1. ERDC Knowledge Core
2. Pre - Engineer Research and Development Center (ERDC)
3. Coastal Engineering Research Center (CERC) - (1963 - 1996)
4. Publication
5. Technical Report

Title:	New York Bight study. Report 5, NY Bight Biological Review Program
Authors:	United States. Army. Corps of Engineers. New York District Will, Robert J. Wilber, Pace
Keywords:	Dredged material disposal Environmental impacts New York Bight Dredging Environmental effects Environmental monitoring Dredging spoil Data Data processing
Publisher:	Coastal Engineering Research Center (U.S.) Engineer Research and Development Center (U.S.)
Series/Report no.:	Technical report (U.S. Army Engineer Waterways Experiment Station) ; CERC-94-4 rept. 5.
Description:	Technical Report Abstract: The New York Bight Biological Review Program (BBRP) was developed under the authorization of Section 728 of the Water Resources and Development Act of 1986 (PL99-662). Its objective was to identify the types of databases and models that are needed, but currently unavailable, for examining impacts to marine biological resources from large-scale projects within the NY Bight. The BBRP used five hypothetical projects to accomplish this objective. In doing so, it was expected that impacts examined via these hypothetical projects would be representative of impacts that would result from whatever future projects actually are pursued in the NY Bight. In this manner, the adequacy of existing infonnation for examining the more important biological impacts from future projects will have already been reviewed and plans outlined for obtaining critical missing infonnation with sufficient lead time to allow the gaps to be filled in a scientifically reliable manner. The BBRP's work was periodically reviewed by an independent group of scientists from academia, the Biological Review and Assessment Group (BRAG), to ensure assessments were scientifically reasonable. The hypothetical projects chosen to guide the BBRP were: (1) use of offshore containment islands for disposal of dredged material, (2) expansion of the Mud Dump Site to accommodate more dredged material, (3) use of a new offshore dredged material disposal site, (4) use of offshore borrow pits as disposal sites for dredged material, and (5) lengthening and deepening Ambrose Channel (the main entrance to NY/NJ Harbor). For simplicity, the types of organisms considered were limited to macroinfauna, epifauna, fish, and macrocrustaceans. Information gaps identified by examining these hypothetical projects were synthesized into a set of recommendations that are not likely to be addressed by the site-specific surveys that would accompany planning of a particular project. Instead, these recommendations focus upon system-wide studies that are crucial to correctly interpreting the more limited, site-specific studies. These information gaps include: (1.) Synthesizing past studies into a process-oriented view of the NY Bight ecosystem and quantitatively testing conceptual models of how that ecosystem functions. (2.) Determining the importance of the Hudson River plume in plankton dynamics, fishery recruiunent, and material exchanges between Hudson/Raritan estuary and the Atlantic Ocean. (3.) Examination of bioaccumulation of contaminants by fish from an east coast perspective. Three additional recommendations were made for information that would facilitate the planning of particular projects. These recommendations could be addressed inexpensively with existing data and include: (1.) Generic modeling of the general flow patterns of density stratified waters around and above subaqueous pits. (2.) Mapping infaunal and epifaunal abundances and value as food to bottom feeding fishes. (3.) Quantifying the distributions and abundances of hard-bottom benthos and fish and the food habits of hardbottom fishes. NOTE: This file is large. Allow your browser several minutes to download the file.
Rights:	Approved for public release; distribution is unlimited.
URI:	http://hdl.handle.net/11681/12586
Appears in Collections:	Technical Report