Creepy Skull Washes Up at Sandy Hook

Something weird washed up recently on the shoreline of the Sandy Hook peninsula, a long barrier spit located along the northern Jersey Shore that separates the southern entrance of Lower New York Bay from the Atlantic Ocean. Halloween was only a week away, which just added to the creepiness of the find.

 

A recent tide had carried in a strange, surly looking skull. Gone were the skin or scales. No more was the body, just the skull.

The boney flat head had big hollow eyes, and a large mouth filled with sharp, fang-like teeth. Even with part of the skull being smashed in, I could still see the vertebrae and lower chin.  There was even a long, narrow tongue sticking out at me from its mouth. Really creepy. It was a bizarre looking beast and I'm not sure where it came from?

I had found the lifeless head lying on the beach near the tip of the hook during low tide. I was out for a walk after work and stumbled upon the skull while taking a few pictures of some late season terns flying nearby. The skull was easy to spot, it was the only decapitated head on the beach.

What could it have been. Perhaps a relative of the Montauk Monster, an unidentified creature that washed ashore dead on a beach in Montauk, New York in July 2008. Maybe it was the head of a sea monster, or a creature from outer space, or even a top-secret government experiment. Who knows, right?

But from everything I was seeing, there really was nothing mysterious here. Just because we see something unusual doesn't mean it actually is unusual. 

It's most definitely a fish head. The size, shape, and the morphology of the skull all say fish to me. Most likely a Monkfish, although it was hard to tell for sure because of the extreme wear and tear of the skull.

Monkfish or Headfish is a creepy-looking fish when alive. They are described as mostly mouth with a tail attached. It has a very large broad, depressed head and a wide mouth crammed with fang-like teeth. Exactly what I had found near the tip of the hook.

Monkfish are local fish. It can be found in the Northwest Atlantic Ocean from the Grand Banks and northern Gulf of St. Lawrence south to Cape Hatteras, North Carolina. 

Yet, Monkfish live on the ocean floor, down to nearly 3,000 feet. So how did a decapitated Monkfish wash up on the shores of Sandy Hook? Here is the real mystery folks.

There's possibly another, less obvious reason to believe that the poor critter was merely chopped up by a fisherman to make it easy to carry home. Monkfish are really good tasting fish. People catch the fish mainly for their tasty tail meat and livers. The meat has a sweet taste and has a texture similar to scallops or lobster meat. In fact, the meat from a Monkfish in some cases can exceed lobster in price. Don't let the ugly face fool ya, this fish is a marine delicacies.  

My guess is that somebody conceivably caught a Monkfish onboard a boat in the deep sea, near an old shipwreck site, because this is where Monkfish like to feed. The person then chopped off the head and threw it in the water in order to make the heavy and slimy fish easier to carry home. Days later the skull from the poor creature washes ashore skinless at Sandy Hook.

Mystery solved, right? Then again, maybe it really was the head of a sea monster. It was certainly something you don't see every day. It's true, you really never know what you might find while walking along a beach, especially downstream from New York City.

Happy Halloween!

Last call for Night-Singing Insects

The woodlands around Lower New York Bay are starting to glow with fall color, there are big bluefish in the bay, and waves of autumn migrants are heading south.  All around are the symbols that authenticate the season, a time of transition. 

 

Just about a month ago, when it was still summer, the nights were alive with the sounds and lights of insects. There were flamboyant fireflies and brightly colored moths, and the great loud methodical chorus from little green katydids and grasshoppers. Watching and listening for these little critters was a good way to entertain yourself during a sultry, long night.

Now with autumn here and cold winds blowing, it seems the night insects have all got the message. The party's over. 

Gone are the fireflies and katydids. There are just a handful of moths. The few remaining grasshoppers can only manage a scant two-note call. What a mournful autumn sound.

In such a world then it was wonderful to have a chance to say goodbye one last time to a night-calling insect before they all faded away. 

The other day at Cheesequake State Park in New Jersey, a cold, crisp morning walk revealed a chilly Short-horned Grasshopper lying still near a grassy meadow. I picked it up, warmed the little critter with my breath, and then set it back down near the tall grasses.

It was a beautiful looking critter, long, slender and stout. It was mostly green with a little bit of brown and black. There were even some cryptic black markings along the side of its large hind legs, which looked well- adapted for jumping. The antennae were short, the wings were long and folded. I'm guessing the grasshopper was a  girl, because  females generally have a long "ovipositor" at the tip of their abdomens, which is used to lay eggs. All the more reason to try to save this grasshopper from freezing. The female might have some eggs still to lay on the ground. 

