Northeast Coastal Areas Study
Significant Coastal Habitats
Site 22 (CT)
I. SITE NAME: New Haven Harbor Complex
II. LOCATION: This complex is centered primarily along the central coast of Connecticut on Long Island Sound in the New Haven Harbor area and areas to the east.
TOWNS: Branford, East Haven, Guilford,
Hamden, Madison, New Haven, North Haven, Wallingford, West Haven
COUNTY: New Haven
STATE: Connecticut
USGS 7.5 MIN QUADS: Woodmont, Conn 41072-28;
Branford, Conn 41072-37; Clinton, Conn 41072-35; Guilford, Conn
41072-36; New Haven, Conn 41072-38; Wallingford, Conn 41072-47;
Mount Carmel, Conn 41072-48
USGS 30x60 MIN QUADS: Bridgeport 41073-A1; New
Haven 41072-A1
III. GENERAL BOUNDARY: The outer, shoreward boundary of this largely nearshore water and tidal flat-dominated complex extends from Merwin Point, just south of Woodmont (Milford) east to Sachem Head (Guilford), a distance of approximately 14.5 miles (23 km). Enclosed within this boundary are the east and west shoreline areas around New Haven Harbor to the limit of anadromous fish passage on the West and Quinnipiac Rivers, including the Quinnipiac Meadows wetlands area and the North Haven and Wallingford sand plains north of New Haven Harbor. To the east of New Haven Harbor, the boundary incorporates the Branford River, Leetes Island and Joshua Cove marshes and tidal flats and nearshore waters of Long Island Sound for a distance averaging 1-2 miles (2-3 km) south of the shoreline. A number of important wildlife islands in the Branford-Guilford vicinity are included within this nearshore water boundary, most notably The Thimbles and Kelsey Island. The general boundary is outlined on the accompanying maps of this complex.
Specific habitat areas of particular regional significance to fish and wildlife resources that are in need of protection and/or management are: 1) Morse Point/Sandy Point, West Haven, including areas of intertidal mud and sand flats to the north and south of Sandy Point; 2) intertidal sand and mud flats along the west shore of New Haven Harbor in the vicinity of Long Wharf and City Point; 3) open waters of New Haven Harbor north of the outer breakwaters; 4) Quinnipiac River marshes; 5) Quinnipiac River sand plains; 6) anadromous fish runs of the West, Mill, Quinnipiac, Farm and Branford Rivers; 7) Leetes Island and Joshua Cove marshes (including Lost Lake) and tidal flats; 8) marshes and islands in Branford Harbor and River; and 9) The Thimbles. These individual areas are outlined within the accompanying general boundary map of the complex.
IV. OWNERSHIP/PROTECTED STATUS: A significant portion of this complex includes public coastal and river waters and wetlands, while the rest represents various mixtures of publicly and privately owned lands. Several of the islands are privately held as is most of the sand plains area along the Quinnipiac River.
V. GENERAL HABITAT DESCRIPTION: The major habitat types of fish, wildlife and plant significance in this complex are: 1) sand spits and beaches; 2) intertidal mud and sand flats; 3) tidal marshes; 4) sand plains; 5) anadromous fish streams and rivers; 6) undeveloped coastal islands; and 7) nearcoastal waters of importance to migrating and wintering waterfowl. The Quinnipiac River marshes contain a diversity of habitat types, including: salt marsh dominated by cordgrasses (Spartina alterniflora and S. patens); extensive brackish marshes of dense stands of cattail (Typha angustifolia) and common reed (Phragmites australis); freshwater tidal marsh with a high diversity of species including sweet flag (Acorus calamus), broad-leaved cattail (T. latifolia), reed canary grass (Phalaris arundinacea) and wild rice (Zizania aquatica); and narrow fringes of floodplain forest dominated by green ash (Fraxinus pennsylvanica), red maple (Acer rubrum), black willow (Salix nigra) and silver maple (A. saccharinum). Salt marshes elsewhere in this complex are similar to those in the lower section of the Quinnipiac Marshes. The sand plains of the Quinnipiac occur on glacial terraces and are only a small remnant of their former extent. In many places wind-formed dunes and hummocks are prominent surface features. The plains vary from almost totally bare, desert-like, sandy areas with sparse vegetation to open grasslands of little bluestem (Schizachyrium scoparium) and lichens to low scrubby woodlands and forests of black oak (Quercus velutina) and pitch pine (Pinus rigida). Most of the sand plains area is heavily industrialized with only a few open or remnant natural areas remaining, such as in Wallingford. The Thimbles and other small rocky islands in the Branford-Guilford vicinity are a mixture of bedrock and glacial materials with cobble beaches and various vegetation types, from beach grass (Ammophila breviligulata) dunes to mature coastal woodlands and thickets with abundant poison ivy (Toxicodendron radicans) and oriental bittersweet (Celastrus orbiculatus). Tidal amplitude at the entrance to New Haven Harbor is 6.2 feet (1.89 m).
VI. SIGNIFICANCE/UNIQUENESS OF AREA: The sand and mud flats at Long Wharf, City Point and Morse Point/Sandy Point in New Haven Harbor are regionally significant staging areas for large concentrations of migrating sandpipers, terns, plovers, turnstones and other shorebirds and waterfowl that feed on these flats to sustain them on their long journeys southward or northward. Shorebird species of special note include semipalmated sandpiper (Calidris pusilla), dunlin (Calidris alpina), ruddy turnstone (Arenaria interpres), least sandpiper (Calidris minutilla) and sanderling (Calidris alba). The New Haven tidal flats are reported by State biologists to be the most important wintering area for American black duck (Anas rubripes) in Connecticut. Morse Point currently supports nesting populations of piping plover (Charadrius melodus), a U.S. Threatened species, and least tern (Sterna antillarum). Elsewhere in the complex, common terns (Sterna hirundo) nest on a few of the islands to the east of New Haven Harbor.
