Publications:
Fact Cards
 The
New York-New Jersey
Harbor Estuary was designated
an "Estuary of
National Significance"
in 1988 by the US Environmental
Protection Agency. The
Estuary Program was
convened as a partnership
of federal, state, and
local governments; scientists;
civic and environmental
advocates; the fishing
community; business
and labor leaders; and
educators. The estuary
includes the waters
of New York Harbor and
the tidally influenced
portions of all rivers
and streams that empty
into the harbor. Almost
240 miles of sandy shoreline,
extending from Cape
May, New Jersey, to
Montauk Point, Long
Island, form its landward
border.
Facts About the Estuary
- The
harbor includes
the largest port
on North America's
east coast, the
3rd largest container
port in the US,
a major passenger
port, the largest
petroleum product
port in the US,
and a major vehicle
port.
- The
port supports $6.6
billion in salaries
and wages and generates
$19.6 billion in
sales.
- Waterfront
access for recreational
use is a high priority
in the urban core
area.
Certain areas of
the harbor support
extensive commercial
hardclam shellfisheries.
- The
estuary supports
extensive recreational
fisheries.
- Twenty-five
percent of nesting
herons between Cape
May, NJ and Rhode
Island make their
home in the harbor.
- Over
100 species of fish
are present in the
harbor estuary area.
Health
of the Estuary
- Eighty-five
percent of the historic
wetlands in the
New York-New Jersey
Harbor have been
lost.
- Sediments
in much of the harbor
are contaminated
with PCBs, dioxin,
mercury, heavy metals,
pesticides, and
PAHs.
- Advisories
against consumption
of some species
of fish and shellfish,
including striped
bass, eel and blue
crab remain in place.
- Over
half (by area) of
the harbor's benthos
is considered degraded.
Accomplishments
of the Estuary Program
- Facilitated
an agreement among
the Army Corps of
Engineers, NYC Dept.
of
City Planning, and
New York State Dept.
of Environmental
Conservation to
make the wetlands
permitting process
more efficient and
consistent.
- Identified
priority acquisition
and restoration
areas throughout
the estuary and
secured state bond
acts to fund the
work.
- Established
public-private partnerships
to fund and implement
habitat protection
projects.
- Implementing
the Contaminant
Assessment and Reduction
Project (CARP),
a
$30 million program
to determine the
main sources of
contaminants of
concern to
the estuary.
- Documented
barriers to anadromous
fish spawning in
coordination with
the
New York-New Jersey
BayKeeper.
- Opened
the New Jersey section
of the Hudson River
Water Trail in 2000,
greatly increasing
canoe and kayak
access to the harbor.
For
Viewing and Printing:
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Estuary Program files,
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