Algae, Duckweed & Sponges

Algae

Yuck!

Unlike marine algae, freshwater algae is usually little more than green slime. Much of it is actually microscopic single-celled organisms that form the base of the food chain. That is why the water is green ( when it is green. ) *

-- Wikipedia

* This is New Jersey ... Lord knows why the water is green. Try not to think about it.


Duckweed

magnified, actual size ~ 1/8"

You may find yourself paddling through masses of tiny green floating flecks. That is Duckweed. Duckweed is the tiniest of true plants, just a single leaf and a hair-like root.

-- Wikipedia


Sponges

Again, Yuck!

Freshwater sponges are nothing to write home about. They are typically just a colorless ( or sometimes green ) mass of goo that you wouldn't want to touch, unlike marine sponges which are often big and colorful. Sponges are animals, not plants, but they act like plants, so I'm putting them here.

-- Wikipedia


Laurence Harbor
( 40.45105, -74.27258 )

  1. Lake Lefferts - Matawan ( 40.41563, -74.23362 )
  2. Raritan Bay - Cliffwood (E) ( 40.45089, -74.22033 )
  3. Raritan Bay - Cliffwood (W) ( 40.45216, -74.22269 )
  4. Raritan Bay - Cliffwood (Whale Creek) ( 40.45090, -74.22274 )
  5. Raritan Bay - Keyport (W) ( 40.43921, -74.20160 )
  6. Raritan Bay - Laurence Harbor (E) ( 40.45877, -74.24622 )
  7. Raritan Bay - Laurence Harbor (W) ( 40.46223, -74.25482 )
  8. Raritan Bay - South Amboy (N) ( 40.48343, -74.27059 )
  9. Raritan Bay - South Amboy (S) ( 40.47946, -74.26831 )
  10. Raritan Bay - South Amboy Ramp ( 40.48401, -74.27416 )
  11. Raritan River - Perth Amboy ( 40.50057, -74.27712 )
  12. Wagner's Marina - Matawan Creek ( 40.43540, -74.21416 )

Much of this part or Raritan Bay is fenced-off because of lead pollution from the industrial slag used to build jetties and seawalls in the 1970s. Supposedly, most of it has been cleaned up, but the whole area remains 'off-limits'. Since the toxins leach into the water and are carried off by the currents, you really have to wonder about the entire bay. A quick search online will reveal more on this subject than you ever wanted to know.