Taking stock in case of oil spill

BRICK, N.J. - An effort inspired by the BP oil spill in the Gulf of Mexico to catalog marine, animal, and plant life along the Jersey Shore and its industrial waterways is increasing knowledge of exactly what is in the water - which could be crucial to restoring habitats and assessing penalties after any serious oil spill.

The Spill Spotters program was begun three years ago by the American Littoral Society to create a database of fish, animals and plants at 24 spots along the state's ocean and inland coasts. Raritan and Delaware Bays in particular are home to heavy petrochemical operations, with the potential for great environmental damage in the event of a spill.

Although drilling is prohibited off the New Jersey coast, the state is still at risk of a spill from a passing vessel in the ocean or along one of its industrialized rivers, or from onshore storage tanks.

"In case there is an oil spill or natural disaster, we know what was there before, and what we need to do to bring back the area to what it was," said Megan Molok, an official with the Littoral Society.

Earlier this month, Molok, of Old Bridge, and intern Sarah Garvey, of Caldwell, were at Brick Township's Windward beach on the Metedeconk River in Ocean County. They dragged a 40-foot seining net through the water and carried it ashore, revealing hundreds of flopping, squirming fish and crabs, as well as sea lettuce and red algae.

The take that day, recorded and returned to the water, included small silversides fish; juvenile striped bass and bluefish; sheepshead minnows; pipefish; two pufferfish; mullet; winter flounder; grass shrimp; blue claw crabs, and comb jellyfish. Several species of seagulls also were recorded.

If the river were to be fouled with a spill, habitat restoration projects could be tailored to re-attract the species that were there beforehand, said Tim Dillingham, the group's executive director.