Rep. Smith (left) holds a telephone conference on Monday, August 15th with Lieutenant Colonel Ramon Brigantti of the Philadelphia District of the Army Corps of Engineers and Captain Howard Bogan (right) of the fishing vessel Jamaica from the docks of Bogan’s Basin in Brielle.

            Rep. Chris Smith (R-Manchester) announced today that the Army Corps of Engineers will return to the Manasquan Inlet next week to assess the large and potentially dangerous sandbar that has developed in the busy waterway after Smith intervened with the Corps and met leaders in the New Jersey fishing industry while surveying the inlet on Monday.

            “The Corps’ new survey now scheduled for next week will help them better evaluate the most recent developments and any action that must be taken for the safety of commercial and recreational boaters on the inlet,” said Rep. Smith.  “We appreciate their response.”

            Smith noted that “shifting sands in the Inlet are not new, but this oversized low-tide sandbar in the inlet has not been seen in our lives.”

            “We are gravely concerned that it will pose a serious hazard to navigation,” said Smith, who represents Manasquan, Point Pleasant and many other shore communities in both Monmouth and Ocean counties.

            “Out of concern for the local fishing and boating community, I reached out to Lieutenant Colonel Ramon Brigantti of the Philadelphia District of the Army Corps of Engineers and strongly urged him to return to Monmouth and Ocean counties to rectify this situation,” Smith said.

            After alerting the Corps to the problem last week via letter, Smith held a telephone conference on Monday with the Corps’ top engineer and Captain Howard Bogan of the fishing vessel Jamaica from the docks of Bogan’s Basin in Brielle.

Smith meets with Point Pleasant Beach Councilman Michael Ramos at the Manasquan Inlet.

            “Nobody knows these waters better than the veterans of our local fishing community, so it was important to have Captain Howard Bogan on the phone to share his first-hand knowledge and experience of sailing through the channel in the last two weeks,” Smith said.  “His expertise and insights helped illustrate the need to survey the inlet to see exactly where the shallow spots lie.”

            In addition to the sand bar that is visible at low tide, Smith urged LTC Brigantti to have his team study the channel depth throughout the inlet, noting that if the matter continues to escalate, larger vessels—including the commercial fishing fleet—may experience groundings.

            The phone conference Smith hosted with the Army Corps and Captain Bogan emphasized key points in Smith’s August 12 letter to Brigantti, including:

            ·         Reports that “there was at least one spot in the federal channel that was only nine feet deep.  As you know, some of the vessels in the local commercial fleet require up to 12 feet of depth, leaving them at risk of grounding.  Should that happen, it would be both very dangerous and extremely costly.”

            ·         “…the fear that under stormy conditions, the sand bar will be very dangerous to all vessels.  Under fair weather conditions, boats can steer clear of the sand bar, but with a 25-knot wind pushing them around, it will be very dangerous—especially if the sandbar continues to grow at the current rate.”

            ·         “Understanding that the safety and viability of recreational, for-hire and commercial vessels is of utmost importance at all times of the year and especially during these last few weeks of summer when inlet traffic is at its peak, I respectfully request that the Army Corps take immediate corrective action to mitigate this potentially dangerous navigational hazard.”

            Smith also spoke with Point Pleasant Beach Mayor Paul Kanitra and Councilman Michael Ramos, who discussed their concerns about the situation’s effects on the local fishing community, as well as the challenges of keeping people off the sand bar that has resulted from the shoaling. They reminded the public that as tempting as it may be to cast a line from the new low-tide beach, it’s dangerous to be standing that close to speeding boats in the inlet.  

            In addition, Smith met with charter boat Capt. David Goldman of Shore Catch Guide Service, who explained how the shifting sands have changed the wave action at the mouth of the inlet making it more challenging for smaller boats to traverse the waterway during this busy time of year.

            “The Army Corps of Engineers is the federal government’s master builders, and nobody does it better than the Corps,” Smith added.  “We appreciate their response and new survey of the inlet.”

            The Manasquan Inlet is considered a “dynamic” inlet—one in which the sand is constantly changing. The Inlet closed on its own for several years in the 1920s and was only restored after the Army Corps built the jetties which remain today.

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