Stories from the Bay |
By: Quinn Whitesall, Habitat Restoration Technician, American Littoral Society Wednesday, September 7th was off to a bit of a rough start. The docks at Smokey's Marina were rocking and rolling as the waves crashed on the boat ramp, leftover effects of Hermine. The DelBay Restoration team came to a quick decision that it would be best to use a different boat ramp for the day. Although it put quite a delay in our start time, launching from Matt's Landing was quite a bit easier than tackling the ramp at Smokey's. Although the water was calm down the winding Maurice River, the team was met with white caps and rolling waves as the River met the Bay. After a slow, rocking ride to the reef, traps were dropped about an hour before high tide. While the traps soaked, the team took cover in a nearby creek where the water was calm. Due to fear of low water at the boat ramp, the team had to pull the traps early and alas, only a few Atlantic blue claw crabs were recovered.
The team was greeted with calm water and the infamous double-crested cormorants at Smokey's Marina the following day. It was smooth sailing for the DelBay team as they made their way out to the reef and the remaining four traps were pulled with ease. Several feisty Atlantic blue claw crabs were retrieved from the traps, including a few juveniles and one soft shell. A lonely silver perch was identified on the outer reef block that day. As the season starts to change, we hope for a more diverse set of fish.
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By: Quinn Whitesall, Habitat Restoration Technician, American Littoral Society On Friday of Labor Day Weekend, I ventured down to the Bay to capture before photos of the restored beaches prior to Hermine. At that time, the path of Hermine was unsure and hitting the Delaware Bay was a possibility. Thankfully, the Delaware Bay area was safe as the storm took a turn out to sea and only left us with an ocean-like surf and some gusty winds. The following Tuesday, I visited those same beaches to see any possible “after” effects. Although the wind was whipping and the waves were surging, our beaches looked practically untouched. South Reeds: Post-Hermine, the beach appears to have some cutouts in the sand, but not much in the way of erosion. There was a build up of sand in front of the bulkhead near the beach entrance. The waves at Reeds were very violent with about 1.5-2ft waves surging the length of the beach, except in front of the reef. It is rare that we get to witness these kinds of conditions at the reef (although we have a wave attenuator that tracks this data), but the waves were actually a bit calmer in front of the reef and only reached about a foot in height. Due to extra high water, I was unable to explore the conditions of the reef post-Hermine. A reef update will be posted shorlty. Cooks: Post-Hermine, the water was extremely high even though I was there about 2 hours prior to high tide. The only damage present was in the front of the parking area, the berm had been completely washed over. Kimbles: No evidence of erosion post-Hermine, just a very high and thick wrack line. Although I was there 2 hours prior to high tide, the water level was very high and had almost completely washed over the southern end of the beach. The berm in front of the parking area was fully intact and looked untouched. Moores: There were no signs of erosion as a result of Hermine. The beach and parking area did not suffer any damage. Due to the extreme tide, I was unable to take any pictures of our newest reef post-Hermine. But prior to the storm, the reef seemed to be holding up well with a lot of sediment accruing around each reef block, creating small lagoons where we often find juvenile fish. An update on the condtion of the reefs post-Hermine will be posted shortly.
