September 26, 2018

Wreck Pond has had its fare share of excitement in the past month. From flash flooding at the end of August, to some wild finds in the past couple weeks in the seine net. 

On August 20, the Spring Lake area was hit with a rain storm that released a substantial amount of rain in a short period of time. The fish passage culvert was still closed for the beach season, so due to the heavy amount of rain and the restricted ability for the pond to drain, surrounding residents experienced several flooded roads. In response to the rising water, the fish passage culvert was opened and a trench was dug from the eastern Sea Girt side of the pond to the ocean to release the excess water. 

The Wreck Pond team is nearing the last month of their Fall fish sampling season. Each Thursday, the team pulls the 100 foot purse seine net in hopes of capturing juvenile river herring. Although herring haven't been caught since July, there have been plenty of surprises found since. Fun finds the team has caught include: northern puffer fish, Atlantic needle fish, pipe fish, northern king fish, a baby squid, and a commone seahorse (smaller images below).  

The most unique find to date was captured and released on Thursday 9/20/18. Identifying the mysterious specimen stumped the team, so images were sent to Sandy Hook NOAA fish lab staff for help. They replied confirming the identity of the creature, a Wreck Pond first (large image below), a juvenile mahi mahi! Mahi can be caught off the coast of New Jersey, however, finding such a small juvenile in Wreck Pond was certainly an exciting and special find for the team.

If you are interested in participating in any of the remaining sampling events, please contact Julie Schumacher, julie@littoralsociety.org for more information.