Marine Life in New Jersey

Reef Network

• New Jersey's Reef Network consists of 17 strategically placed artificial reef sites along the New Jersey coast. The 25 square miles of reef provide habitat for 150 species of fish and marine life. Some of the species found within the reefs include black sea bass, shrimp, rock crab, blue mussels, barnacles, anchovies, herring, bluefish and sharks.

Beaches

• New Jersey's beaches teem with a wide variety of life. Depending on the area, life encountered at the beach may include horseshoe crabs, blue crabs, hermit crabs, shrimp, mudsnails, sharks and seals.

Newark Bay Complex

• The Newark Bay Complex is a series of bays, waterways and wetlands in northeastern New Jersey. Marine life found in the Newark Bay Complex include blue crab, white catfish, winter flounder, American eels, striped bass, white perch, killifish and bluefish. While fishing and crabbing are permitted in the area, some species such as bass and bluefish may be contaminated with high levels of dioxin and polychlorinated biphenyls which may cause cancer.