February 2015 Issue

Barnegat Bay Partnership Begins 2015 Juvenile Eel Monitoring

   

Barnegat Bay Partnership researchers and a team of dedicated volunteers have begun monitoring this year's return of juvenile American eels (Anguilla rostrata) to the estuary. Juvenile eels enter our estuary in late winter, which is when they are counted as part of a juvenile index.

 

American eels are a catadromous fish species, meaning they spawn in the ocean and then migrate into rivers and streams to grow and live through their adult lives. Adults travel to the Sargasso Sea, a warm water area in the North Atlantic, to deposit their eggs. After the eggs hatch, the transparent larvae drift with the currents. About a year later, juveniles with fins and the shape of adults reach the Atlantic coast and move into estuaries and freshwater rivers and streams.  

 

To track the migration of juvenile eels, our researchers use collectors made from shredded rope, which resemble submerged vegetation - prime habitat for eels. Collectors are placed in four rivers (Forked River, Long Swamp Creek, Kettle Creek, and a tributary of the Metedeconk River) and checked for the presence of eels. Juveniles found in the collectors are counted and then brought back to the office, where they are measured and viewed under a microscope for staging (a determination of their life stage).

 

Eels in the first juvenile phase are called "glass eels," since they have transparent skin, and researchers are able to see their beating hearts and other internal organs. In the second phase, they develop grey to brown pigmentation and are called "elvers." The juveniles eventually develop into immature adults called "yellow eels" (the color ranges from a yellow-green to olive-brown color).

 

Once abundant American eels have declined in numbers coast-wide. Their populations are impacted by many factors, including overfishing, dams and other obstructions to movement, pollution, and an invasive parasite. The Partnership's monitoring program is providing much needed data on trends in their abundance to the NJ Department of Environmental Protection (Division of Fish and Wildlife), US Fish and Wildlife Service, and other state and federal partners.



Left: Measuring juvenile
American eels.



Right: Internal organs visible in juvenile eels under the microscope.

Angela Andersen Named a 2015 Sustainability Hero

 

Sustainable Jersey has selected Angela Andersen, Long Beach Township's Environmental Coordinator and Chair of the Barnegat Bay Partnership's Communication and Education Committee, as its February 2015 Sustainability Hero.   

 

Sustainable Jersey is a "certification program for New Jersey municipalities that want to go green, save money, and take steps to sustain their quality of life over the long term." Angela, who is chair of Long Beach Township's Green Team, was honored for her leadership and creativity in working towards the Township's certification. Long Beach Township achieved Sustainable Jersey's bronze certification in October of 2014, and is one of only five municipalities certified in Ocean County (the others are Brick, Little Egg Harbor, Manchester, and Ocean Townships).

 

Angela is quick to point out that "strong partnerships are the key to Long Beach Township's success in reaching certification." A perfect example is the installation of "hydration stations" throughout the Township. These stations provide cold, clean water for filling reusable water bottles and help reduce waste and litter from plastic water bottles. Angela organized several partners (Alliance for a Living Ocean, ReClam the Bay, Long Beach Island Foundation of the Arts and Sciences, and Kapler's Pharmacy) to collaborate on the project, which included educational programs about reducing plastic pollution.

 

Angela worked on several other Long Beach Township sustainability initiatives, including dune re-vegetation projects following Superstorm Sandy, a summer shuttle bus service on Long Beach Island to reduce traffic and vehicle emissions, and completion of a Creative Assets Inventory as part of efforts to make LBI more sustainable and resilient through arts and culture.

 

Read more about Angela's story on the Sustainable Jersey website.



Left: Filling up at one of the
"hydration stations."

Right: One of the Long Beach
Island shuttle buses.

Photos courtesy of Angela Andersen.



Series of Free Workshops to Celebrate International Year of Soils

by Becky Laboy, Education Outreach Specialist,
Ocean County Soil Conservation District


Soils are the foundation for all life on earth.
Healthy soils:

  • Grow healthy plants, including the ones we depend on for food, fiber, and wood;
  • Absorb, store, and clean the water we use for drinking and irrigation;
  • Regulate the temperature of the earth and air quality by trapping greenhouse gases and eliminating them from the atmosphere;
  • Provide habitat for billions of organisms; and
  • Supply micro-organisms used by researchers to develop new antibiotics.

Increasingly, however, we are losing healthy soils to development, urbanization, erosion, sedimentation, and poor management. Recognizing the urgent need to raise awareness and promote sustainability of our limited soil resources, the Global Soil Partnership (GSP) at the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations has declared 2015 as the "International Year of Soils."

      

In support of this effort to celebrate the "brown gold" beneath our feet, the Ocean County Soil Conservation District is providing free monthly programs at Jakes Branch County Park, focusing on the many services provided by this underappreciated natural resource. The programs offer practical information to help homeowners maintain healthy soils in their own yards.    

 

In January, participants in the first two-hour workshop, Gardening from the Ground Up, explored soil from a gardener's point of view, comparing different soil types, learning about the importance of pH, meeting the organisms that live in soil, and discovering why healthy soil is at the root of a healthy garden.  

 

At the upcoming February 28th workshop, Gardening for Pollinators, attendees will discover ways to design and create backyard habitat for pollinators, starting with healthy soil and native plants.    

 

Visit the Ocean County Soil Conservation District website for workshop details and registration information, or contact Becky Laboy at [email protected], or 609-971-7002 extension 21. More information about the International Year of Soils is available on the Soil Science Society of America and Food and Agricultural Organization of the United Nations websites.