The historic Fort Hancock area of Sandy Hook transformed into a “coastal awareness” wonderland on Sunday (May 20th) to commemorate the 15th anniversary of Ocean Fun Days. The New Jersey Sea Grant Consortium hosted over 35 exhibitors and displays, as well as several engaging tours and workshops. Take a look!
Did YOU attend Ocean Fun Days this year? If so, we’d love to hear your thoughts! If interested, please take part in the 2018 Ocean Fun Days survey.
Despite rather unpredictable weather conditions, hundreds of enthusiastic visitors descended upon the New Jersey Sea Grant Consortium parade grounds to learn more about marine science, energy conservation, and a diverse array of eco-friendly concerns. Such outgoing optimism even inspired the sun to shine bright throughout the entire event, making for a full afternoon of family fun and unforgettable memories at the Jersey Shore.
To mark such a monumental year, several new activities were offered, including an interactive Rip Currents vs. Sharks trivia game and participatory paddleboarding/kayaking demos. Parts of the NOAA Fisheries Service James J. Howard Lab were open to the public, and tour guides aboard the “History Bus” provided interesting facts and information while transporting attendees to various WWI and WWII sites throughout the Gateway National Park. For the full Ocean Fun Days 2018 program, please go here.
Ocean Fun Days also took place at Island Beach State Park in Seaside Park, NJ on Saturday (May 19th).
Ocean Fun Days is presented by founding sponsor New Jersey Natural Gas, in partnership with New Jersey Sea Grant Consortium, Asbury Park Press, New Jersey Department of Environmental Protection, New Jersey Division of Parks and Forestry, National Park Service, and National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration.
The New Jersey Sea Grant Consortium is looking forward to hosting another eventful Ocean Fun Days in 2019!
This year’s highly-anticipated Ocean Fun Days will be held on Saturday, May 19th at Island Beach State Park in Seaside Park and Sunday, May 20th at New Jersey Sea Grant Consortium’s (NJSGC) headquarters in the historic Fort Hancock section of Sandy Hook. Both events take place rain or shine from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. As always, admission and parking are free to all attendees.
View the official 2018 Ocean Fun Days brochure here!
Ocean Fun Days is a weekend of eco-friendly fun the whole family can enjoy. Many popular exhibitors are scheduled to return in 2018, along with new additions. They’ll offer a diverse array of educational displays, nature tours, and interactive programs focused on coastal stewardship and energy conservation. Activities at both locations include seining, coastal crafts, an energy scavenger hunt, youth fishing clinic, face painting, touch tanks, games and exciting giveaways.
New this year at Island Beach State Park, volunteer to help plant dune grass and keep the park clean by collecting marine debris and learning about our oceans’ plastic pollution problem with park staff. Register on-site for workshops including kayak and surfing demonstrations, seining the bay, and shorebird watching.
On Sandy Hook, be sure to see NJSGC’s famous fiddler crab races and take part in Dr. Amy Williams’ thrilling Rip Currents vs. Sharks trivia game to learn about ocean hazards and beach safety. Meet author Don Walsh as he reads from his book “Teach the Beach” and don’t miss Kevin Murray, from Sandy Hook’s Kayak and Sup Rentals on the parade ground as he shares useful tips about paddleboarding and kayaking on the bay. As always, the NOAA Fisheries Service James J. Howard Lab will be open to the public as will historical WWI and WWII sites throughout the park including Battery Gunnison and History House. New this year at Sandy Hook there will also be boats and historic military vehicles on display. Complimentary shuttle bus service is provided from 11 a.m. to 3p.m. to take visitors to all tour sites.
Ocean Fun Days is presented by founding sponsor New Jersey Natural Gas, in partnership with New Jersey Sea Grant Consortium, Asbury Park Press, New Jersey Department of Environmental Protection, New Jersey Division of Parks and Forestry, National Park Service and the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration. Please visit NJSGC’s official OFD webpage for more information.
This one word synthesizes our essence. The dictionary states that energy is the strength and vitality required for sustained physical and mental activity. For the New Jersey Sea Grant Consortium, energy turns the idea of who we are into the reality of who we are. The idea, as expressed in our mission statement, is to promote the wise use of New Jersey’s marine and coastal resources through research, education and outreach. ambitious? Yes. Challenging? Yes. achievable? You bet.
