Highlighted MMAs: Sedge Islands Marine Conservation Zone
Tidelands Act (Title 1 – N.J.S.A. 12:3 – 1 et seq.)
The Sedge Islands/Island Beach State Park Marine Conservation Zone as example of marine zoning in New Jersey
As New Jersey’s first Marine Conservation Zone, the Sedge Islands/Island Beach State Park Marine Conservation Zone was designed to reduce the environmental impacts of personal watercraft and better manage wildlife, recreation and traditional uses of the area.
Protecting and preserving this sensitive marine habitat and the natural vegetation of this shallow tidal marsh area of Barnegat Bay is critical for the environmental health of the bay and its resources. The Marine Conservation Zone plays an important role in protecting sensitive habitat, including bird-nesting and foraging sites, and successfully resolves conflict issues between personal watercraft and living resources within the area.
NJ Senate Resolution (SJR 30) supported the efforts of the Department of Environmental Protection (DEP) to establish a marine conservation zone in Barnegat Bay adjacent to Island Beach State Park. The Tidelands Resource Council approved a license for management of the submerged lands issued to the State Park Service and Natural Lands Council for a period of 22 years. Further, SJR30 directs the DEP and the council to ensure the prompt implementation of a management plan for this marine conservation zone.
Creating a marine conservation zone restricts personal watercraft from knee-deep waters within 300 feet of the Sedge Islands and backbay area of Island Beach State Park while still allowing traditional boating, kayaking, fishing and hunting activities to continue.
The partnership establishing this Marine Conservation Zone involved approval by the Tidelands Resource Council the Division of Parks and Forestry and the Division of Fish and Wildlife within the New Jersey Department of Environmental Protection.
Note: Map is courtesy of Save Barnegat Bay.
Relevant Agencies/Programs:
Marine Managed Area Systems:
| Natural Areas |
| Natural Areas System Act (N.J.S.A. 13:1B-15.12a et seq.) |
| New Jersey Meadowlands Green Plan |
| Hackensack Meadowlands Reclamation & Development Act (NJSA 13:17-1 et seq.) |
| Wild and Scenic Rivers |
| New Jersey Wild and Scenic Rivers Act (N.J.S.A. 13:8-45 et seq.) |
| State Parks |
| State Parks Acquisition (N.J.S.A. 13:8A; 13:1L) |
| Wildlife Management Areas |
| Wildlife Management Areas (N.J.S.A. 13:8-64) |
| Barrier Island Corridors |
Coastal Area Facility Review Act (CAFRA; N.J.S.A. 13:19-1 et seq.)
Waterfront Development Law (N.J.S.A. 12:5-3) |
| Endangered/Threatened Vegetation/Wildlife Habitat |
Coastal Area Facility Review Act (CAFRA; N.J.S.A. 13:19-1 et seq.)
Waterfront Development Law (N.J.S.A. 12:5-3) |
| Existing Lagoon Edges |
Coastal Area Facility Review Act (CAFRA; N.J.S.A. 13:19-1 et seq.)
Waterfront Development Law (N.J.S.A. 12:5-3) |
| Finfish Migration Pathways |
Waterfront Development Law (N.J.S.A. 12:5-3)
Tidelands Act (N.J.S.A. 12:3-1 et seq.) |
| Higbee Beach - Pond Creek Meadow Area |
| Coastal Area Facility Review Act (CAFRA; N.J.S.A. 13:19-1 et seq.) |
| Intertidal and Subtidal Shallows |
Waterfront Development Law (N.J.S.A. 12:5-3)
Tidelands Act (N.J.S.A. 12:3-1 et seq.) |
| Marina Moorings Areas |
Waterfront Development Law (N.J.S.A. 12:5-3)
Tidelands Act (N.J.S.A. 12:3-1 et seq.) |
| Submerged Vegetation Habitat |
Waterfront Development Law (N.J.S.A. 12:5-3)
Tidelands Act (N.J.S.A. 12:3-1 et seq.) |
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