After a short time, the little 3-inch long grasshopper seemed more lively after I placed it on the ground. I wasn't sure if she was happy or not, but it did appear as if she turned her head to look at me before taking off with a giant 20-inch leap farther into the grasses. It's the little things in life, right?

That night, I heard one single grasshopper calling from the woods in my backyard. The final few calls of what will probably be the last grasshopper  of the season.

A lone night-singing insect to call out that winter is near. In time, though, more will come back next year around Lower New York Bay along with their musical talents and seasonal songs. For now, fall is in the air.

Bay Scallops' Colorful Complexion

For all those people who feel the need to travel to faraway places like Hawaii or Florida to find and collect a mixture of colorful shells, I got good news for you. Forget the high-priced plane ticket.  

In one of the most unlikeliest  places in the world, Lower New York Bay, including the downstream shores of Sandy Hook Bay and Raritan Bay, contains particularly good beaches for shell hunting.  Even though not very exotic or celebrated for shelling, the miles of estuarine and ocean beaches in or near Lower New York Bay can lay claim to over 100 alluring and eye-catching seashells. This is evidence of the diversity of life that resides in local waters, not far from the busy and bustling sidewalk streets of mid-town Manhattan.

Fall through spring is an especially good time to look for shells and other curious beach finds from Breezy Point, New York to Sea Bright, New Jersey. Nor'easters and northwesterly wind stir up the bottom of the sea to cast a variety of unique and highly-valued shells onto the shore. What's more, the noisy beach sweepers or mechanized rakes are all gone. These large machines cleared the beach during the summer of not only unwanted debris, but of beautiful seashells, and then tossed them away like common beach trash.

Walk down the beach now along the tide lines, away from the boardwalks, parking lots, and built-up human surroundings, and you will find a variety of natural finds, shells in all shapes and sizes, and in delightful colors. There are Jingle shells, Quahogs, Knobbed Whelks, Moon Snails, and Blue Mussels to name just a few. 

One of my favorites to find is the Bay Scallop. The little critter is not only a beloved seafood meal for many, but a popular shell to save for its exquisite fan-like shape. It's the official New York state shell and hands down one of the most eagerly sought after shells in the east coast.

It's easy to identify. The little 2.5-inch wide Bay Scallop has a small body with a "scalloped"  complexion of 15 to 20 thin ribs on the outer shells. The rounded, corrugated shell makes it truly only one of its kind in the New York and New Jersey region.  

Often overlooked, however, is just how colorful the Bay Scallop can be. The shells of this beloved bivalve (a mollusk that has two hinged shells) comes in quite an assortment of colors. Usually a dusky or blackish slate hue, but also in more brightly colored orange, black cherry, purple, ash-blond, or yellow-brown. Frequently, the bottom shell is white and the upper shell is dark to provide greater camouflage and protection from hungry predators, including Sea Stars and bottom feeding fish.

Some color variation and pigmentation for Bay Scallops can be attributed to its habitat. Muddy bottoms might make a more darken shell whereas sandy bottoms generally can create a more fair colored shell.   Color variation in Bay Scallops can also come from heredity. The shell color of an offspring is a result of the shell color of its parents. Different colors found in scallops may be attributed to its family and its genes. Multicolored shells from close relatives conceivably will produce more interesting and vibrant offspring.

This provides a whole new twist on viewing the unassuming scallop. You can wonder just how colorful the shell of the parents were to influence the colorful complexion of its young. 

 

As its name suggests, Bay Scallops live in the tidal waters of bays or estuaries. Unlike many other bivalves, such as Soft-shell clams,  Bay Scallops live on the bottom of the bay, rather than burrowing under the sand. Scallops are filter feeders and catch food by pumping water in through the front of the shell and out through the back.  Any food particles, such as small bits of algae, are trapped inside.  

Bay Scallops can also swim and move about quite rapidly and erratically by opening and closing its two shells quickly. This action forcibly ejects water from inside its shell and propels the little critter forward. This is different than most other bivalves, which use a slimy foot to move.

Another colorful and interesting feature of the Bay Scallop are its bright blue eyes. Along the inner rim of the shell are a row of 30 to 40 pinhead-size blue eyes,  enabling the scallop to see movement and shadows in the water. This eyes are helpful to detect predators and to stir away before being caught. 

 

Unfortunately, all of these distinctive adaptations have not been enough to save the Bay Scallop from a decline in Lower New York Bay. Decades of poor water quality has decimated a once fruitful bay species. 

