The Barnegat Bay estuary is a habitat that supports many species of plants and animals. The goal of this website is to provide information about the various species of shellfish in Barnegat Bay and their environment.

An aerial view of the bay shows the Atlantic Ocean to the right (east), the barrier islands Island Beach to the north and Long Beach Island to the south.

Separating the two islands is Barnegat Inlet.
(the location of Barnegat Light) 

Bay Scallop
(yes, they have blue eyes)

Have a Question?
Email us and we will do our best to answer it.

support@barnegatshellfish.org

Osprey at Island Beach State Park …Live Cam
Osprey Cam <click here>

Barnegat Bay

Q. What exactly are shellfish?
For one thing, they are not fish. They have no vertebrate (backbone). They do not have scales or fins and few species can swim, most cannot.

The dictionary definition is ” An aquatic animal, such as a mollusk or crustacean, that has a shell or shell-like exoskeleton.

In the culinary world *, two major groups of seafood are called shellfish.
Mollusks – include clams, oysters, mussels, conch, snails and scallops.
Crustaceans – include shrimp, crabs, lobster and crawfish.
* (Squid and octopus (cephalopods) are sometimes considered shellfish as well.)

Learn More about Shellfish <click here>

Barnegat Bay Watershed

Q. What is a watershed?
A watershed is defined as the area of land where all of the water that is under it or drains off of it goes into the same place, according to the EPA website.

Think of a watershed as a large bathtub. When a drop of water hits anywhere in that bathtub it eventually finds its way to the drain.

A bit more complicated, but that’s the general idea.

10
Things YOU CAN DO
To Help Maintain a Healthy Barnegat Bay

What are those red things in my oyster?

Why do some shellfish turn red when cooked

<click here to find out>


Leonardo Fibonacci
an Italian mathematician of the 13th century.

His formula: The Fibonacci Sequence.
A the series of numbers: 0, 1, 2, 3, 5, 8, 13, 21, 34, etc. (0+1=1, 1+1=2, 1+2=3, 3+2=5, 5+3=8, 8+5=13, etc.) .

 …so what does this have to do with biology?

Credits
Barnegat Bay Partnership
Pea crab - Jed Portman Garden&Gun