state of the bay (1)
Read the 2026 State of the Bay Report

What is the State of the Bay Symposium?

Every five years, environmental scientists deep-dive into the health of Barnegat Bay evaluating everything from local inland rivers and coastal habitats to storm water and organisms in the bay. Now, the results of the official 2026 State of the Bay Report are in, and you're invited to get direct answers on what current research says about local beach safety, water quality, water supply, and our living resources.

This isn't just a science presentation; it’s a roadmap for our community. Join leading environmental experts and decision-makers for an engaging morning of panel discussions, clear findings, and open Q&A. Talk directly with scientists, regulators, and environmental leaders shaping policy across NJ. Learn practical, impactful steps you and your family can take to help restore and safeguard the bay.
October 14, 2026
8:30am-12:30pm
Gateway Building (GATE) 
Lot 4 College Dr, Toms River, NJ 08753
Register for Free Here

Expert Insights into the Important Issues

The 2026 State of the Bay Symposium brings together experts from around the state of NJ to inform the public on the most recent advances in our scientific understanding of the Barnegat Bay. This event will feature 3 expert-led panel discussions focused on water quality, living resources, and water supply, along with an address from Barnegat Bay Partnership director, Andrew McGowan.

Who Should Attend

Any resident of the watershed is welcome to attend the symposium. Our goal is to create an opportunity for the public to speak directly with the decision makers and practitioners that are helping to regulate inputs that affect public beach closures, approved shellfish harvest areas, submerged aquatic vegetation, wetlands, riparian buffer, clam restoration, ecological flows, and water conservation and reuse.
Register Here

Have your Voice Heard

The Barnegat Bay Partnership is collecting questions from participants before the symposium that can be asked to our expert panelists. If you have concerns, questions, or want more insight into any of the issues covered in the State of the Bay Report, please submit them prior to October 14 to Nina, nsassano@ocean.edu, or include them in your registration form.

Tentative Agenda

8:30AM – 8:45AM: Arrival

8:45AM-9:15AM – Welcome Address, Andrew McGowan, BBP Director

9:15AM-10:15AM – Panel Discussion 1 – Water Quality
Matthew Van der Hayden and Rachel Baldwin, Stafford Township
How can municipalities improve their water quality?

10:15AM-10:30AM – Break

10:30AM-11:30AM – Panel Discussion 2 – Living Resources
Nina Colagiovanni, NJ Department of Environmental Protection
Seagrass in the Bay
Michael Auriemma, NJ Department of Environmental Protection
Hard Clams in the Bay
Joseph Smith, US Fish and Wildlife Service
Salt Marshes in the Bay
Representative, NJDEP Bureau of Marine Water Monitoring
Shellfish Approved Waters

11:30AM-12:30PM – Panel Discussion 3 – Water Supply
 Dan Hoy, NJ Department of Environmental Protection
Water Supply Planning
Rob Karl, Brick Township Municipal Utilities Authority
Water Consumption
Jonathan Kennen, USGS
Ecological Flows 

More panelists coming soon.

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.