Bay Scallops are not long lived. The average life span is just 18 to 30 months. Once sexual mature, they spawn then die. So it doesn't take long for a population of Bay Scallops to become depleted within an estuary. There is no significant scallop population as a result of water pollution like widespread fertilizer use, which has brought about brown tides and turbid water conditions. Although tidal waters in New York Harbor are overall cleaner compared to the 1970s, the scallop population has not fully recovered.

Scallops are an important indicator species of water quality. The severe decline of the sensitive and beautiful Bay Scallop in Lower New York Bay shows that more work still needs to be done to restore local water quality.  Certainly the Bay Scallop is worth saving. Beautiful, colorful, and unique, I cannot think of a better shell to discover along the sandy edge of the busy and bustling waters in New York Harbor.

The Raritan Bay Intiative

FROM THE NY-NJ BAYKEEPER

ON THE 40th ANNIVERSARY OF THE CLEAN WATER ACT, NY/NJ BAYKEEPER

Keyport, New Jersey -October 18, 2012:  Today marks the 40th Anniversary of the federal Clean Water Act. Much progress has been made, but there still have a way to go to get our waterways fishable, swimmable and drinkable, as promised by the legislation. Since the 1970s--thanks to the Clean Water Act and the work of dedicated advocates--the Raritan Bay has been taking baby steps towards improved health. However, there are still algae blooms and trash floating in the water, and making contact with the water can still pose health risks.

To mark the 40th Anniversary, NY/NJ Baykeeper is asking state and local officials, agency personnel and the public to recommit to the Raritan Bay by investing in a meaningful campaign to restore the Raritan Bay consisting of the following components:

1. Create a "No Discharge Zone (NDZ)" in the Raritan Bay and make the entire New York Harbor an area where boats may not release sewage. States have the right to ask the EPA to create an NDZ in waterbodies where the state would like to limit the release of sewage. Currently, boats are allowed to release sewage on the New Jersey side of the Hudson River, the New York Harbor and the Raritan Bay. New Jersey should join with New York State to create a No Discharge Zone for the entire New York Harbor, including Raritan Bay.

 2. Eliminate combined sewer outflows (CSOs) that discharge raw sewage directly into the water. New Jersey has over 200 outfalls that discharge 23 billion gallons of raw sewage annually when it rains or snow melts. Most of these CSOs are in North Jersey and the water flows into the Raritan Bay. The State of New Jersey currently allows the CSOs to operate under a General Permit, in violation of the Clean Water Act.

3. Improve stormwater management with a goal of zero run-off into the Raritan Bay. Stormwater collects pollutants and carries them, untreated, directly into the water. Through revised zoning that promotes better stormwater management and the use of green infrastructure (such as rain gardens and impervious surfaces), New Jersey can reduce flooding and limit the pollutants flowing in the Bay.

4. Preserve land along the shoreline of and the tributaries to the Raritan Bay and restore existing natural areas. Land preservation and restoration reduces flooding and creates a buffer to filter pollution from stormwater before it enters the Bay. The State of New Jersey should direct Green Acres funding to the Bay's waterfront areas.

5. Revive oyster related research and restoration. Oysters naturally filter water, create habitat and improve water quality, which is why NY/NJ Baykeeper has been doing research on oyster viability in the Hudson-Raritan Estuary since 1998. In 2010, New Jersey banned oyster research and restoration in the Hudson-Raritan Estuary and has not done anything to revive the work. The State should be actively trying to support this important scientific research.

6. Designate beaches along the Raritan Bayshore as bathing beaches and do regular, protective water quality testing and timely notification of water quality that creates health risks. Despite the fact that people consistently use the beaches along the Raritan Bayshore for primary contact recreation, the State does not classify them as bathing (swimming) beaches and therefore does not do the water quality testing and notification that is protective of public health.

7. Develop a consistent and meaningful sampling program for the Raritan Bay. This will allow the state and local officials to track trends over time, isolate pollution sources and understand the health of the Bay.

At NY/NJ Baykeeper we never give up in the promise of the Clean Water Act that all waterbodies be fishable and swimmable, including the Raritan Bay. We KNOW Raritan Bay can-like so many other waterbodies nationwide-be healed.  Please join us in telling the New Jersey DEP to recommit to the Raritan Bay. 

Since 1989, NY/NJ Baykeeper has been the leading bi-state organization working to protect, preserve and restore the Hudson-Raritan Estuary.  For more information, please visit our website: www.nynjbaykeeper.org.

How Sea Level Rise & Global Warming Will Impact A City

Climate Change and Coastal Communities

A Media Project

Climate change is changing human lives.

