New Jersey Sea Grant Consortium’s ‘COASTodian’ newsletter (Summer 2020) is now available online.
The staff at NJSGC would like to thank everyone for their continued support and dedication in our ongoing mission to promote the wise use of the Garden State’s marine and coastal resources through research, education, and outreach. Several of our popular programs and events are going “virtual” this year, and we’re excited to participate in this new journey of remote learning. Learn more about our efforts here.
This summer, New Jersey Sea Grant Consortium (NJSGC) and New York Sea Grant (NYSG) want you to enjoy the BEach SAFEly!
COVID-19 brings more considerations beyond the usual “beach safety and ocean hazards” messaging. Starting this month and continuing into September, our Sea Grant programs will debut a new social media graphic each week to remind beachgoers to stay safe while still having fun at the Jersey Shore and beyond!
For more information, please visit the NYSG “BEach SAFEly” homepage.
This summer, the beaches are open and you should enjoy them! Just remember that you still need to practice social distancing – embrace your personal space.
Stay at least 6 feet apart from other beachgoers that you didn’t come with; this is about the average length of a surfboard, two boogie boards, a bit more than an beach towel length, or three beach chairs – you could even measure based on your beach umbrella pole!
When you’re walking around the beach, to and from the parking lot or other facilities, or if you can’t stay more than 6 feet apart from others, remember to wear your mask. Frequently wash or sanitize your hands – and if you feel sick, stay home.
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Come back every Thursday for our next #BEachSAFEly graphic reveal!
New Jersey Sea Grant Consortium is happy to announce the Top 12 “Jersey Shore” photo contest winners for 2020. The competition was fierce, with over 100 submissions and thousands of votes prior to the July Fourth holiday. These images will be featured in NJSGC’s popular desktop calendar for 2021.
Things are a bit different at the Jersey Shore this year, and New Jersey Sea Grant Consortium would like to refer everyone to the CDC’s “Guiding Principles to Keep in Mind at the Beach” when visiting the Garden State coastline.
NJSGC’s long-standing “Favorite Beaches” survey also ran a bit differently this year. The current situation surrounding COVID-19 greatly impacted the poll’s outcome, with limited planning, participation, and publicity. As a surprising result, the winners list is more diversified and widespread as compared to previous years. Even without the possibility of hosting a public ceremony alongside the ocean, NJSGC is thrilled to announce the top “favorite beaches” throughout Atlantic, Cape May, Monmouth, and Ocean Counties for 2020!
Please stay tuned for the launch of NJSGC’s “BEach SAFEly” campaign in partnership with New York Sea Grant. COVID-19 brings more considerations beyond our usual Rip Current Awareness messaging, so every week starting in early July, we will be launching a new graphic to remind beachgoers to have fun while remaining safe, healthy, and alert.
Kirsten Hogg, “Brigantine Sunrise”
Atlantic County:
Brigantine
Atlantic City
Margate
Cody Molowski, “Autumn At Sunset Beach” (Cape May)
Cape May County:
Cape May
The Wildwoods
Ocean City
Linda Griffiths, “Late August Evening” (Sandy Hook)
Monmouth County:
Asbury Park
Bradley Beach
Belmar / Manasquan / Sandy Hook – Gateway National Recreation Area (three-way tie)
Patrick Welsh, “Lonely Dunes” (Point Pleasant Beach)
Ocean County:
Point Pleasant Beach
Lavallette
Island Beach State Park
Top overall:
Brigantine
Cape May
Atlantic City
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Thousands of voters also participated in NJSGC’s revamped “Jersey Shore” photo contest (four contestants were featured in the list above). The competition was intense, with over 100 breathtaking snapshots submitted, but we’re happy to announce the Top 12 photographs which will be featured in NJSGC’s popular desktop calendar for 2021. Check out the winners here.
NJSGC’s Fish and Wildlife marine recreational fishing regulation cards are now available for 2020. The free, downloadable cards are provided by New Jersey Sea Grant Consortium, New Jersey Department of Environmental Protection, New Jersey Division of Fish and Wildlife, and the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration. Please clickhere to download a copy.
The cards provide information on the correct minimum size, possession limits, and season of catch. The cards are convenient to bring on any fishing outing, complete with built-in ruler to measure your catch and make sure they are above the minimum size. We recommend laminating after printing.
Fish are measured from tip of snout to tip of tail, with the exception of black sea bass and sharks. No species of fish with a minimum size limits listed on the card can be filleted or cleaned at sea.
