July 2, 2020

Barnegat Bay Scientists in Action

by S-FX.com

oyster shells

Marine Science combines both laboratory and fieldwork. Stockton University’s Live Lab Days highlight some of the fieldwork and survey methods to give people a taste of what it’s like to be a marine scientist. Two of the Live Lab Days in June featured Barnegat Bay scientists, Dr. Christine Thompson and Dr. Elizabeth Lacey. Links to the recordings of these two Live Labs and others are available on the Stockton University’s website.

Dr. Christine Thompson: How Do Oysters Clean the Bay?

For the past four years, Stockton has worked with the Barnegat Bay Partnership, Jetty Rock Foundation, Long Beach Township and Parson’s Mariculture to plant oysters on the Tuckerton Reef, a four-acre site in the lower part of the bay. In a video recording of this Live Lab with Dr. Christine Thompson, assistant professor of Marine Science, viewers can learn about this valuable habitat, see how oysters are planted on the bay bottom and how the reef is monitored. Dr. Thompson talks about oyster biology and the many interesting species that inhabit oyster reefs in the Barnegat Bay.  Learn more about the oyster reef project at stockton.edu/marine/marine-oyster-restoration or on Instagram at @stocktonshellfishlab.

Seasgrass Live Lab Courtesy Of Stockton 2020 1024x683
Dr. Lacey monitoring seagrass in the Barnegat Bay.

Dr. Elizabeth Lacey: Seagrass Restoration

In a video recording of this Live Lab, ride along with Elizabeth “Z” Lacey, associate professor of Marine Science, as she visits one of her seagrass monitoring sites in the Barnegat Bay. Learn about this valuable ecosystem, how to identify seagrass versus seaweed, and how you can play a role in preserving seagrass habitat. Dr. Lacey teaches courses in Marine Biology, Marine Botany and Marine Conservation at Stockton University. Learn more about seagrass restoration on Instagram at @stockton_merl and online at stockton.edu/merl.

Explore More Insights from Barnegat Bay

Dive deeper into the ongoing efforts to protect and restore our environment with more updates and initiatives that you can take part in. Check out our latest blog posts for valuable tips and insights.

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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.

 

Barnegat Bay Scientists in Action

Marine Science combines both laboratory and fieldwork. Stockton University’s Live Lab Days highlight some of the fieldwork and survey methods to give people a taste of what it’s like to be a marine scientist. Two of the Live Lab Days in June featured Barnegat Bay scientists, Dr. Christine Thompson and Dr. Elizabeth Lacey. Links to the recordings of these two Live Labs and others are available on the Stockton University’s website.

Dr. Christine Thompson: How Do Oysters Clean the Bay?

For the past four years, Stockton has worked with the Barnegat Bay Partnership, Jetty Rock Foundation, Long Beach Township and Parson’s Mariculture to plant oysters on the Tuckerton Reef, a four-acre site in the lower part of the bay. In a video recording of this Live Lab with Dr. Christine Thompson, assistant professor of Marine Science, viewers can learn about this valuable habitat, see how oysters are planted on the bay bottom and how the reef is monitored. Dr. Thompson talks about oyster biology and the many interesting species that inhabit oyster reefs in the Barnegat Bay.  Learn more about the oyster reef project at stockton.edu/marine/marine-oyster-restoration or on Instagram at @stocktonshellfishlab.

Seasgrass Live Lab Courtesy Of Stockton 2020 1024x683
Dr. Lacey monitoring seagrass in the Barnegat Bay.

Dr. Elizabeth Lacey: Seagrass Restoration

In a video recording of this Live Lab, ride along with Elizabeth “Z” Lacey, associate professor of Marine Science, as she visits one of her seagrass monitoring sites in the Barnegat Bay. Learn about this valuable ecosystem, how to identify seagrass versus seaweed, and how you can play a role in preserving seagrass habitat. Dr. Lacey teaches courses in Marine Biology, Marine Botany and Marine Conservation at Stockton University. Learn more about seagrass restoration on Instagram at @stockton_merl and online at stockton.edu/merl.

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oyster shells