Rising sea levels bring high tides and high waves to our shores. Extreme weather events cause our rivers to flood. It is no longer possible to halt all the impacts coming with climate change. It is time to start adapting to those changes that are now inevitable.

RISE looks to the San Francisco Bay Area for answers. These are the stories of men and women living along the water – a fisherman, a farmer, a developer and others. We see the Bay from various perspectives. A kayaker brings us eye level to levees at the water’s edge. An urban planner considers how filling in wetlands has increased the flood risk. An architect suggests one plan that may keep the waters in check. Their responses can provide a model for people everywhere in the face of this growing global crisis.

http://www.searise.org/webstories/rooted-at-the-waters-edge/

(A possible future NYC)

A Dozen Cold Hungry NY Harbor Egrets

Brrrrr, I was shocked by the cold air mass over the region early last Saturday morning. It was as if Mother Nature had flipped a switch. Sure, it was a beautiful, blue-sky morning, but with low temperatures in the mid to upper 30s along Sandy Hook Bay and around Lower New York Bay, there was certainly a touch of winter in the air on this young autumn day. 

Yet, despite the frosty temperatures, an early morning walk around the bay reveled a great deal of wading bird activity. Mother Nature must have rang the breakfast bell. The tidal waters were lively during daybreak with a dozen cold, hungry, but  gorgeously white Great Egrets. All foraging for a fish in a morning hunt for food. 

With an outgoing tide, many of the egrets were wading in the shallows of the bay looking for a slow moving fish, an easy catch to provide some quick energy. At first, the birds appeared idle, just standing still. But egrets are great fishing  birds, they know how to grab hold of a meal. These tall, stately white waders were waiting for a fish to come near to them.

Standing totally still so as not to scare away their prey. The birds would catch a small fish with a quick drive of their long, spear-like bill in the water. Then swallow the fishy meal down their long neck. An effective way to go fishing on a cold, crisp autumn morning. 

In the water, I could see swarms of various species of killifish, small and abundant schooling fish, swimming close to shore. With water temperatures in the upper 50s to low 60s, the fish were not affected by the unpleasantly cold air, but nevertheless were famished. The fish were feeding on  whatever they could find, mostly phytoplankton, mollusks, and small crustaceans.

Soon these killifish will be migrating upstream in nearby tidal creeks, where the salinity conditions are lower than in marshes, to spend the winter under a protective layer of ice and also buried in the mud. But for now, the ancient predator-prey competition was taking place right before my eyes between birds and fish. A fixture in a natural estuary, but made more special because it was taking place downstream from New York City, one of the most urban and busiest coastlines in the world. 

 

Surprisingly,  many of these hungry egrets feeding in Sandy Hook Bay most likely nested this past summer not in Sandy Hook Bay or even in New Jersey, but across the bay in the New York City area. The birds feed here during the day, but fly to New York City to nest at night. Lots of bird watchers and local scientists have come to recognize the important connection between New York and New Jersey when it comes to the protection and preservation of wading birds.

Many of the egrets, herons, and ibises that we see foraging for food in the shallow waters of Monmouth County and Middlesex County, NJ or in Staten Island, NY do not necessarily nest there. Instead the tall birds nest in colonies on abandoned and remote islands in New York Harbor, including Hoffman Island (located south of the eastern end of Staten Island), North and South Brothers Islands (located in the East River), Shooters Island (located on the north shore of Staten Island), and islands in Jamaica Bay.  Many of these islands are in possession by federal, state or local park systems and are preserved as wildlife refuges and as part of the Harbor Heron Project managed by New York City Audubon. 

The isolated islands and nearby rich shallow waters provide wonderful habitat to raise a family, steady abundant food with minimal human and predator interference for nesting wading birds. According to New York City Audubon, more than 20 percent of New York State's total Great Egret population nests in New York Harbor. Numbers not seen since perhaps the 1940s.

The egrets are migratory. More than three thousand herons fly up in the spring from southern regions to nest on islands around New York Harbor and forage in the tidal marshes and shallow waters in New Jersey. It's unexpected wild nature in sight of the Manhattan's skyline.

 

In fall, the NY Harbor egrets are migratory again. They travel hundreds of miles southward for the winter to Chesapeake Bay, Chincoteague and the Virginia Barrier Islands, or Cape Hatteras, North Carolina, where shallow waters rarely freeze.

The migratory birds know from experience that October is a crazy transitional month in New York Harbor. It might start off summery green, but will often end cold and overcast. So the New York Harbor egrets congregate gregariously one more time in salt marshes around New York City to forage and feed before their long southbound flight.  They will not return here until next spring.