March 28, 2019

Dr. Mike Kennish Retiring

by S-FX.com

Dr. Michael Kennish

Dr. Mike Kennish, a Research Professor at Rutgers University and one of the most prolific scientists in the Barnegat Bay watershed, is officially retiring at the end of March. Dr. Kennish has been conducting research in the Barnegat Bay for nearly 40 years, beginning with his studies on the effects of power plant thermal discharges on the growth and mortality of hard clams. He subsequently studied the effects of various pollutants on estuarine finfish and shellfish, changing demographics of submerged aquatic vegetation communities, effects of eutrophication on estuarine ecology, and recently has been working in salt marshes. And that doesn’t include his research in deep-sea systems!

All of this work translated into a robust publication record – Dr. Kennish has authored or edited over 200 publications, including co-editing the book Ecology of Barnegat Bay and editing a special edition of Journal of Coastal Research focused on Barnegat Bay. As a result of this outstanding level of scholarship Dr. Kennish has received numerous awards, including the 2008 “Guardian of Barnegat Bay Award” from the Barnegat Bay Partnership, “Graham Macmillan Award for Marine Science and Conservation” from the American Littoral Society, “Pearl S. Schwartz Environmental Award” from the League of Women Voters, “Frank Oliver Environmental Award” from New Jersey Environmental Lobby, and most recently, the “Albert Nelson Marquis Lifetime Achievement Award” from Marquis Who’s Who.

Dr. Kennish was present at the establishment of the Barnegat Bay National Estuary Program (the precursor to the Barnegat Bay Partnership), and has served on various Partnership committees through the years. We thank Dr. Kennish for his many contributions to improving our understanding of the Barnegat Bay, and wish him the best in his retirement!

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UNKNOWN

There is limited data available to quantify Wetland and Riparian Buffer Preservation, or updated data to quantify Wetland Acreage. The BBP has obtained funding and will begin assessment efforts for both targets, in the next few years.

 

 Hard Clam abundance has not been updated since 2012. Recovery of the stock will be guided by the Fishery Management Plan for Hard Clams, which is under development with the NJDEP, BBP, and other organizations. Reclam the Bay and other partners have continued to plant clams for restoration purposes. Continued plantings in strategic locations which maximize survival and reproduction is one strategy to pursue in the coming years. This work can use a model developed by Rutgers with BBP funding which identified areas where planted clams could have the greatest dispersal of their larvae and thus potentially maximally contribute to the recovery of the stock.

 Water Withdrawals were over the target in the 2021 report; USGS has not yet completed its latest update, so a definitive determination of status is not available. However, additional NJDEP data show that it is likely that we continue to not meet the target. Per capita water use has gone down, demonstrating the effectiveness of water-saving appliances and practices, but that decrease has been offset by population gains. 


IN PROGRESS

New maps quantifying Submerged Aquatic Vegetation extent were developed, but poor image clarity resulted in a high degree of uncertainty in the total acreage. NJDEP and Rutgers are working to resolve the uncertainty of these maps, and improve the total acreage estimate. Funding has also been obtained for further research and restoration activities. Several groups are developing potential restoration actions.

The USGS has completed the first phase of its study to identify minimum ecological flows in select Barnegat Bay tributaries. USGS scientists compared streamflow statistics between historical and current time periods to better understand trends in watershed flow conditions. This work provides a foundation for developing ecological flow targets in the Barnegat Bay watershed.  Similar to SAV extent, funding (approximately $450K) has been obtained by the BBP to complete the remaining phases necessary for threshold determination.

 

TARGETS ACHIEVED

No targets can be considered “Achieved” at this time.

 

NOT ACHIEVING

Several Public Swimming Beaches exceeded their safe swimming standards more frequently than during their baseline time period (2016-2018).

While most beaches are routinely safe for swimming, several problematic areas such as Beachwood, Hancock, Windward, and several lake beaches need track-down studies and restoration to pinpoint and address sources of bacteria.

Acres of Approved Shellfish Waters decreased from the last report. While this decrease was small, it represents a loss of previously approved waters. Similar to public beaches, track-down studies and restoration work are needed to pinpoint and address sources of bacteria.

 

Dr. Mike Kennish Retiring

Dr. Mike Kennish, a Research Professor at Rutgers University and one of the most prolific scientists in the Barnegat Bay watershed, is officially retiring at the end of March. Dr. Kennish has been conducting research in the Barnegat Bay for nearly 40 years, beginning with his studies on the effects of power plant thermal discharges on the growth and mortality of hard clams. He subsequently studied the effects of various pollutants on estuarine finfish and shellfish, changing demographics of submerged aquatic vegetation communities, effects of eutrophication on estuarine ecology, and recently has been working in salt marshes. And that doesn’t include his research in deep-sea systems!

All of this work translated into a robust publication record – Dr. Kennish has authored or edited over 200 publications, including co-editing the book Ecology of Barnegat Bay and editing a special edition of Journal of Coastal Research focused on Barnegat Bay. As a result of this outstanding level of scholarship Dr. Kennish has received numerous awards, including the 2008 “Guardian of Barnegat Bay Award” from the Barnegat Bay Partnership, “Graham Macmillan Award for Marine Science and Conservation” from the American Littoral Society, “Pearl S. Schwartz Environmental Award” from the League of Women Voters, “Frank Oliver Environmental Award” from New Jersey Environmental Lobby, and most recently, the “Albert Nelson Marquis Lifetime Achievement Award” from Marquis Who’s Who.

Dr. Kennish was present at the establishment of the Barnegat Bay National Estuary Program (the precursor to the Barnegat Bay Partnership), and has served on various Partnership committees through the years. We thank Dr. Kennish for his many contributions to improving our understanding of the Barnegat Bay, and wish him the best in his retirement!

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Dr. Michael Kennish