By: Captain Al Modjeski, Habitat Restoration Director, American Littoral Society On Tuesday and Wednesday of this week, the Society’s Delaware Bay Restoration Team began trapping for fish on Veteran’s Reef located slightly offshore S. Reeds Beach. As one of the crew said as we headed out from Smokey’s Marina, “ the bay looks like one of the Windows 98 Screensavers. It is so beautiful”. And it truly was a beautiful site. The heat wave had finally passed for the moment, the seas were gentle, and there was enough of a breeze to keep the greenheads partially at bay. Bug spray was still a welcome commodity. Our 19 foot skiff, the R/V Great Auk, was recently de-winterized and was handling beautifully in the semi-glass conditions. We were able to position ourselves over the reef easily as we deployed 9 fish traps on and off the reef site. Besides myself, Shane our Habitat Restoration Coordinator, and Quinn, our Habitat Restoration Technician; we had a new crew member named Jack. Jack is going to be a senior at the Marine Academy of Science and Technology located on Sandy Hook and is working with Capt. Al and others on his senior project about reef biodiversity. He will be a familiar face at many of the sampling events in Delaware Bay and is learning a lot from all of our project team about ecological relationships between bay communities. Once the traps were set, we had about 4 hours before we could retrieve the inshore traps. We leave the offshore traps set for 24 hours but pull the inshore traps since that reef segment will be exposed during low tide. This gave us time to try a new sampling method and to determine if we include it in future sampling efforts. Tides were at 7’ so we had an idea and opportunity to try. We had borrowed a 16’ otter trawl from our Fish Tagging Program and were curious if we could successfully deploy the gear and catch fish at a control site and then between the reef. I also wanted to figure out a good tow speed. Though we did not catch anything during the first tow, we lengthened our tow lines and increased our speed for the next tow. It was good to know that two people could deploy and retrieve the net easily. As the cod end of the net neared the side of the boat during our second tow, we could feel that it had a little weight and movement to it. As we released the cod end, out fell some small striped bass, a few peanut bunker (menhaden), some blue crabs, Atlantic silversides, and bay anchovy. This tow allowed us to figure out a good towing speed and also proved that we could incorporate this method into our sampling program when able. I was curious if we would catch more than 5 different species between the reefs but would not find out this go around. Shane reminded us that there were still racks in-between the reefs and that they would need to be removed before we could attempt a reef tow. Luckily, they should be removed by the next sampling event so stay tuned to see if there is a difference in species abundance between the reef and the control site. As we neared the time to retrieve our traps, we took a quick trip through the adjacent salt marsh along Bidwells Creek and saw terrapins, a bald eagle, numerous egrets and noisy willets, and a few great blue herons. We also saw common and royal terns on the open water as we headed back to the traps. We got mostly blue crab in our traps that soaked for 4 hours. In our traps soaked for 24 hours we caught blue crabs and one silver perch. I am still curious on what we may get if we decide to trawl there.
"Our work on the bayshore is not just about wildlife, it’s about people, and how keeping nature strong keeps us all strong in the face of disasters like hurricanes." We want to ensure that New Jersey's Hidden Coast remains a vital part of our livelihood for generations to come. This is the final episode to our video series, "New Jersey's Hidden Coast." Catch a glimpse of the Bay, the horseshoe crab at the center of the bay's system, and the incredible relationship between horseshoe crabs and migratory birds, like the red knot. We reveal the real value of horseshoe crabs, the challenges to the ecosystem, and the potential for thriving regional economy along the Bayshore. We will show Hurricane Sandy as a catalyst for decisive action and the work being done to rebuild the area for both people and wildlife. Catch up on the previous episodes, here on our blog or on YouTube. Explore the use of "living shorelines" instead of bulkheads and the importance of marshes to the marine ecosystem. Discover the on-the-ground, grassroots efforts of the community to build oyster reeds alongside veterans. And examine the future of the Bay and the work that needs to be done to preserve our conservation successes year after year. Like all ecosystems, Delaware Bay is amazingly complex, and there’s no one way to fix it. Between climate change, sea level rise, and the growing risk of major storms, there’s a lot to consider.
We've learned that restoring healthy marsh habitat is a key component in rebuilding Delaware Bay beaches; however, we’re also trying to further strengthen bayshore beaches by building reefs – living underwater infrastructure. By creating some reef structures we can keep the sand where we’re putting it. Learn more about strengthening New Jersey's Hidden Coast - the Delaware Bayshore in our fifth episode to our series. A new episode of our video series “New Jersey’s Hidden Coast” will air every two weeks throughout the summer! Catch a glimpse of the bay, the horseshoe crab at the center of the bay’s system, and the incredible relationship between horseshoe crabs and migratory birds, like the red knot. We will reveal the real value of horseshoe crabs, the challenges to the ecosystem, and the potential for a thriving regional economy along the Bayshore. We will show Hurricane Sandy as a catalyst for decisive action and the work being done to rebuild the area for both people and wildlife. Over the next several weeks, we will explore the use of “living shorelines” instead of bulkheads and the central importance of marshes to the marine ecosystem. We will discover the on-the-ground, grassroots efforts of the community to build oyster reefs alongside veterans. And we will examine the future of the Bay and the work that needs to be done to preserve our conservation successes thus far. Periodic storms are an unavoidable fact of life when you live along the coast. In rebuilding after Hurricane Sandy, we realized we needed a new way of thinking about beach restoration on New Jersey's Hidden Coast - the Delaware Bayshore. Storms like Sandy and Katrina have shown us that the most effective way to control storm surge is to follow Mother Nature’s lead. The restoration of tidal wetlands, or marshes, will help absorb the brunt of coastal storms, acting as a buffer between the beaches and the mainland.
