State of the Barnegat Bay 

The State of the Bay Report

Every 5 years, the Barnegat Bay Partnership publishes a State of the Bay Report, taking a deep dive into environmental indicators that provide insight into the status and trend of the estuary's health.

The State of the Bay Report – 2021 examines measurable characteristics (e.g., dissolved oxygen, water withdrawals, shellfish bed closures) that are used to observe changes in the bay over time. Helpful figures, maps, and other graphics illustrate the text, and stunning photographs show the beauty of our bay and its watershed. For the first time, the BBP’s State of the Bay Report is also available in a Spanish-language version.
Read the 2021 State of the Bay Report

Meeting Ecosystem Based Targets

The 2021 State of the Bay Report presents the current environmental conditions of the Barnegat Bay and its watershed, and compares current conditions with Ecosystem-Based Targets identified during the development of the 2021 Comprehensive Conservation Management Plan.
state of the bay sotb tracks
In this report, eight holistic ecosystem targets are used to describe the overall physical, chemical, and biotic conditions of the Barnegat Bay using recent and ongoing research by academic, government, and private sector scientists and engineers.
Targets Achieved
The number of Public Beach Closures due to bacteria and other pathogens continued to decline through the study period (2016-2020) and is below the target threshold of 75 days.

In progress
Based on the most recent data available (2011/2012) 60% of our Clam Restoration target of 377 million clams was achieved. While encouraging, the lack of recent data makes it difficult to determine if this increasing trend has continued or if the resource has slipped farther away from our target.

The acreage of Approved Shellfish Areas in Barnegat Bay has not changed substantially over the past nine years. This target remains a work in progress, as the targeted increase of 5% remains unachieved.

The most recent data available were used for the Wetland Protection target; thus, no change in status relative to the target is available. However, the trend over the past two decades has been a decrease in wetland area; this decrease suggests that much work remains to meet our goal of no wetland loss.
Targets Achieved
Continued growth of the human population within
the watershed is driving the withdrawal of increasing amounts of freshwater from the ecosystem over the past twenty years, resulting in exceedance of the Water Conservation and Reuse target to reduce withdrawals below the 2010 estimate (85.56MGD).

Critical Data Gaps
There is still no data available to quantify Submerged Aquatic Vegetation Extent. Seagrass is critically important to the bay’s fishes and wildlife; data are needed to know the present-day condition of the resource and understand how this resource may be changing compared to its historic condition.

Additionally, the baseline mapping and information needed to set the target for Wetland and Riparian Buffer Preservation is not currently available. These buffers provide habitat for fish and wildlife, trap and remove sediments and pollutants, and store floodwaters. These data are needed to understand how watershed development impacts this key resource.

The Ecological Flows target has not yet been calculated for the major waterways within the watershed. Ecological flows are the amount of water needed to sustainthe diversity of aquatic life and the functioning ecosystem in a river or stream. Stream flows below these values can lead to a cascade of adverse impacts for aquatic and human communities. Without an ecological flow target it is not possible to determine if current stream flows can sustain fish and wildlife populations.

2016 State of the Bay Video


  • Dive a Little Deeper into the Findings of the State of the Bay 2021

    The report’s findings include the following areas of concern for the bay.

    • Water Quality: Studies indicate an increase in the amount of nitrogen entering the bay; excess nitrogen contributes to “eutrophication” — a process which can result in an increase in nuisance algal blooms, low dissolved oxygen, and other adverse effects that stress life in the bay.
    • Water Supply: As the watershed’s population grows, freshwater withdrawals for human use have increased, impacting the base flow of our rivers and streams and the timing and amount of freshwater reaching the bay.
    • Habitat: Critical habitats continue to be lost, including freshwater and tidal wetlands (important for flood protection, water quality, and wildlife habitat) and sea grass beds (critical nursery habitat for many fish and shellfish species).
    • Fisheries: Hard clam populations continue to be severely depleted in the bay compared to the mid-1980s. On the other hand, the fish community in the bay has been relatively stable.

  • Report

    Check out the 2021 State of the Bay Report Here.
    (2021 State of the Bay QAPP & Technical Companion)

    State of the Bay Report is based on the best available science.  Continued monitoring and assessments are critical for measuring the progress of efforts to protect and restore the bay and for planning future actions. If you would like a printed copy of the report, please email Nina Sassano

    Haga clic aquí para obtener una versión en español del informe.

  • Past State of the Bay Reports

State of the Bay Reports

The Barnegat Bay Partnership prepares a State of the Bay Report every five years. To create the report, a technical work group of Barnegat Bay scientists reviews data from recent and ongoing research to determine both the current status and overall trends of indicators used to assess the bay’s condition.

Contact State of the Bay ReportsContact State of the Bay Reports