Image by Mike Patricio

Peconic Bay Scallop

Image by Christopher Pickerell

Atlantic silversides are important prey items for larger predatory fish and shorebirds.

Delicious Local Fish • Monkfish • See our Fisheries Webpages

Horseshoe Crab Monitoring Network

Lady crab in a Peconic Estuary eelgrass meadow.

Image by Kimberly Manzo

A lady crab protects her clutch in a Peconic Estuary eelgrass meadow.

Image by Kimberly Manzo

Oysters are one of the species of shellfish raised by CCE's Aquaculture Program.

Stormwater/Water Quality

Fisheries

Winter flounder in a Long Island Sound eelgrass meadow.

A winter flounder swims through a Long Island Sound eelgrass meadow.

CCE Marine

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Our waters are an integral part of life for us, making Long Island a desirable place to live. The Marine Program, which became part of CCE Suffolk in 1985, is known and respected nationally and internationally. Its mission is to protect our waters, providing a clean environment for our fish, fowl, and plants.

Our researchers and educators inform Long Islanders how we can each do our part to safeguard our environment. Projects have been designed to bring back our once thriving eelgrass and shellfish populations, ensure our commercial fishing industry continues to thrive while limiting bycatch, provide public education about the environmental consequences of stormwater runoff, and introduce our young people to marine sciences and marine life on Long Island.

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The Long Island Marine and Coastal Field Guide is now available! Purchase here. In 2025, Cornell Cooperative Extension Marine Program released its Long Island Marine & Coastal Field Guide featuring over 250 gouache paintings by Carolyn Munaco. Designed to be waterproof and durable, this practical resource will provide a visual field guide to the flora and fauna found in Long Island’s unique marine habitats, including our eelgrass meadows, salt marshes, oyster reefs, and ocean beaches. We believe that this guide will become a trusty companion for students, teachers, and citizen naturalists of all ages as they explore and appreciate Long Island’s diverse environmental landscapes.
	The 2025 Fisheries Quarterly Spring Newsletter is here! Catch up on all of the great work our fisheries team is doing. Visit our Fisheries webpages for more project information and archived newsletters.
Back to the Bays 2024 Impact Report Read about all the great work our Back to the Bays initiative accomplished in 2024! From restoration projects to Stewardship opportunities, and much, much more. Click here. LEARN \| DO \| ENJOY \| GIVE BACK

Marine Fishes and Fisheries of New York documents the extraordinary diversity of fishes found within the state's inland marine waters and twelve nautical miles off the coastline.

In this definitive resource for the region, Howard M. Reisman and Emerson C. Hasbrouck Jr. highlight 244 species alongside the fisheries and food chains to which they are vital.

Species profiles describe distribution and annual movements, anatomical, physiological and behavioral distinctions, ecological roles, and more. This up-to-date volume also features:

Fishery management and sustainability practices
More than 150 drawings and a color gallery
QR codes linking to fish videos

Marine Fishes and Fisheries of New York is essential for professionals and enthusiasts looking to discover the region's abundance of unique and important fish species.

Click here for more information and to purchase.

Want to volunteer for CCE Marine? Our volunteer page has more information.

eVTR

eVTR is an acronym for Electronic Vessel Trip Reporting

FISHERIES EVENTS

Come on out and meet our FISHERIES team! Cooking demos, tastings, and talks.

SPAT Program

Join the SPAT Program (Southold Project in Aquaculture Training) to learn how to raise your own shellfish while giving back to our bays!

Back to the Bays Initiative

Learn about opportunities for you to "Give Back to the Bays" by learning, getting involved and enjoying our marine environment!

F.I.S.H.

The Fall Fisheries Quarterly is out! Cornell Marine Program is implementing a new local seafood marketing project, Fresh, Indigenous, Sustainable, and Healthy (FISH).

Unified Water Study

An educational experience helping to collect data on various water quality parameters at sunrise from May through October (there will be 4 events per month). Participants can attend as many or as few events as they choose, however, due to limited sp