FISHERY BULLETIN: VOL. 72, NO. 2 



72= 25' 



GOOSE CREEK, N.Y. 



100 200 300 

 A1 e f e r s 



41° 03 



Figure 1. — Location map of Goose Creek, N.Y. 



the summer months and from the northwest in 

 winter. 



There are four "minor" and five "major" islands 

 in Goose Creek, the largest of which is 115.6 m by 

 42.4 m. They sustain a heavy growth of Spartina 

 alterniflora with dense colonies of Modiolus 

 demissus and Uca pugnax. 



The entrance of Goose Creek was dredged from 

 a mean low water depth of 0.8 m to a minimum 

 of 2.1 m below mean low water. In cross section 

 the channel was changed from a gentle depres- 

 sion to a steep-sided U. As a consequence of dredg- 

 ing the channel, the main water flow was shifted 

 from one channel to another and current velocities 

 dropped approximately one-half, except in the 

 western half of the bay where previously negli- 

 gible velocities increased. 



The substratum of the bay consists of coarse 

 gravel and sand in the main channel before it 

 trifurcates into channels A, B, and C, which are 

 characterized by sand grading into fine sand and 

 mud in areas with reduced current velocity. The 

 bottom sediments in the western half of the bay 

 consist of thick silt over gray clay mixed with 

 shell and sand. 



The surrounding upland consists of Spartina 

 marsh edged by stands ofPhragmites communis. 

 Before dredging, the south shore was almost 

 completely developed, with small summer homes 

 along the shores. The north and west shores were 

 undergoing partial development with year-round 

 homes. Five years after the dredging (1972), the 

 area was almost completely developed, much of 

 the marsh having been replaced by areas filled 

 for homesites. 



446 



