Peconic Bay
Side-Scan Sonar
Type: Extent
of habitat (i.e., area of habitat and whether there has been a decline).
Category: Submerged
Cost: Preliminary estimate of mapping the entire Peconic
Estuary: $745,000 ($175,000 is realized)
Description: Although it is clear that the entire Peconic
estuary watershed is ecologically important, the PEP Natural Resources
Subcommittee identified Critical Natural Resource Areas (CNRAs)
to focus protection efforts. The CNRAs span land and estuarine waters
and represent some of the highest quality natural resources remaining
in the area.
The designation of the CNRA areas was primarily based upon existing
biological inventories and local knowledge of the natural resources.
The PEP Natural Resources Subcommittee recognized the large data-gap
for the natural resources of the Peconic underwater lands. In direct
response, the Peconic Estuary Program, The Nature Conservancy, and
Suffolk County are contracting with the State University of New
York at Stony Brook to produce benthic habitat maps of portions
of the Peconic Estuary. These benthic habitat maps will be created
using high-resolution remote sensing systems and groundtruthing,
and will show sediment characteristics, bathymetry, shellfish beds,
and submerged aquatic vegetation. The project will focus on underwater
areas of the Peconic Estuary CNRAs, including portions of Flanders
Bay, Orient Harbor, Northwest Harbor, Gardiners Bay, and around
Shelter Island and Robins Island.
Outcome: Mapping of the estuary seafloor will increase our
knowledge of benthic communities and shallow water habitats, which
ultimately can be used to manage and protect finfish, shellfish,
and other benthic communities.
Contact: walter.dawydiak@co.suffolk.ny.us
Citation: Information not provided.
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