Without energy, our mission is no more than an empty proclamation about humankind’s relationship with the sea. With energy, our dreams become tangible. The astounding energy of our scientists unravels the hidden power of dunes, explores the mystery of climate change on summer flounder, and discovers how to optimize fishing regulations. the boundless energy of our education staff opens the minds of 20,000 school children, nurtures college students to take up a career in marine science, and sponsors Ocean Fun Days that unite a State. The focused energy of our extension staff works with communities on addressing coastal concerns, commercial fisheries, and water quality. All of our energy is for you. As we’ve mentioned so many times in these pages, Superstorm Sandy was a stark call from Mother Nature to pay her some mind. others can debate why our world is changing; our role is figuring out how to cope with the new order. All of us reside in a coastal environment. For this reason, the work we do benefits all.
Let our energy inspire you toward action. Read about the changed landscape. Learn. Talk to your family, your neighbors. Celebrate our maritime heritage. Make a field trip to our headquarters on Sandy Hook. our staff will truly move you. Once you are moved to action, join our crusade. We are here fighting for your present, and assuring a safe, healthy and energized future.
On behalf of the New Jersey Sea Grant Consortium, its members, its stakeholders, its trustees, and our valued staff, I am honored to present this annual report.
New Jersey has a well-established hard clam (Mercenaria mercenaria) aquaculture industry originating in the 1970s. Extensive aquaculture of the eastern oyster, Crassostrea virginica involving bottom planting of shell and wild stocks dates back to the 1800s, but this practice was largely abandoned due to the onset of oyster disease in the late 1950s and presently accounts for only a small percentage of New Jersey’s oyster harvests. Since 1997, oyster culture based on the planting of disease resistant hatchery-reared seed has steadily increased with farms developing in the Delaware Bay and Atlantic coastal bays. In 2012, the Haskin Shellfish Research Laboratory, Rutgers University and New Jersey Sea Grant Consortium began an annual survey program aimed at capturing the status and trends associated with shellfish aquaculture in New Jersey. The survey is modeled after a successful program conducted by the Virginia Institute of Marine Science. This report represents the fifth survey year.
Nor’easters and snowfalls and windy ice storms– oh my! But over the past few blustry months, the New Jersey Sea Grant Consortium (NJSGC) kept things moving and grooving.
In this edition of the COASTodian, delve into NJSGC’s latest batch of research projects, discover underwater exploration with student-made ROV’s, tour Monmouth County’s “Tracking Sandy” exhibit, and learn more about upcoming events and various summer programs. We’ve also dedicated a section on how you can voice your support of the Sea Grant program by contacting your elected representatives.
NJSGC strives to inform the public about coastal and environmental concerns in new and exciting ways – please take a look!
Please accept our sincerest appreciation for your past support of Sea Grant and New Jersey Sea Grant Consortium. Last year, you reached out and told your elected officials how important Sea Grant is to you, our state, and the nation. You were most definitely heard. Congress soundly rejected the Administration’s proposal to eliminate all Sea Grant programs. This allowed us to continue to work with you on so many crucial issues including stormwater management, coastal resilience, supporting the shore tourism and boating industries, and providing environmental and STEM educational experiences for children, college students, and the public.
The Administration recently released its FY 2019 budget blueprint. Once again, it proposes the termination of the entire Sea Grant program and so, once again, we must ask for your help.
Please reach out to your elected officials as soon as possible to ask for their renewed support of the Sea Grant program. When you write or call your elected representatives, it is important to thank them for their past support and remind them why the Sea Grant program is crucial to New Jersey’s well-being and how our work has benefited you personally.
To help you develop your message, we have included a templatefor possible use in composing your message. To further assist you, this directory includes each of New Jersey’s elected officials, including email addresses for their aides. If you decide to write, please direct your letters to local offices (not DC). If you decide to call or fax, it is best to call both the local and Washington D.C. offices. If you decide to email, please write your message to your elected official, but use the email address provided in the directory for his or her aide. You can also locate your Senators and Representatives at https://callyourrep.co/ or text your home address to 520-200-2223 and you will receive a message containing the names and phone numbers of your representatives.
As an additional guide, please take a look at NJSGC’s year-in-reviewfact sheet developed by NOAA, and feel free to share!
We are forever grateful for your support and it is our pleasure to serve you.
In partnership with the NOAA Ocean Acidification Program and the Mid-Atlantic Sea Grant Programs, New Jersey Sea Grant is pleased to announce the availability of a new graduate research fellowship program in ocean, coastal, and estuarine acidification. Contingent upon available federal funding, we anticipate supporting approximately five (5) fellowships, one in each Mid-Atlantic state (NJ, DE, NY, VA, MD). Potential OA Fellows must already be enrolled in an accredited university and have an academic advisor who will act as the primary mentor for their education and research. Deadline to apply is 5:00 p.m. Friday, April 13, 2018.
For more information, please visit NJSGC’s updated list of current fellowships.
