The Great South Bay is an arm of the Atlantic Ocean, approximately 45 mi (72 km) long, forming a large natural harbor on the southern side of Long Island in the U.S. state of New York. It is protected from the open ocean by Fire Island, a barrier island approximately 30 mi (48 km) long, as well as the eastern end of Jones Beach Island.

The Robert Moses Causeway crosses the Great South Bay Bridge leading to a few of Lower New York's Outer Barrier Islands.The bay's waterways are accessible from the ocean through the narrow Fire Island Inlet between the western tip of Fire Island and the eastern tip of Jones Beach Island and Jones Inlet.

The bay connects to South Oyster Bay on its western end. stretching as east into the Patchogue and Moriches Bay filtering the bays through the Moriches Inlet at the east end.

In the early mid-17th century, European settlers arrived among the native Meroke tribes. The earliest included British families such as the Smith, Carman and Hewlett familiesin Merrick and an international horde of Freeport and Bay Shore pirates, marauders, swashbucklers, privateers, freebooters and their ilk, including the legendary Blackbeard, Captain Redeye and Captain Morgan.

Rapid suburban population growth on the northern shore of the bay has led to the bay becoming a population destination for yachts and other pleasure craft. Development around the bay has led to a degradation of the bay's water quality, and to the rapid growth of eel grass.

During the spring and summer months, the Great South Bay is a popular area for boating and fishing.

Environmental concerns

The rapid population growth around the shores of Great South Bay has led to numerous environmental problems. Important juvenile habitat for fish species, in particular eel grass beds, has been entirely lost from the western reaches of Great South Bay, in particular where the waste water treatment plants of the western communities empty out into the water. In the mid-bay and eastern sections of the bay, storm water runoff, carrying with it pollutants and excess nitrogen from fertilized lawns and insufficient septic systems, has led to increases in algal blooms and other pollution-related issues.

At one point in time, Great South Bay provided many of the hard clams consumed throughout the region and even the country. However, as population impacts grew, habitat was lost and the clam population crashed, devastating the fishery and the communities that depended on it. From a high point of hundreds or even thousands of baymen working the waters of Great South Bay, now only a scant few can be seen ekeing out an existence.

References

External links

• Back To Baysics - Environmental awareness campaign in efforts to making our Great South Bay great again.