Reappraisal of Shellfish Growing Area NE-4: The Shark River, 1994 - 2000

The water quality data presented in this Reappraisal of Shellfish Growing Area NE-4, The Shark River, was collected between November 1994 and June 2000. The waters in this shellfish growing area are classified as Special Restricted. It is prohibited to harvest shellfish from this area for direct market without a special permit issued in compliance with the State of New Jersey's Relay or Depuration Programs. The water quality of this shellfish growing area was consistent with the shellfish growing area classification as specified by the National Shellfish Sanitation Program (NSSP) criteria (USPHS, 1997 Revision).This report is part of a series of studies having a dual purpose. The first and primary purpose is to comply with the guidelines of the National Shellfish Sanitation Program (NSSP) that are established by the Interstate Shellfish Sanitation Conference (ISSC). The second purpose is to input the State Water Quality Inventory Report which is prepared pursuant to Section 305(b) of the Federal Clean Water Act (P.L. 95-217). The information contained in the growing area reports is also used for the New Jersey State Water Quality Inventory Report (305b) which provides an assessment to Congress every two years of current water quality conditions in the State's major rivers, lakes, estuaries and ocean waters.This report was funded by a State General Appropriation and the Federal Clean Water Act, and prepared by staff at the Bureau of Marine Water Monitoring, Leeds Point, New Jersey