In this interactive one-day badge program at Sandy Hook, scouts will learn the basics of environmental science as we explore various aspects of the maritime environment. Through seining (net and boots provided), we will discover what lives in Sandy Hook Bay. Hiking through the Salt Marsh, we will learn about its ecology through birding, plant identification, tidal impacts, water quality testing, and conduct a vegetation survey. We will study the effects of pollution on various environments both at the beach and in the laboratory, including simulated oil spills and acid rain; and discover how waves and tides affect pollution. Scouts will learn about biodegradable materials. We will study ocean acidification and soil erosion effects and analyze an Environmental Impact Statement. Mandatory worksheets must be completed in advance, and a subsequent lab report must be submitted using data collected during this class.
The program runs approximately 5 hours and scouts will need transportation to the marsh site. Cost is $45/individual scout; accompanying adult is free. Program is scheduled for Sunday, May 6th from 10:00 – 3:00 pm. Open to all Boy Scouts. To register, please go to our website or contact NJSGC’s Scout Program Coordinator Jody Sackett at 732-872-1300, ext. 20.
Reminder: enrollment information for April’s Individual Oceanography Merit Badge Program is also available online.
In a fun “hands on” ocean experience at Sandy Hook, Boy Scouts can complete the Oceanography Merit badge in one day with the help of NJSGC Instructors who are Certified Merit Badge Counselors. Scouts will explore the salt marsh and discover why the ocean is important to people. Activities include measuring water quality, studying waves and currents, viewing worldwide sand samples under the microscope, plankton collection and identification, laboratory experiments, and seining in Sandy Hook Bay. Mandatory worksheets must be completed in advance of the program.
The program runs approximately 4 hours and scouts will need transportation to the nearby marsh site. Cost is $45/individual scout; accompanying adult is free. Program is scheduled for Saturday, April 28th from 10:00 – 2:00 pm. Open to all Boy Scouts. To register, please go to our website or contact NJSGC’s Scouts Program Coordinator Jody Sackett at 732-872-1300, ext. 20.
It is widely known as the “Garden State,” but with 130 miles of ocean beaches and 1,792 miles of tidal shoreline, New Jersey could just as easily have been the “Coastal State.” Seventeen of New Jersey’s 21 counties border estuarine or ocean waters. NOAA defines all but one of those counties as coastal, and, under Section 6217 of the Federal 1990 Coastal Zone Management Reauthorization Act, all of New Jersey is considered coastal since all of its watersheds drain to the coast.
New Jersey is home to a number of extraordinary demographics. While it is the fourth smallest state area-wise, it is the most densely populated one in the nation. Like many coastal states, New Jersey is highly dependent upon its coastal resources. In addition to its coastal tourism, boating, and recreational fishing industries, New Jersey is home to nine commercial fishing ports and two of the nation’s largest commercial shipping ports. The value of these industries is enormous, with ports commerce supporting a $50 billion industry, coastal tourism at $28 billion, and total sales revenue in commercial (including aquaculture) and recreational fisheries accounting at nearly $10 billion. More than 1.5 million individuals with per capita incomes among the highest in the nation depend on these coastal-dependent industries for their livelihoods. The coast is also a source of recreation for New Jersey’s nearly 9 million residents and the 91 million-plus potential visitors who live within a four-hour drive.
These competing uses have created intense competition for New Jersey’s coastal lands, waters, and resources. The state’s coastal communities face enormous pressure to balance demand for revenue and growth with protection of marine and coastal resources. In addition, because New Jersey’s coastline is heavily developed, human safety, protection of property, and coastal hazard mitigation are areas of ever-increasing concern. Balancing economic growth, development, and redevelopment, with coastal resource quality and human safety is the critical issue for the future of New Jersey’s coastal communities.
Science-based management and effective public policy are essential to ensuring human health and safety and to preserving New Jersey’s ecological services and economically essential uses. Through this plan, NJSGC renews its commitment to advance knowledge and stewardship for New Jersey’s marine and coastal environments and provide New Jersey’s citizens, stakeholders, and policymakers with a trusted source of sound, unbiased, and evidence-based information and technical assistance to help them make well-informed decisions and take appropriate actions affecting the future of the state’s coastal resources and all who depend on them.
This plan aligns with the National Sea Grant College Program’s 2018- 2021 Strategic Plan and is organized in accordance with its four focus areas: Healthy Coastal Ecosystems, Sustainable Fisheries and Aquaculture, Resilient Communities and Economies, and Environmental Literacy and Workforce Development. The plan also affirms New Jersey Sea Grant Consortium’s support of the National Sea Grant College Program’s core values and cross-cutting principles while drawing on the unique strengths and abilities of NJSGC to address critical state needs.