The open water areas and tidal flats in New Haven Harbor and the nearshore area south of Guilford, Branford and East Haven contain some of the largest and most important concentrations of wintering and migrating waterfowl along the Connecticut coast, especially American black duck, canvasback (Aythya valisineria), American wigeon (Anas americana), greater and lesser scaup (Aythya marila and Aythya affinis, respectively), common goldeneye (Bucephala clangula) and three species of scoter (Melanitta spp.). Wading bird rookeries are established on a few of the outer Thimbles, mostly snowy egret (Egretta thula), great egret (Casmerodius albus) and black-crowned night-heron (Nycticorax nycticorax). The nearshore areas also contain abundant shellfish beds, particularly for American oyster (Crassostrea virginica) and hard-shelled clams (Mercenaria mercenaria). The river systems in this complex all have anadromous fish runs in those reaches without barriers to fish passage. Anadromous fish using these rivers include American shad (Alosa sapidissima), sea-run brown trout (Salmo trutta), alewife (Alosa pseudoharengus), blueback herring (Alosa aestivalis), striped bass (Morone saxatilis) and white perch (Morone americana). New Haven Harbor is an important spawning and nursery area for winter flounder (Pseudopleuronectes americanus) and is heavily used by fishermen. Finfish common to this area include blackfish (Tautoga onitis), bluefish (Pomatomus saltatrix), weakfish (Cynoscion regalis), summer flounder (Paralichthys dentatus), and striped bass (Morone saxatilis).
Both the Quinnipiac River marshes and the upstream sand plains are important areas of regional biological diversity. The sand plains are a regionally rare and unique habitat, similar to the Hempstead Plains of Long Island, which is also only a small remnant of its former extent. The Quinnipiac Marshes are extremely productive biologically, in spite of the heavy industrialization that lines its banks and its chemically polluted waters and soils, especially with heavy metals. Migratory waterfowl using these marshes for nesting include American black duck, mallard (Anas platyrhynchos) and gadwall (Anas strepera), while northern harrier (Circus cyaneus), snowy egret and pied-billed grebe (Podilymbus podiceps) are suspected breeders. The marshes are also prime overwintering habitat for rough-legged hawk (Buteo lagopus) and snowy owl (Nyctea scandiaca).
VII. THREATS: The large seasonal concentrations of wildlife utilizing the extensive tidal mud and sand flats and open waters of this complex are extremely vulnerable to an oil spill or hazardous chemical discharge, particularly in New Haven Harbor. Numerous other activities potentially threaten natural ecosystems and fish and wildlife populations in this industrialized zone, including waste and sewage disposal, stormwater discharge, shoreline development, erosion control projects, channel dredging and wetland alterations. Heavy metal and PCB pollution of soils and waters is of special concern, as are contaminated sediments in portions of New Haven Harbor and Mill River due to stormwater, sewage treatment plant and industrial discharges. In spite of it all, however, significant wildlife populations continue to persist in this area, albeit at much reduced levels from former levels of abundance. Human-related disturbances to colonial beach-nesting terns and piping plovers, whether unintentionally or the result of purposeful intrusions into nesting areas and acts of vandalism, or from stray animals and unleashed cats and dogs, are of major concern at all known nesting localities in this area. There are several historical, but presently unoccupied, localities for breeding birds in this area, particularly for roseate tern (Sterna dougallii), a U.S. Endangered species. Such areas were likely abandoned due to disturbance.
VIII. CONSERVATION CONSIDERATIONS: Protection of the nearshore waters and intertidal flats from catastrophic events such as an oil spill or hazardous chemical discharge needs to be given the highest priority among resource concerns in this area. Attention needs to be focused not only on formulating oil spill contingency plans, but developing the highest degree of readiness to respond to such an event, particularly during critical times of the year when wildlife populations are at their peak and most vulnerable, such as spring and fall migrations and winter. Measures should also be sought and instituted, whether by regulation, zoning, planning, cooperative agreements or full-scale restoration programs such as the National Estuary Program, to restore, maintain, enhance and protect aquatic and terrestrial resources in this complex. Opportunities should be identified to restore or enhance degraded wetlands, including control of common reed, and other coastal habitats in this complex to increase their value to fish and wildlife. In addition to wetland habitats, the New Haven sand plains should be given high priority by the State in identifying and implementing restoration opportunities for this unique ecosystem.
Disturbances to colonial nesting birds, whether sand beaches or island rookeries, need to be minimized or eliminated entirely. Human and stray animal intrusions into nesting areas during the critical nesting season (mid-April to August) should be prevented using a variety of methods, including fenced exclosures, posting, beach warden patrols, trapping of animals and public education. Pertinent tasks and objectives of the piping plover recovery plan should be identified and implemented on area beaches, especially those aimed at habitat restoration, enhancement and protection. A regional or basinwide conservation and management plan should be developed and implemented for protecting and enhancing wintering waterfowl populations in central and western Long Island Sound, in partnership with governmental agencies, private conservation groups and landowners.
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