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State FactsMiles of Coast: 1,792 Coastal Population (2000): 7,575,546 Lead Coastal Management Agency: New Jersey Department of Environmental Protection and the New Jersey Meadowlands Commission Approval Date: 1978 |
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Ocean and Coastal Management in New Jersey
New Jersey's Coastal Program
The New Jersey Coastal Program was approved by NOAA in 1978 and is directly administered by its lead agency the New Jersey Department of Environmental Protection in partnership with the New Jersey Meadowlands Commission. The Coastal Program is based on three major laws: the Coastal Area Facilities Review Act, the Wetlands Act of 1970, and the Waterfront Development Act.
Coastal management in New Jersey seeks to balance many issues such as coastal development, tourism, energy needs, and natural area preservation.
New Jersey's coastal zone boundary has four distinct regions. From the New York border to the Raritan Bay, the boundary extends landward from mean high water to the first road or property line. From the Raritan Bay south along the Atlantic shoreline and up to the Delaware Memorial Bridge, the boundary extends from half a mile to 24 miles inland (1,376 square miles of land area). From the Delaware Memorial Bridge northward up the Delaware River to Trenton, the boundary extends landward to the first road inclusive of all wetlands. The fourth boundary serves a 31-mile square area in the northeast corner of the state bordering the Hudson river.
The Coastal Program faces several challenges due to its dense population, coastal hazards, polluted runoff, and impaired water quality. Major economic activities in this area include ports, tourism, fishing, and shellfishing. The state’s coastal policies and procedures are administered through New Jersey’s Rules on Coastal Zone Management, which are broken down by location (wetlands, barrier island, open bay, etc.); use (industry, port, housing, etc.); and resource (shellfisheries, groundwater, vegetation, etc.).
New Jersey’s National Estuarine Research Reserve
The 114,665-acre Jacques Cousteau Research Reserve is located in Tuckerton, in southeastern New Jersey, and is the only reserve to extend its boundaries seaward to the Atlantic Ocean. The Reserve’s lead agency is Rutgers University and the Institute of Marine and Coastal Sciences, but the reserve’s area is a patchwork of state and federal lands, co-managed by a variety of agencies. With only one percent of the Reserve's land subjected to development, the area is considered to be one of the least disturbed estuaries in the Northeast. The Reserve offers several habitats, including pinelands region, lowland forests, brackish marsh regions, and coastal areas. The Reserve staff conducts research on the physical, chemical and biological components of the site estuaries and neighboring watersheds to gain a better understanding for the environmental processes and ecological characteristics of the Reserve.
Program Highlights
New Jersey Provides Public Access Information
New Jersey Launches Clean Marina Program
New Jersey Partners with Aquarium on Nonpoint Source Education Program
Links
New Jersey Coastal Program — The website provides information on the program’s activities, including clean marinas and land use regulations.
Jacques Cousteau Research Reserve — The website provides information on the Reserve's research, education, and stewardship activities.
Cooperative Institute for Coastal and Estuarine Environmental Technology — This program brief describes investments in technology development and research projects for the state of New Jersey.
Marine Protected Areas in New Jersey — A summary of marine protected areas and programs in the state.
Marine Protected Areas — Search for marine protected areas by state, region, or topic area.
New Jersey Coastal Nonpoint Program Conditional Approval Document — The Coastal Nonpoint Pollution Program encourages better coordination between state coastal zone managers and water quality to reduce polluted run-off in the coastal zone.
New Jersey Coastal Program Evaluation (2008) — The Office of Ocean and Coastal Resource Management conducts periodic performance reviews of federally approved state coastal management programs.
Jacques Cousteau Estuarine Research Reserve Evaluation (2008) — The Office of Ocean and Coastal Resource Management conducts periodic performance reviews of estuarine research reserves.
Contact Information for New Jersey’s Programs
New Jersey Coastal Management Program
Department of Environmental Protection
P.O. Box 418
Trenton, NJ 08625
(609) 633-2201
Jacques Cousteau Coastal Education Center
130 Great Bay Boulevard
Tuckerton, NJ 08087
(609) 812-0649