New York Seascape

The waters that lap the shores of New York and New Jersey support an ecological treasure trove of marine wildlife, from globally significant populations of threatened whales, dolphins, sea turtles, sharks and rays, to hundreds of other marine fishes, birds, invertebrates and deep sea corals. This 25,000 mi2 patch of ocean from Montauk, NY, to Cape May, NJ, also encompasses an extraordinary array of highly productive estuaries, tidal rivers, nearshore migration corridors, a sandy continental shelf, soaring seamounts, and massive deep-sea canyons. The Hudson Canyon—by far the largest submarine canyon along the U.S. Atlantic Coast and a hotbed of diversity—begins just 80 miles from the Statue of Liberty. It is this rich array of habitats, coupled with the largest seasonal fluctuations in ocean temperature in the world, that account for this astounding—yet largely under appreciated—stronghold of marine biodiversity, hidden beneath the waves and just a stone’s throw from New York City.