The cards also serve as a reminder to register to fish. It is free and can be done at SaltwaterRegistry.nj.gov.
Please visit our website or NJFishandWildlife.com for more resources. Also feel free to contact NJSGC’s Assistant Director of Extension and Marine Recreation Agent: Fisheries and Boating Mike Danko for additional information.
From NJSGC’s 18th annual State of the Shore Report:
Current times remain daunting and uncertain for most. But take a moment to close your eyes and just imagine – sandy toes, sun-kissed skin, gentle gusts of the warm, salty air . . . That’s the epitome of summers spent at the Jersey Shore. Despite the future’s unknown, one thing remains for sure. The beaches await our return – under whatever circumstances that might be.
And according to New Jersey Sea Grant Consortium Coastal Processes Specialist Dr. Jon Miller (Stevens Institute of Technology), the Garden State’s coastline is ready for just that.
We’re conducting the 18th annual State of the Shore event a bit differently for 2020. Over the past several years, media representatives throughout the region have gathered with local experts at Tim McLoone’s Supper Club (located on the iconic Asbury Park boardwalk) to receive accurate, science-based information on current beach issues and outlooks, including preparations for the Jersey Shore’s upcoming summer tourism season. But just as with any passing storm, we must change and evolve with the turbulent tides. Although we cannot celebrate the start of summer “together,” NJSGC’s mission will always be to promote the wise use of New Jersey’s marine and coastal resources through research, education, and outreach (whether near, far, or socially distant).
Due to a relatively mild winter storm season, beaches are found to be in extremely good shape throughout New Jersey. Please read on for more detailed, in-depth analysis of coastal storm impacts (nuisance flooding, beach erosion) and tropical outlooks. With everything else going on right now, please do not forget that rip currents in the ocean pose a dangerous threat to all swimmers, regardless of age or gender. Please visit the NJSGC website to learn more about our revamped “Ocean Hazards & Beach Safety: Sharks vs. Rip Currents” initiative, including materials on our Rip Current Awareness program.
The Long-Clawed Hermit Crab (Pagurus longicarpus) – please use this template for guidance.
Have you ever walked through a shallow, intertidal beach and noticed a small, dark object moving along the sandy bottom? If so, chances are that you’ve seen a long-clawed hermit crab, one of many marine crustaceans found along the Jersey shore. A close relative of lobsters, long-clawed hermit crabs are invertebrates with exoskeletons that shed in order for the animal to grow. Like lobsters, long-clawed hermit crabs have two chelipeds (claws). but instead are narrow and unequal in size, with the right one growing larger than the left. They have five pairs of legs and use the first three pairs for walking; the fourth and fifth pairs are small and modified to hold into the gastropod (snail) shell that they carry on their backs. Hermit crabs “wear” unoccupied gastropod shells to protect their soft, elongated abdomens and will change shells when they outgrow the current one.
1. Hermit crab eggs hatch into larvae, called zoea. After molting several times, the zoea become megalops which then develop into juveniles, which will then grow into adults.
2. Long-clawed hermit crabs are the ultimate recyclers because, as scavengers, they recycle energy back into the ecosystem.
3. Long-clawed hermit crabs can regenerate lost limbs when they molt.
Check out this cool video of a long-clawed hermit crab changing shells with anemones. And here’s another clip of hermit crabs living in aluminum cans.
Learn more about NJSGC’s #SeaCreaturesInYourNeighborhood challenge here.
NJSGC Knauss Fellow Michael Acquafredda (Rutgers University, Haskin Shellfish Research Laboratory) enjoyed just six weeks at the Silver Spring office before having to telework. Thankfully, he’s still getting a lot accomplished remotely.
(To learn more about the 2020 Knauss Fellows from NJSGC, please click here)
Dealing with international affairs, Acquafredda has been busy working with the Global Ocean Acidification Observing Network (GOA-ON). He works in the Secretariat, putting out newsletters, organizing meetings with its executive committee, and serving as a point of contact for its membership. He also supports the needs of some of the regional hubs of GOA-ON, including the Latin American Hub, the Pacific Islands Hub, and the North American Hub. Acquafredda acts as Coordinator for the GOA-ON Pier2Peer Program, a professional mentorship program. He continues reshaping the matching process to give mentees more opportunities to select mentors whose interests and expertise align with their own. Additionally, he publishes the monthly Pier Review, a newsletter that highlights the work of successful P2P pairs and shares information about relevant news and events, upcoming funding opportunities, and the latest ocean acidification-related open access articles.
