Volunteers organized by the state Department of Environmental Protection put on their waders and wet suits, grabbed a deck brush and began scrubbing the sides of bulkheads Friday morning.
The effort was part of the Barnegat Bay Bulkhead Blitz, a project aimed at raising awareness of how residents can help address the proliferation of stinging sea nettle jellyfish in the bay. By taking a scrub brush and washing down the sides of bulkheads – especially ones made of vinyl – the sea nettle population can be reduced, researchers have found, since the larvae overwinter on the bulkhead surface.
State officials have urged waterfront homeowners to give their bulkheads a scrubbing at least once per season, preferably in the spring before hot weather arrives, to cut down on the sea nettle population.
Friday’s cleaning took place in the Curtis Point neighborhood, located in the South Mantoloking section of Brick Township. The group will return to do the same in a portion of Shore Acres – a mainland Brick neighborhood – next week.
See our full report in the video above.
