The Jersey Shoreline: Sept. 14

The Coast Guard has had their work cut out for them. A pilot was killed when his plane crashed in the Atlantic Ocean off of Atlantic City last week. The small plane was recovered from the sea floor. A tow boat sunk off Sandy Hook, and the captain was pulled alive from open water. It’s the second vessel to sink near Sandy Hook this month.

Meanwhile, NY Waterway will launch the first ferries built in New Jersey for at least a century.

Finally, Michael Dunphy, of Virginia Beach, won his third Belmar Pro championship this week while other surfers were helping children with autism learn to surf.

In the news

Local Leaders, Community Invited to Dune It Right Workshop — The New Jersey Sea Grant Consortium is inviting the community to a workshop on the importance of dune structures to mitigate the impacts of coastal storms on Wednesday, Sept. 23, at 7 p.m. at the Long Beach Island branch of the Ocean County Library in Surf City. Read more at the Sandpaper.

Aquaculture and Commercial Fishing

Baykeeper hopes to expand oyster beds — Baykeeper is keeping its fingers crossed that the state Senate on Sept. 24 will vote favorably for a bill that would again allow the organization to develop oyster beds and reefs for research and educational purposes, to study the effects they have on water filtration and shore stabilization. Read more at Two River Times.

Rutgers Scientist Explains Fisheries Management in New Jersey — Olaf Jensen, assistant professor at Rutgers University’s Department of Marine and Coastal Sciences, is one member of the scientific community who helps decide how best to manage fish species in New Jersey as a member of the Mid-Atlantic Fishery Management Council’s Scientific and Statistical Committee. Read more at the Sandpaper. Jensen is a NJSGC researcher. His latest consortium research is Reducing uncertainty in stock-recruitment relationships and fishery reference points using Bayesian meta-analysis.

First State Focus: Commercial Crabber — For 27-years, Moore’s office has been the Delaware Bay, with everything that nature can throw at him from spectacular sunrises to rain and wind. Commercial fishing is like farming and gambling: a game of chance and luck, experience and timing. Read more at the News Journal.

Photos: Three-day Oysterfest draws thousands to Asbury Park — Thousands of people made their way to the annual three-day Oysterfest held in the city at the end of summer. Read more at NJ.com.

Coastal Concerns

Director of former Meadowlands Commission is stepping down — Marcia Karrow, who served as executive director of the New Jersey Meadowlands Commission, will be officially leaving roughly eight months after the agency was absorbed by the New Jersey Sports and Exposition Authority. Read more at the Record via NorthJersey.com.

Keeping it green – preservation and ecological enhancements in the Meadowlands — While the wetlands have been revived thanks to conservation efforts and zoning regulations imposed by the former New Jersey Meadowlands Commission (now the New Jersey Sports and Exposition Authority), the environment is different from the one in the 19th century and earlier. read more at South Bergenite via NorthJersey.com

Community Resilience & Climate Adaptation

FEMA extensions means hope for some Sandy victims — The Federal Emergency Management Agency announced Wednesday that the extension of the the deadline to submit claims is now Oct. 15. Read more at the Press of Atlantic City.

Sandy redevelopment plan for Camp Osborn still too dense, opponents say — The owner of oceanfront bungalow community in Brick Township destroyed by Hurricane Sandy has slightly scaled back his proposal to rebuild, but opponents say the reduction doesn’t go far enough. Read more at NJ.com.

5 charged with Hurricane Sandy relief fraud — State authorities have charged five people with filing fraudulent applications for Hurricane Sandy relief funds that totaled more than half a million dollars. Read more at NJ.com.

16 years ago today, Tropical Storm Floyd dumped excessive rainfall, spurring record flooding — Tropical Storm Floyd moved along the New Jersey coastline on Sept. 16, 1999, dropping over a foot of rain in inland locations but inflicting only minor to locally moderate beach erosion at the Jersey Shore, according to the National Weather Service. Read more at Newsworks.org.

A.C. proposed as home of coastal living research — Atlantic City’s efforts to adapt to a world of rising seas and stronger storms was the focus of a public meeting Wednesday hosted by planning director Elizabeth Terenik. Read more at the Press of Atlantic City.

Pallone lauds HUD for flood insurance decision — U.S. Rep. Frank Pallone, D-6th, recently commended the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development decision that New Jersey residents won’t necessarily have to pay back duplicate recovery benefits FEMA paid after Hurricane Sandy, up to $20,000. Read more at the Press of Atlantic City.

Marine Recreation & Jersey Shore Tourism

Great boat deals exposed — Organized as a way to help its members combat the effects of a deep economic slide in 2009, the Marine Trades Association of New Jersey (MTA/NJ) held the first Jersey Shore Boat Sale & Expo at FirstEnergy Park in Lakewood. Read more at the Asbury Park Press.

Middletown: Written on the wind —The county Park System invites one and all to a first-ever Wind and Sea Festival on Saturday…while windsurfers of all skill levels return once more to Sandy Hook Bay this Sunday, for the annual summer’s-end Windsurfing and Watersports Fun Day. Read more at Red Bank Green.

Owners break ground on new Sandy Hook Bay marina — Nearly three years after it was destroyed in Superstorm Sandy, the owners of the Sandy Hook Bay Marina broke ground once again to rebuild. Marina owner James Bollerman says plans are in place for a bigger, better and stronger marina. Read more at News12 New Jersey.

7 Bayshore towns worth celebrating — The Bayshore is the perfect spot for a mini getaway. Whether you’re enjoying dinner along the water, enjoying a picnic along Raritan Bay or embarking on an afternoon hike, there’s much to enjoy along these beautiful waterfront towns. Read more at the Asbury Park Press.

Seen in New Jersey: Perfect time for trip to Sandy Hook — Sandy Hook is the best place in the Garden State — after Cape May — to view fall passerine migration, and birders don’t have to travel more than 100 miles south to get there. A half-day trip to the Hook, in the morning, can be quite worthwhile. Read more at NJ.com.

Deep-sea fishing nets a lifetime experience — On Sept. 2, over 50 people and 20 support staff from The Arc of Atlantic County enjoyed a special day on the water, thanks to the Cape May Marlin and Tuna Club, and the Elks Club of Egg Harbor Township. This annual event provides an opportunity for people with intellectual and developmental disabilities (I/DD) to experience the open water while actively engaging with others in the community. Read more at NJ.com.

Water Resources & Coastal Access

EPA Honors Newark’s Riverfront Park — The EPA announced today that Riverfront Park along the Passaic River in Newark is one of three projects across the country selected to receive the 2015 National Award for Smart Growth Achievement. Riverfront Park won in the Plazas, Parks, and Public Places category. Read more at Essex Place.

New Jersey is abnormally dry, map shows — Nearly all of New Jersey is abnormally dry, and the northeastern portion of the state is in a moderate drought, according to a U.S. Drought Monitor map released Thursday. Read more at the Press of Atlantic City.