He’s also been helping to organize the 5th International Symposium on the Ocean in a High CO2 World, which is now postponed. To maintain momentum, the symposium’s steering committee and the GOA-ON executive committee are discussing the possibility of hosting a virtual “Ocean Acidification Week”, which would be a series of publically-available webinars and panels. Acquafredda’s working hard to transform this idea into a well-organized and impactful event by September.
On the bilateral front, Acquafredda’s managing a joint funding initiative of NOAA OAP and DFO to enhance collaboration between ocean acidification researchers in the USA and Canada. He’s had the opportunity to write the RFP for this initiative, and is now reviewing proposals and organizing a selection panel.
Finally, his work around capacity building efforts in the Pacific Islands has been slow and limited, mostly due to COVID-19 related delays. The funding from the Department of State was secured, so now they’re working towards distributing funds to its partner, The Ocean Foundation.
Along with all of those initiatives, Acquafredda is also busy with the domestic side of his portfolio. He’s working closely with the Gulf of Mexico Coastal Acidification Network (GCAN). The team is restructuring that network to encourage better communication and more robust engagement by its members via the Ocean Acidification Information Exchange (OAIE). Acquafredda also restarted GCAN’s webinar series and so far has hosted two, with more to come.
The activity most exciting for Acquafredda has been working to develop a new NOFO aimed at studying multistressor impacts on shellfish aquaculture. OAP is looking to use a co-production of knowledge framework to fund collaborations between growers and academics to produce both foundational data and industry-relevant deliverables.
He’s also been active with some of the Knauss Committees. Acquafredda’s most involved with the Lunch and Learn Committee that works with the NOAA Central Library System to host monthly webinars that highlight the work of Knauss Fellows. He also gave a talk in March (right when COVID started), which is archived on Youtube.
He’s also involved with the Knauss JEDI (justice, equity, diversity, inclusion) Committee. In light of the murder of George Floyd and the ongoing protests calling for an end to racial injustice in our country, the committee created a document of resources many may find useful. JEDI Committee members are also reaching out to individual Sea Grant programs and inquiring about the different ways these state programs address JEDI issues in their activities, with a particular focus on recruitment activities regarding the Knauss Fellowship.
Although it’s really unfortunate that the two components of the fellowship Acquafredda was most excited about (the travel and in-person networking) have been thwarted by COVID-19, he’s making the most of this opportunity and still learning a lot about working in the marine policy realm.
The Atlantic Silverside (Menidia menidia) is a resident species and is one of the most abundant fish found in NJ’s estuaries and nearshore habitats. They have long slender bodies that are grey-green above and pale colored below with a distinct silver band that runs along each side (giving it the name “silverside”). Silversides are small, growing only up to 6 inches in length, and can often be found schooling in shallow waters. Commonly called “spearing” or “shiners” by fishers that use them for bait, silversides are consumers in the marine food web because they feast on the tiny phytoplankton and zooplankton that drift with the currents. Their small mouths lack teeth and are positioned upwards at the end of their snouts so that they can grab food that floats or swims above them. Females are usually larger than males and during the spawning season (May, June, early July) will deposit egg clusters on sandy bottoms. Silversides are sensitive to fluctuations in salinity, dissolved oxygen, and temperature, so they are an important species in helping scientists study environmental change.
Did you know…
Atlantic silversides can live up to two years, but most only make it to one year.
Silverside eggs that hatch in cooler water will develop into females, and those that hatch in warmer water will develop into males.
Silversides are an important food source for other marine animals in the estuary, and are eaten by everything from bluefish and striped bass to sea birds and crabs.
Please use this template for the #SeaCreaturesInYourNeighborhood challenge (learn more here).
VOTING IS NOW CLOSED. PLEASE STAY TUNED FOR NJSGC’S FULL LIST OF WINNERS.
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Voting for NJSGC’s “Jersey Shore” photo contest is now underway! Thanks to everyone who entered – the design team received over 100 extraordinary images, and it was very difficult to narrow it down to just 27 finalists.
Fans can now select up to three of their favorite snapshots displayed below. The 12 photos with the most votes will be used for New Jersey Sea Grant’s 2021 desktop calendar. Winning photographers will also receive an enlarged glossy poster of their amazing work. Click on any photo to enlarge.
Once you’ve had the opportunity to view all finalists, please vote here!
