Peconic Bay

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Peconic Bay
Great Peconic Bay
Little Peconic Bay
G-P Bay.jpg
USA New York relief location map.svg
Red pog.svg
Peconic Bay
Location Suffolk County, New York
Coordinates 40°57′49″N072°28′0″W / 40.96361°N 72.46667°W / 40.96361; -72.46667 (Peconic Bay)
Primary inflows North Atlantic
Basin  countriesUnited States
Max. depth80 ft (24 m)
Surface elevation10 ft (3.0 m)

The Peconic Bay is the parent name for two bays (Great Peconic Bay and Little Peconic Bay) between the North Fork and South Fork of Long Island in Suffolk County, New York, United States. It is separated from Gardiners Bay by Shelter Island.

Contents

Description

Peconic Bay is divided by Robins Island into the Great Peconic Bay on the west and Little Peconic Bay on the east. [1] [2] [3] The west end of Great Peconic Bay is also called Flanders Bay. Great Peconic is a shallow bay, less than 30 feet (9.1 m) deep, while Little Peconic reaches depths of over 80 feet (24 m). The Shinnecock Canal provides access from the Great Peconic Bay to Shinnecock Bay. The two Peconic Bays are often collectively referred to as "the Peconics".

The Peconics are a tidal estuary system fed at the western end by the Peconic River. [1] [2] Other notable tidal estuary creeks which provide brackish water to the system are Meeting House Creek, Brushes Creek, James Creek, and Deep Hole Creek on the North Fork. These and others bring lesser salinity to the water compared to the Atlantic Ocean. For that reason, the clams, oysters and bay scallops were numerous for generations since they require brackish water and the bountiful phyto and zooplankton which give the system its first tier of life. Reseeding of shellfish in 2005 and 2006 and leasing of the bottom to commercial farmers for clams and oysters have given rise to hope for the ecosystem. [2]

The winter flounder fishing usually caught in the spring has all but collapsed, but fluke (summer flounder), bluefish, porgy (scup) and some northern weakfish are to be found, using clams, squid and spearing for bait. Snappers (young spawned bluefish of the year) give youngsters a real thrill in late summer. August is a time of blue claw crabbing and recent catches 2006 and 2007 in the inlets and creeks have been bountiful. [1] [2]

A boaters' paradise for its calm waters in summer and fresh sou'westers in late afternoon for sailing has become a popular vacation spot for New Yorkers and East coasters. [2]

Regional influence

Peconic Bay gives its name to the proposed Peconic County, which would comprise the eastern portion of existing Suffolk County surrounding Peconic Bay and would include the five easternmost towns: East Hampton, Riverhead, Shelter Island, Southampton, and Southold. [4] [5] While this movement to split Suffolk County along economic lines (the western half is more suburban in character, while the eastern half is more rural) has a long history, it has not gained significant traction in Albany since 1997, when the New York State Legislature refused to allow it to separate from Suffolk County. [4] [5]

See also

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Suffolk County, New York</span> County in New York, United States

Suffolk County is the easternmost county in the U.S. state of New York, constituting the eastern two-thirds of Long Island. It is bordered to its west by Nassau County, to its east by Gardiners Bay and the open Atlantic Ocean, to its north by Long Island Sound, and to its south by the Atlantic Ocean.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Hampton Bays, New York</span> Hamlet and census-designated place in New York, United States

Hampton Bays is a hamlet and census-designated place (CDP) in the Town of Southampton in Suffolk County, on Long Island, in New York. It is considered as part of the region of Long Island known as The Hamptons. The population was 13,603 at the 2010 census.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Long Island Sound</span> Tidal estuary on the U.S. East Coast

Long Island Sound is a marine sound and tidal estuary of the Atlantic Ocean. It lies predominantly between the U.S. state of Connecticut to the north and Long Island in New York to the south. From west to east, the sound stretches 110 mi (180 km) from the East River and the Throgs Neck Bridge in New York City, along the North Shore of Long Island, to Block Island Sound. A mix of freshwater from tributaries, and saltwater from the Atlantic Ocean, Long Island Sound is 21 mi (34 km) at its widest point and varies in depth from 65 to 230 feet.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Southampton, New York</span> Town in New York, United States

Southampton, officially the Town of Southampton, is a town in southeastern Suffolk County, New York, partly on the South Fork of Long Island. As of the 2020 U.S. census, the town had a population of 69,036. Southampton is included in the stretch of shoreline prominently known as the Hamptons.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Southold, New York</span> Town in New York, United States

The Town of Southold is one of ten towns in Suffolk County, New York, United States. It is located in the northeastern tip of the county, on the North Fork of Long Island. The population was 23,732 at the 2020 census. The town contains a hamlet, also named Southold, which was settled in 1640.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Gardiners Bay</span> A small arm of the Atlantic Ocean in the U.S. state of New York at the eastern end of Long Island