Learn more about marsh restoration - one of the key components to rebuilding coastal beaches - in the fourth episode of our video series. A new episode of our video series "New Jersey's Hidden Coast" will air every two weeks throughout the summer! Catch a glimpse of the bay, the horseshoe crab at the center of the bay's system, and the incredible relationship between horseshoe crabs and migratory birds, like the red knot. We will reveal the real value of horseshoe crabs, the challenges to the ecosystem, and the potential for a thriving regional economy along the Bayshore. We will show Hurricane Sandy as a catalyst for decisive action and the work being done to rebuild the area for both people and wildlife. Over the next several weeks, we will explore the use of "living shorelines" instead of bulkheads and the central importance of marshes to the marine ecosystem. We will discover the on-the-ground, grassroots efforts of the community to build oyster reefs alongside veterans. And we will examine the future of the Bay and the work that needs to be done to preserve our conservation successes thus far. By: Zach Nickerson, Education Outreach Coordinator, American Littoral Society On June 27th we brought two groups of kids, from Cumberland County College Summer Academy for Kids and from Children’s Country Place in Seaville, to the oyster reef at Reeds Beach in order to learn about our habitat restoration projects. In the morning, during low tide when the reef was visible, about 20 students from Summer Academy for Kids came down to do some biological sampling of the reef to see what creatures are living in it. We were able to identify mud dog whelks, striped anemones, black fingered crabs, red line worms, arthropods, bryozoan, mussels, and of course oysters. Then we went on a beachcombing walk to see what else we could find and to talk about beach erosion, the beach replenishment that the Littoral Society had done there in the past, and how we hoped that the reef would protect from future erosion. Finally, we used the seine nets to catch silversides, mummichogs, blue claw crabs, and even a few horseshoe crabs. Later on in the afternoon, closer to high tide, 25 kids from Children’s Country Place came to learn about the horseshoe crabs. We found a live horseshoe crab and talked about its anatomy and its relationship to migratory shorebirds and humans. After another beachcombing walk to talk about the Littoral Society’s work with these amazing arthropods, the older kids broke off to practice our horseshoe crab surveying technique while the younger kids dug in the sand to try and find their eggs. Not only did they successfully find eggs, but we were able to look through the magnifying glass and see the tiny baby crabs growing inside! At 8:00 PM on October 29th, 2012, Hurricane Sandy made landfall in Brigantine, New Jersey, only about 30 miles from New Jersey’s Hidden Coast – the Delaware Bayshore. The storm was devastating for the people of the area, many of whom lost their homes and livelihoods. It was equally hard on the area’s wildlife, bringing many species, including the famous horseshoe crab and red knot, perilously close to extinction.
