In This Issue:

• Coastal Calendar
• FEATURE: Greening the Garden State Through Remediation, Assessment, and Restoration
• Jersey Beaches on "Shore" Footing
• Fishing for Regulatory Solutions
• Shellfish Restoration Program Enters Fifth Year
• Marine Science Competition Plumbs Oceans of Knowledge
• Shore Takes Center Stage in Survey

Shore Takes Center Stage in Survey

by Marsha Samuel, Communications Specialist
New Jersey Marine Sciences Consortium/New Jersey Sea Grant

       The New Jersey Marine Sciences Consortium/New Jersey Sea Grant (NJMSC/NJSG) and the Richard Stockton College Coastal Research Center announced the results of the second annual New Jersey’s Top Ten Beaches Survey in late May. Taking top honors for 2009 was Ocean City, which was voted New Jersey’s best beach overall. Rounding out the top ten were Long Beach Island, Wildwood, Wildwood Crest, Asbury Park, North Wildwood, Cape May, Seaside Heights, Sea Isle City, and Avalon. Ocean City was also voted the best beach for Day Trips and Ecotourism, while Long Beach Island was chosen as the Best Beach for Family Vacations and Wildwood was elected as Best Beach for Shore Events.

Dr. Stewart Farrell (left), Director of the Richard Stockton College Coastal Research Center, with Marsha Samuel (right), Project Coordinator, presents the top beach sign to Diane Wieland (center), Cape May County Tourism Director.

       The results were announced at NJMSC/NJSG’s seventh annual State of the Shore Media Event held at The Sea Gull’s Nest on Sandy Hook. The pre-summer event, hosted in conjunction with Stevens Institute of Technology, also included the release of the 2009 State of the Shore Report compiled by Dr. Jon Miller, Stevens-New Jersey Sea Grant Extension Program Coastal Processes Specialist. The document traditionally released just before Memorial Day weekend assesses how the beaches around the state physically survived the winter weather and emphasizes the value of the state’s beaches and coastal resources to shore tourism and the economy. According to Dr. Miller, the news for NJ beaches in 2009 is positive. “The cumulative effect of numerous back to back, mild winters means that the beaches in most communities should be in good condition heading into the summer months… allowing beachgoers to claim their own piece of paradise.”

       Also on the agenda was the presentation of the Stew Tweed Fisheries and Aquaculture Scholarships for 2009. The scholarships, established in memory of Stew Tweed, a twenty-seven-year veteran of the New Jersey Sea Grant Marine Extension Service, are awarded annually to a graduating high school senior and an undergraduate- or graduate-level student interested in pursuing studies, research or a career focused in fisheries or aquaculture. The scholarships, presented by New Jersey Secretary of Agriculture Douglas H. Fisher, were awarded to Caitlin Campbell, a graduating senior from the Marine Academy of Technology and Environmental Science (MATES) in Manahawkin and Edward “Ned” Gaine, a graduate student majoring in Biology at Rutgers University in Camden.