Gardiners Bay is a small arm of the Atlantic Ocean, approximately 10 mi (16 km) long and 8 mi (13 km) wide in the U.S. state of New York between the two flukelike peninsulas at the eastern end of Long Island. It is bounded on its eastern end, where it connects to Block Island Sound, by Gardiners Island and Promised Land.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Mullica River</span> River

The Mullica River is a 50.6-mile-long (81.4 km) river in southern New Jersey in the United States. The Mullica was once known as the Little Egg Harbor River.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Peconic County, New York</span> Hypothetical new county on Long Island, New York

Peconic County is a proposed new county on Long Island in the U.S. state of New York that would secede the five easternmost towns of Suffolk County: East Hampton, Riverhead, Shelter Island, Southampton and Southold, plus the Shinnecock Indian Reservation.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">North Fork (Long Island)</span> Peninsula on Long Island, New York, United States

The North Fork is a 30-mile- (48 km) long peninsula in the northeast part of Suffolk County, New York, U.S., roughly parallel with a longer peninsula known as the South Fork, both on the East End of Long Island. Although the peninsula begins east of Riverhead hamlet, the term North Fork can also refer collectively to the towns of Riverhead and Southold in their entirety.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">South Fork (Long Island)</span>

The South Fork of Suffolk County, New York is a peninsula in the southeastern section of the county on the South Shore of Long Island. The South Fork includes most of the Hamptons. The shorter, more northerly peninsula is known as the North Fork.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Shinnecock Canal</span>

The Shinnecock Canal is a canal that cuts across the South Fork at Hampton Bays, New York. At 4,700 feet (1,400 m) long, it connects Great Peconic Bay and the north fork of Long Island with Shinnecock Bay and the Atlantic Ocean. The canal opened to traffic in 1892.

Bonackers is the name for a group of people from the East Hampton Town area of East Hampton, New York.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Outer Barrier</span> String of barrier islands dividing Long Island from the Atlantic Ocean

The Outer Barrier, also known as the Long Island and New York City barrier islands, refers to the string of barrier islands that divide the lagoons south of Long Island, New York from the Atlantic Ocean. These islands include Long Beach Barrier Island, Barnum Island, Jones Beach Island, Fire Island and Westhampton Island. The outer barrier extends 75 miles (121 km) along the South Shore of Long Island, from the Rockaway Peninsula in New York City to the east end of Shinnecock Bay in Suffolk County.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Patchogue Bay</span> Bay on Long Island, New York

Patchogue Bay is a lagoon on the south-central shores of Long Island in the U.S. state of New York.

The South Shore Estuary is an estuary located along the south shore of Long Island, between the mainland and the outer barrier islands, in eastern New York state. It stretches for over 70 miles (110 km) from West Bay in Nassau County to the Shinnecock Bay in Suffolk County.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Moriches Bay</span> Lagoon in Long Island, New York

Moriches Bay is a lagoon system on the south shore of Long Island, New York. The name Moriches comes from Meritces, a Native American who owned land on Moriches Neck.

Canoe Place was a station stop along the Montauk Branch of the Long Island Rail Road and first opened as a low cinder platform on the south east side of Shinnecock Canal in 1935. The station was in service for "Fisherman's Special" trains and was closed in 1953. "Fisherman's Special" trains operated from Penn Station to Montauk and provided an intermediate stop at Canoe Place for boats waiting to take anglers out on Peconic Bay. The station was located between Hampton Bays and Suffolk Downs Stations. The hamlet where it was located is now part of Hampton Bays, New York.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">East End (Long Island)</span> Region of Long Island, New York, United States

The East End of Long Island is constituted by the five towns at the eastern end of New York's Suffolk County, namely Riverhead, Southampton, Southold, Shelter Island, and East Hampton. Long Island's North Fork and South Fork, and the Hamptons are part of the East End. "The East End" is sometimes shortened as "The End", but this latter term is also applied only to Montauk, the most easterly hamlet of the contiguous land mass.

The Tide Mill at Southold, erected in the 1640's by Thomas Benedict, holds a place of distinction in American history as the first recorded English mill in the New World. It paved the way for future tide mills and contributed to the economic growth of the Southold community.

References

  1. 1 2 3 "Peconic Estuary Partnership - NYS Dept. of Environmental Conservation". www.dec.ny.gov. Retrieved 2023-07-29.
  2. 1 2 3 4 5 "Peconic Estuary". The Nature Conservancy. Retrieved 2023-07-29.
  3. ↑ "Long Island Index: Interactive Map". www.longislandindexmaps.org. Retrieved 2023-07-29.
  4. 1 2 Healy, Patrick (2004-02-11). "Growth Pains And Clout Heading East In Suffolk". The New York Times. ISSN   0362-4331 . Retrieved 2023-07-29.
  5. 1 2 Voters Vs. Politicians On Peconic County - East Hampton Star - March 5, 1998 [ permanent dead link ]
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