Publications:
Fact Cards
 The
Peconic Bays lie on
the tip of Long Island
Sound and is made
up of a series of
shallow, inter-connecting
bays fed by groundwater,
creeks, and rivers.
The Peconic Bays and
its 340 miles of coastline
support a variety
of marine life, birds,
and wildlife, and
are also a vital economic,
recreational, and
scenic resource for
Long Island. The Peconic
Bays were designated
by The Nature Conservancy
as one of the "Last
Great Places"
in the Western Hemisphere.
Facts About the
Estuary
- The
Peconic Bays feature
numerous rare
ecosystems that
are home to many
plants and animals,
including 111
endangered, threatened,
rare, or special
concern species.
- The
population of
the area's five
eastern towns
is 106,000, but
it triples in
the summer.
- Nearly
3.3 million swimming,
boating, fishing
or shellfishing
outings and 5.2
million beach,
bird watching,
wildlife viewing,
or hunting trips
were taken in
the watershed
in 1995.
- Ten
percent of the
watershed is farmed
and 25 percent
remains in open
space.
- Estuarine
dependant businesses
employ more than
7,300 people (20
percent of the
area's employment)
and account for
gross revenues
of over $465 million.
- Peconic
Estuary bay scallop
catches once accounted
for 28 percent
of the United
States total.
In 1982 bay scallops
and other commercial
fishery landings
were worth
$7.3 million
Health
of the Estuary
- Brown
tide blooms were
first noted in
1985 and though
they have reappeared
unpredictably
since, they have
still virtually
eradicated the
scallop population
and adversely
impacted eelgrass
beds.
- Overall
the estuary generally
has "excellent"
water quality
with respect to
nutrients and
dissolved oxygen,
with less than
three percent
of the estuary
exceeding the
recommended total
nitrogen guideline
for dissolved
oxygen attainment.
- Nitrogen
loadings have
grown more than
200 percent since
the 1950's due
to increasing
residential land
use and a more
pervasive use
of fertilizers.
- Almost
40 percent of
the watershed
remains subject
to development
which poses a
substantial threat
to nutrient loadings,
habitat and water
quality.
- Fourteen
percent of the
lands available
to shellfish harvesting
have failed to
meet water quality
standards.
Accomplishments
of the Estuary Program
- Implemented
a point source
nitrogen freeze
for the western
estuary and a
water quality
preservation policy
for the eastern
estuary.
- The
agricultural community
and other stakeholders
were brought together
for the first
time and developed
a strategy to
lower nutrient
and pesticide
inputs.
- A
Regional Stormwater
Runoff Management
Plan is being
developed for
implementation
in 2001.
- Marshaled
over $11 million
in federal and
state funds to
55 priority demonstration
and implementation
projects for stormwater
runoff control,
bay scallop seeding,
and wetland and
eelgrass restoration.
- Developed
non-federal support
from the Community
Preservation Fund,
the Suffolk County
general 1/4 percent
sales tax, town
and county open
space programs,
and the New York
State Bond Act.
For
Viewing and Printing:
Before printing one or more of these National
Estuary Program files,
check out each of their text only versions for
quick viewing.
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