New Jersey’s Coastal Estuaries Inventory – Project Years 1-3

Abstract

Elements frequently omitted from traditional fisheries surveys in an undergraduate setting include the collection of standardized, multi-seasonal data and meaningful stakeholder involvement. This project engaged Stockton University faculty and staff, students, as well as a local commercial fisher to collect year-round haul seine (10 sites, 2x month, May-Oct.; 1x month Nov.-Apr.) and seasonal fyke net (3x week, 1x month, Nov.–Apr.) data over a 3-year period (May 2016–Apr. 2019) in the Mullica River-Great Bay (MRGB) Estuary (NJ). In total, 485 haul seine (100’ x 6’ x ¼” mesh) samples inventoried 170,375 individual finfish (and select invertebrates) from 95 species. During the winter/spring, 212 fyke net (150’ x 4’ x 2.5” mesh leader; 25’ x 4’ x 2.5” wings; 25’ x 2.5’ x 2.5” mesh hoops) samples collected by a commercial partner inventoried 14,667 individuals from 39 species.