and are now swimming towards saltier waters with the start of warm weather. Over 20 juvenile winter flounder, a flatfish, were also found at Atlantic Highlands. They averaged in size between two to three inches long. Their high density near the mouth of Many Mind Creek suggests the sandy shoreline is a nursery. As populations of winter flounder continue to decline in the Northeast, it’s important to detect these areas. Other signs of new life included pregnant silversides or spearing, and clusters of snail eggs at all four sites. Exposed Horseshoe crabs were also found in wet sand at Cliffwood Beach. The most unique discovery of the day, however, was hauling in an adult seahorse at Port Monmouth. Yes, they really do exist in Sandy Hook Bay. The Northern lined seahorse is our native species. They often can be found clinging to sea grasses, pilings, or other floating objects in shallow waters foraging for tiny shellfish. Sadly, due to the loss of many sea grass beds, seahorse populations are lower around Sandy Hook Bay than in decades past. In addition to seining, volunteers surveyed the water for salinity, turbidity, and water temperature. Salinity readings were about 23 parts per thousand and water temperature averaged in the low to mid 70s F. Turbidity tests showed the water to be quite murky, especially at Atlantic Highlands, where volunteers could not even see their toes in less than one foot of water. No doubt, seining is a great way to gain an insight into the health of the near-shore environment where many people swim and enjoy the water. It provides a snap shot at what dwells along the edge of Sandy Hook Bay and Raritan Bay. Results are below:
Seine the Bay Day Raritan Bay & Sandy Hook Bay Saturday, June 2, 2016 10:00am to 3:30pm Weather: Partly Sunny, light winds, air temperatures in the upper 70s. 10:00am to 11:00am Outgoing tide Cliffwood Beach, Aberdeen Township Mouth of Whale Creek Water temperature = 71 F Salinity = 21ppt Turbidity = 1 foot +/- 1,000 Mud Snails 100+/- Spearing or Atlantic Silversides, including pregnant females 50+ juvenile herring (species undetermined) Lots of snail eggs attached to sea lettuce dozens of soft-shell clams exposed at low tide Horseshoe Crab eggs exposed at low tide 12 + Horseshoe crabs 1 male killifish 1 juvenile Yellow Perch 11:30am to 12:30pm Outgoing tide Conaskonk Point, Union Beach Water temperature = 71 F Salinity = 21ppt Turbidity = 1.5 foot +/- Lots of Snail eggs attached to sea lettuce 300+ Spearing or Atlantic Silversides including pregnant females 100+ Hermit Crabs 100+ Mud snails 50+ Comb jellies 30+ Shore shrimp 3 adult lady crabs 1 Pipefish 1 Red Beard Sponge 1:00pm to 2:00pm Low tide Port Monmouth, Middletown Township Near the mouth of Pews Creek Water temperature = 75 F Salinity = 24ppt Turbidity = 2.5 feet +/- Lots of snail eggs attached to sea lettuce 500+ juvenile herring (species undetermined) 100+ Spearing or Atlantic Silversides including pregnant females 100+ Comb jellies 50+ Bay Anchovies 20+ Salps 25+ Hermit Crabs 20+ Shore shrimp 1 adult Northern Lined Seahorse 1 juvenile Winter Flounder 2:30pm to 3:30pm Incoming tide Atlantic Highlands Near the mouth of Many Mind Creek Water temperature = 75 F Salinity = 24ppt Turbidity = zero Lots of snail eggs attached to sea lettuce 300+ juvenile herring (species undetermined) 100+ Bay Anchovies 25+ Shore Shrimp 20 juvenile winter flounder 4 Lady Crabs 1 Pipefish 1 juvenile Blue-claw crab 1 isopod
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STOP THE WILLIAMS FRACKED GAS PIPELINE THROUGH NY HARBOR! MY TOP 5 FAVORITE BOOKS ABOUT NY HARBOR 1. Field Guide to the Neighborhood Birds of New York City by Leslie Day 2.Heartbeats in the Muck by John Waldman 3. The Fisheries of Raritan Bay by Clyde L. MacKenzie Jr. 4. Waterfront: A Walk Around Manhattan by Phillip Lopate 5. The Bottom of the Harbor by Joseph Mitchell 
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