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Atlantic Coast Title 50 Lease Exclusion Areas - Title 50:1-23 “Shellfish” describes areas in which no additional lands may be leased at the Parker Beds in Parker Cove, Forked River Beds, Cedar Creek Beds and Sloop Creek Beds in Barnegat Bay (No leases currently exist in these defined areas). Additionally, no lands under the tidal waters of the Navesink River and Shrewsbury River shall be leased for the planting and cultivating of shellfish. a line that delineates lands in tidal waters of the Mullica River in which no additional leases will be granted. The Navesink and Shrewsbury Rivers were created based upon the existing NJDEP 2015 Waterbody GIS data layer. Parker Cove was digitized based upon provided coordinates. Cedar Creek, Forked River, and Sloop Creek were digitized based upon georeferenced photographs of historic charts delineating those areas - as such, the boundaries are approximate only.Great Egg Harbor River Lease Exclusion Area - Title 50:1-23 “Shellfish” states that no additional lands shall be leased at the mouth of the Tuckahoe River and the Great Egg Harbor River. This line also defines the boundary of the area described under NJAC 7:25-19, Atlantic Coast Harvest, in which the harvest clams and oysters in the Great Egg Harbor River, Tuckahoe River and Middle River can only be established by the Division, with the advice of the Atlantic Coast Section of the NJ Shellfisheries Council by hand tongs only. Harvest shall not be permitted between June 30 to September 1 of any year. This data shows the delineation of areas above the line established on the “official chart” in which no new leases may be granted and clam and oyster harvest is restricted to hand tongs only during a harvest season.Mullica River Title 50 Lease Exclusion Area - Title 50:1-23 “Shellfish” describes a line that delineates lands in tidal waters of the Mullica River in which no additional leases will be granted. No new leases shall be granted under the waters of the Mullica River above a line extending in a westerly direction from the south end of Deep Point. Existing leases may be granted “heretofore” in this area of the Mullica. In summary, leases that were previously granted and were subsequently vacated, could be granted again.Cape Horn Lease Exclusion Area - Cape Horn (Great Bay) Lease Exclusion Area defined by the Leasing of Atlantic Coast Bottom for Aquaculture regulations is an area where no new lease applications will be accepted as it was classified as productive and new leases discouraged as per (NJAC 7:25-24.6(d)1i. The line defining the area was drawn on a NOAA Nautical Chart 12316 (23rd Ed. November 15, 1986). The chart was defined as the “Official Chart” and kept with the leasing charts at the NJ Division of Fish and Wildlife Nacote Creek Shellfish Office. The citation as adopted September 18, 1989. There are numerous current shellfish leases that were established prior to the adoption of this rule. If one of these Cape Horn leases become vacated, the vacated parcel may not be re-leased. The area was digitzied within GIS using landmarks and navigation aids depicted on the “Official Chart”. The 1986 version of the chart used for the “Official Chart” has since been updated.Goosebar Lease Exclusion Area - Regulatory area pertaining to shellfish leases: no leases allowed in area defined as the Goosebar in Little Egg Harbor Bay.Lakes Bay Lease Exclusion Area - Lakes Bay is an area defined by the Leasing of Atlantic Coast Bottom for Aquaculture regulations as an area classified as productive in which leasing is discouraged (NJAC 7:25-24.6(d)1iii. The line defining the area was drawn on a NOAA Nautical Chart 12316 (23rd Ed. November 15, 1986). The chart was defined as the “Official Chart” and kept with the leasing charts at the NJ Bureau of Shellfisheries Nacote Creek Shellfish Office.The citation as adopted September 18, 1989.Sunflower Island Lease Exclusion Area - Sunflower Island, Brigantine is an area defined by the Leasing of Atlantic Coast Bottom for Aquaculture regulations as an area classified as productive in which leasing is discouraged (NJAC 7:25-24.6(d)1iv. The line defining the area was drawn on a NOAA Nautical Chart 12316 (23rd Ed. November 15, 1986). The chart was defined as the “Official Chart” and kept with the leasing charts at the Nacote Creek Shellfish Office. The citation as adopted September 18, 1989. There are a few current shellfish leases that were established prior to the adoption of this rule.Great Sound Lease Exclusion Area- Policy area pertaining to shellfish leases: expansion of the Great Sound lease block is limited to the area between the eastern boundary line of the existing lease area to the western boundary of the existing lease area.Brigantine and Absecon Lease Restriction Area - The waters between the City of Brigantine and City of Absecon have a history of productive hard clam harvest and other commercial fisheries such as crab potting. The Shellfish Council had made several policy decisions in regard to leasing limiting additional new leases, but maintaining existing leases or eliminating certain leases that may go vacant that were established prior to the Council’s policies. These policy decisions can be found on the “Leasing Policy of the Atlantic Coast Section of the New Jersey Shellfisheries Council.” In addition, waters classified as productive hard clam habitat are discouraged from leasing as per the Leasing of Atlantic Coast Bottom for Aquaculture regulations at NJAC 7:25-24. The area was digitized in GIS based upon the NJDEP's 2015 Landuse/Landcover dataset and using geographic landmarks to delineate waterbodies defined by Council policy and areas considered productive for hard clams.Graveling Beds - Regulatory area pertaining to NJ Atlantic coast shellfish leases: no leases allowed in mapped area.The Graveling Beds are an area defined under Title 50 and the Atlantic Coast Harvest Season regulations NJAC 7:25-19. No leases are allowed in the Graveling beds. There are five main oyster reef lumps in this region known as the Graveling Beds which consist of Fitney Bit, Reef Bed, Oyster Bed Point Bed, Turtle Island Beds and an unnamed lump near Goose Cove. These beds are located within a boundary known as the Graveling Beds. Harvest in the Graveling Beds can only be established by the Division, with the advice of the Atlantic Coast Section of the NJ Shellfisheries Council by hand tongs only. Harvest shall not be permitted between June 30 to September 1 of any year.Kings Grant (Little Egg Harbor Bay) – Area of the Riparian Grant in Little Egg Harbor Bay which is known as the “Kings Grant.” This area is unleasable for shellfish as the grant is exclusive to the grant holder. This data delineates riparian grant issued in 1896. It’s called a Kings Grant, but we believe that is mistaken. The grant gives exclusive rights to the grant holders to the bottom. |