May 20, 2025

Partner Project Highlight: Cattus Island Living Shoreline Restoration Project

by Nina Sassano

Aerial view of Cattus Island County Park in Ocean County, NJ

Cattus Island is a 530-acre Ocean County park offering miles of hiking trails, scenic boardwalks, and plenty of opportunities for birdwatching, photography, environmental education, and outdoor exploration. Like many other portions of the Barnegat Bay, the park has experienced significant shoreline erosion—losing over 300 feet in some areas—due to factors including storm tides, and wave action, and fetch (wind energy) coming across the bay. While erosion is a relatively natural process, excessive degradation like that of the shoreline in this park threatens not only the park’s diverse habitats but also nearby communities.

37dbfeb2 D731 4715 8296 648eafaf9678 1024x647

In response to these challenges, Ocean County secured a $3 million Water Quality Restoration Grant from the New Jersey Department of Environmental Protection (NJDEP) in 2018. This funding supports a four-year living shoreline restoration project aimed at stabilizing critical areas of the park, particularly the northeast peninsula of the park known as Page’s Point, a critical area for restoration, as its degradation has exposed adjacent regions like Yellowbank to increased erosion.

The project is a collaborative effort among agencies throughout the watershed, including vision and guidance from the Barnegat Bay Partnership, Ocean County Parks, US Fish and Wildlife, NJ Fish and Wildlife, NJDEP, NJDOT Office of Marine Resources, Ducks Unlimited, and NOAA. The Stevens Institute of Technology, renowned for their expertise in marine engineering and hydrodynamics, has been engaged as the primary partner to conduct comprehensive site assessments, collect data on shoreline changes, water levels, wave patterns, and more. This data will inform the design and implementation of effective restoration strategies.

erosion along the banks of Page's Point at Cattus Island County Park

Beyond ecological benefits, the restoration project serves to protect nearby neighborhoods from tidal flooding and erosion. Page’s Point acts as a natural breakwater, shielding areas like Shelter Cove Park, which encompasses over 800 homes and several businesses. By reinforcing the shoreline, the project aims to enhance the resilience of both natural habitats and human communities.

As the project progresses through its phases—from data collection and planning to implementation and public outreach—it stands as a model for coastal resilience and environmental stewardship. The Cattus Island Living Shoreline Restoration Project exemplifies how science, collaboration, and proactive planning can address the pressing challenges of shoreline erosion and habitat loss.

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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.

 

Partner Project Highlight: Cattus Island Living Shoreline Restoration Project

Cattus Island is a 530-acre Ocean County park offering miles of hiking trails, scenic boardwalks, and plenty of opportunities for birdwatching, photography, environmental education, and outdoor exploration. Like many other portions of the Barnegat Bay, the park has experienced significant shoreline erosion—losing over 300 feet in some areas—due to factors including storm tides, and wave action, and fetch (wind energy) coming across the bay. While erosion is a relatively natural process, excessive degradation like that of the shoreline in this park threatens not only the park’s diverse habitats but also nearby communities.

37dbfeb2 D731 4715 8296 648eafaf9678 1024x647

In response to these challenges, Ocean County secured a $3 million Water Quality Restoration Grant from the New Jersey Department of Environmental Protection (NJDEP) in 2018. This funding supports a four-year living shoreline restoration project aimed at stabilizing critical areas of the park, particularly the northeast peninsula of the park known as Page’s Point, a critical area for restoration, as its degradation has exposed adjacent regions like Yellowbank to increased erosion.

The project is a collaborative effort among agencies throughout the watershed, including vision and guidance from the Barnegat Bay Partnership, Ocean County Parks, US Fish and Wildlife, NJ Fish and Wildlife, NJDEP, NJDOT Office of Marine Resources, Ducks Unlimited, and NOAA. The Stevens Institute of Technology, renowned for their expertise in marine engineering and hydrodynamics, has been engaged as the primary partner to conduct comprehensive site assessments, collect data on shoreline changes, water levels, wave patterns, and more. This data will inform the design and implementation of effective restoration strategies.

erosion along the banks of Page's Point at Cattus Island County Park

Beyond ecological benefits, the restoration project serves to protect nearby neighborhoods from tidal flooding and erosion. Page’s Point acts as a natural breakwater, shielding areas like Shelter Cove Park, which encompasses over 800 homes and several businesses. By reinforcing the shoreline, the project aims to enhance the resilience of both natural habitats and human communities.

As the project progresses through its phases—from data collection and planning to implementation and public outreach—it stands as a model for coastal resilience and environmental stewardship. The Cattus Island Living Shoreline Restoration Project exemplifies how science, collaboration, and proactive planning can address the pressing challenges of shoreline erosion and habitat loss.

Contact Partner Project Highlight: Cattus Island Living Shoreline Restoration ProjectContact Partner Project Highlight: Cattus Island Living Shoreline Restoration Project
Aerial view of Cattus Island County Park in Ocean County, NJ
Aerial view of Cattus Island County Park in Ocean County, NJ