DEP recruits Barnegat Bay property owners into sea nettle war

No one wants sea nettles ruining the enjoyment, or the ecology, of Barnegat Bay, yet they remain a threat. New Jersey environmental regulators are bringing bayfront homeowners into the battle with a common-sense method to nip their breeding in the bud.

In the Barnegat Bay Bulkhead Blitz, property owners with bulkheads and docks are advised to scrape or power-wash docks and bulkheads to free them of tiny polyps now, before they mature into the stinging creatures by next summer.

New Jersey Department of Environmental Protection (DEP) staffers today brought the concept to home owners in the Silverton section of Toms River, in anticipation of the 2015 Barnegat Bay Research Forum, November 17 at Ocean County College in the township. It's co-sponsored by the Barnegat Bay Partnership.

"Sea nettle populations can become very problematic, especially in areas where the flow of water is restricted, such as lagoons," said Dan Kennedy, DEP's Assistant Commissioner for Water Resources Management, in a prepared release.

"Research conducted by Montclair University in partnership with the DEP shows that the need to control stinging sea nettles is becoming increasingly important - and that all property owners need to be part of the solution."

The Bulkhead Blitz, within the Christie Administration's comprehensive action plan for Barnegat Bay, is the result of a three-year, $283,000 study of sea nettle growth patterns, led by Dr. Paul Bologna of Montclair State University's Marine Biology and Coastal Sciences department.

The study warned that more nettles exist in the northern end of the bay, especially Brick, Toms River and Lavallette; but migration to the south and to other estuaries and coastal waters could not be ruled out.

Thomas Belton, DEP Barnegat Bay Research coordinator, said that sea nettles "...are very tolerant of high nutrients, low dissolved oxygen, higher water temperatures and brackish waters, allowing them advantages over other aquatic animals. Preventative measures can be employed to assist in limiting available habitat for sea nettle settlement, which can help reduce their numbers."

Sea nettles can thrive and multiply in lagoons, according to DEP researcher Lynette Lurig, because the creatures' voracious appetites are suited to the nutrient-rich waterways that experience a small amount of tidal flow.