Habitat

The Atlantic Ocean relentlessly pounds the shoreline in Long Beach Island, and up and down the northeastern coast. The ocean waters provide habitat for many marine organisms. These habitats also provide food for ocean dwelling creatures and non marine animals. Lets break down the habitat into manageable zones. With these we can begin to understand both large and small differences between these zones. Just like terrestrial habitats, marine environments vary in resources in ways that influence what plants and animals are able to live and thrive in each location.

There is lots to cover about Barnegat Bay. First we should mention the need to understand how fragile the bay environment is and how many threats it faces. You can go to Save Barnegat Bay to find out more about all of that.

There are three kinds of grasses that dominate, or should dominate, the bottom of the bay.

Eelgrass - The most important organism for a healthy bay.

The ocean shoreline is constantly pounded and washed by the surf. The movement of all the water that lands on the beach also delivers many treasures. Where ever there is an ocean and people , there are beachcombers that ply the shoreline to see what has come ashore.