It’s National Estuaries Week! Estuaries provide vital habitat for a variety of species, such as finfish, shellfish, vegetation, other invertebrates and more!
NJDEP Fish & Wildlife’s Bureau of Marine Habitat & Shellfisheries team has been hard at work conducting a federally funded survey of hard clam populations in the Sandy Hook Bay. Aboard the Bureau’s R/V Zephyrus, the team uses a hydraulic hard clam dredge to collect hard clams that are 30mm or larger. The dredge is towed for 100 feet at each station, and after each tow, all catch is sorted. The purpose of the survey is to gather an estimate of the number of adult hard clams and understand where they are found in the estuary. When possible, comparisons are made between past and present surveys to determine how populations have changed.
To learn more about the Bureau’s Inventory of New Jersey’s Estuarine Shellfish Resources, visit https://dep.nj.gov/njfw/fishing/marine/inventory-of-new-jerseys-estuarine-shellfish-resources/.
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