Boating on the Bay

The Barnegat Bay is a prime destination for water activities. Being a responsible boat owner is not only critical to the safety of your passengers, but also to the natural ecosystem of the bay. This page will help you find resources to stay informed and responsible on the water.
marina dock boat slipsPaddle for the edge kayak
Kayaking on the marshboat wake in the bay
boat wake in the bay

NJ Boater Safety Courses

Take a safety course in person or online

In order to operate a vessel in the state of NJ, an individual is required to have either a Boat Safety Certificate issued by their state, a NJ Boat Safety Certificate, a USCG Captain’s License or written proof of completion of a course. Click the button to the left to learn more and to register for an upcoming course.
Learn More

Look No Further…

NJBoating.Org is a comprehensive, easy-to-use, interactive website that links visitors to a wealth of New Jersey boating information. The site has extensive information to assist boaters, including how to find boat pumpout stations, locations and availability of public boat ramps, best boating practices, and state fishing regulations.
Visit Now
Paddle for the edge kayak

No Discharge Zone

The Barnegat Bay has been designated a NO DISCHARGE ZONE by the New Jersey Department of Environmental Protection (NJDEP). This means discharge of boat sewage, treated or untreated, is forbidden in the Barnegat Bay. The NO DISCHARGE ZONE is needed to reduce pollution from boat sewage in the bay. Sewage from boats can lower oxygen levels in the water, increase fecal bacteria counts, and increase algal blooms. Boat sewage should be pumped out responsibly at a marina pump-out station. Over 100 fixed pump-out stations have been installed at New Jersey Marinas.

Ecological Sensitive Areas

Green Boating Tips

The New Jersey Department of Environmental Protection (DEP) has made addressing water craft impacts Item #10 in its Comprehensive Action Plan for Barnegat Bay. The DEP has identified sixteen ecologically sensitive areas in the bay. These areas are valuable because of the presence of submerged aquatic vegetation, nesting shore birds, diverse marine wildlife, and other key environmental factors.
Learn More Here
Boat in the bay and marsh
Forked River/Silver Cloud Marina

Got a full waste tank?

Get it pumped out for free!

Boaters in Barnegat Bay can also utilize the four FREE Pumpout Boats to discharge boat sewage. The Ocean County Pumpout Boats operate throughout the Barnegat Bay and Little Egg Harbor Bay, typically Friday through Monday from Memorial Day through the end of September.
Get Pumped

NJ Clean Marina Program

The New Jersey Clean Marina Program is a voluntary education program that provides information, guidance, and assistance to marina operators, recreational boaters, and local government regarding the most effective best management practices to protect water quality and coastal resources. The Clean Marina Program recommends the following tips for boaters to keep their boating experience on Barnegat Bay safe, clean, and fun:

Prevent Spills

Prevent spills during fueling by not over filing the tank, using pads or vent attachments to capture spills, installing a fuel-air separator, listening to the fill pipe and not relying on the gauge.

Minimize Discharge

Keep your engine leak-free and well-tuned to minimize discharge of fuel and oil into the water.

Absorb Oil

Use an oil absorbent pad or pillow in the bilge to absorb oil as needed.

Pumpout

Use pumpout stations to dispose of waste

Proper Disposal

Properly dispose of scrap fishing line, garbage, cigarette butts, and items for recycling ashore.

Stay Calm

Don’t rev it up near shore: shallow waters are vital breeding grounds for estuarine life.

Watch for Veg

Seagrasses are nursery grounds for many fish — stay away from shorelines and shallows where there is underwater vegetation and where your boat’s wake could erode the shoreline.

Learn More

Visit NJ Clean Marina to learn more.

Oil Spills

To give people the training and tools they need to enhance New Jersey’s response to oil spills, the American Littoral Society (ALS) launched a SpillSpotters Network in spring 2012. ALS is training a network of citizen volunteers to identify and monitor our coastal natural resources and assist in oil spill response. Citizens can play a key role in an oil spill response. People who are enjoying the coast – boaters, kayakers, fishermen, birders, beachcombers, and hikers – are often the first to observe a change in conditions.

Marine Defenders is a website for mariners, boaters, environmentalists, and students looking to learn about oil pollution. The website provides information about the impact of oil on marine mammals and coastal ecology, how to identify and report oil spills, and the laws regarding oil pollution.  There is a  23-minute documentary called “Oil in Our Waters”, by Micah Fink, an Emmy nominated filmmaker, which offers a close look at oil pollution from ships and its impact on marine life. This site also contains lesson plans for high school and college biology and ecology classes, in-depth reports about the biological effects of oil on marine life, as well as a breakdown of the federal reward program for whistle blowers.

marina dock boat slips

Marine Defenders has also created a mobile app that allows boaters, fishermen, and concerned citizen-scientists to report oil spills and marine debris. The oil spill reports are sent along to the National Response Center and the Coast Guard. The Marine Defenders app is available for iPhone and iPad for free from the iTunes store.

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.