What happened? Watch the story unfold in the third episode of our video series. A new episode of our video series “New Jersey’s Hidden Coast” will air every two weeks throughout the summer! Catch a glimpse of the bay, the horseshoe crab at the center of the bay’s system, and the incredible relationship between horseshoe crabs and migratory birds, like the red knot. We will reveal the real value of horseshoe crabs, the challenges to the ecosystem, and the potential for a thriving regional economy along the Bayshore. We will show Hurricane Sandy as a catalyst for decisive action and the work being done to rebuild the area for both people and wildlife. Over the next several weeks, we will explore the use of “living shorelines” instead of bulkheads and the central importance of marshes to the marine ecosystem. We will discover the on-the-ground, grassroots efforts of the community to build oyster reefs alongside veterans. And we will examine the future of the Bay and the work that needs to be done to preserve our conservation successes thus far. By: Zach Nickerson, Education Outreach Coordinator, American Littoral Society I recently had the pleasure of piloting a brand new outreach program down here in the Delaware Bay region. Through a partnership with Pinelands Nursery, we are growing marsh grass (Spartina alterniflora) in local classrooms. After the grass is fully grown, the plan is to transplant it to our marsh restoration site at Thompsons Beach once that project is underway. The first group to participate was an environmental club at Kingsway Middle School. I originally talked to them back in December about all the restoration work we do, and floated the spartina idea to them. The teacher, Mrs. Gillespie, and the students were all very enthusiastic about the idea. We brainstormed ideas for what a small salt marsh “terrarium” might look like and what they would need to keep the grass alive and growing. The next week I met with Steve Knezick up at Pinelands Nursery who gave me a tour of their facilities, including how they harvest the Spartina and send it through a mesh screen to separate out the seeds. He offered to donate seeds, soil, and planters for us to use, and may be joining me in the future to see how the program is progressing. On February 18th I met with the Kingsway environmental club again with supplies in hand to try the program for the first time. I reminded them about the plan to use the grass to restore a former salt hay farm at Thompsons Beach in Maurice River Township to the proper elevation for a functioning salt marsh ecosystem, providing habitat for birds and other wildlife and greater protection from storm surges for the town behind the marsh. Then we got to the fun part of getting our hands dirty. Each student had a chance to fill up some of the planter flat with peat, seeds, and water. We discussed where might be the best place to keep them and how much water they would need, although I had to admit that, since this was the first time we were doing this program, I really had no idea how it might turn out! They promised to take pictures and write about their progress and send me regular updates. The following Tuesday I met with a younger group of students from Mrs. Czyzewski’s environmental club at Wildwood Crest Elementary School. After talking with them about the Littoral Society’s restoration and monitoring work we took out the flats, soil, and seeds and got to work. The kids seemed to have a lot of fun making a big mess for science! After all, what 3rd grader doesn’t love playing with dirt?
Now that school is winding down for the summer, I’ve been picking up the flats and it seems to be a bit of a mixed bag. Some of the classes only had a few wispy strands growing, and others had at least a few clumps of tall grass that seemed to be thriving. I have also been growing some spartina at home with the hope of using it to create a salt marsh terrarium to use in future presentations, and that is growing very well. I discussed some hypotheses with the teachers about what the key differences might have been, and I think the most likely culprit is differences in sun exposure and periodic drying out, which might simulate low tide conditions – mine at home is kept outside most of the time, which means more sun and open air exposure compared to the classroom spartina which was kept inside. Next year, we’ll make a few changes based on these hypotheses and see if we can get some better growth.
Horseshoe crabs may be one of the most unusual animals in the world, but they’re also one of the most extraordinary. They’ve been around for hundreds of millions of years, and we’re only now starting to understand just how important they are – not just to the natural world, but also to the world of medicine. Discover the real value of horseshoe crabs, found throughout New Jersey's Hidden Coast – the Delaware Bayshore.
A new episode of our video series "New Jersey's Hidden Coast" will air every two weeks throughout the summer! Catch a glimpse of the bay, the horseshoe crab at the center of the bay's system, and the incredible relationship between horseshoe crabs and migratory birds, like the red knot. We will reveal the real value of horseshoe crabs, the challenges to the ecosystem, and the potential for a thriving regional economy along the Bayshore. We will show Hurricane Sandy as a catalyst for decisive action and the work being done to rebuild the area for both people and wildlife. Over the next several weeks, we will explore the use of "living shorelines" instead of bulkheads and the central importance of marshes to the marine ecosystem. We will discover the on-the-ground, grassroots efforts of the community to build oyster reefs alongside veterans. And we will examine the future of the Bay and the work that needs to be done to preserve our conservation successes thus far. |
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