Apponagansett Bay Fishing Spot

• County: Bristol - New Bedford MA
• Public Fishing: Yes
• Website: http://www.buzzardsbay.org/apponag.htm
• Last Modified By: vinny60 on 08/17/09 10:42 AM
• Ask about Apponagansett Bay in our Fishing Forums

Apponagansett Bay is a busy harbor with more than 3000 boat moorings. The bay also has one public beach and four private beaches. Fewer moorings are sited in the upper estuary because of areas set aside for water skiing. The upper estuary is degraded from nutrients and other inputs, is closed to shellfishing, and important shellfish habitat and other resources have been lost. Buttonwood Brook, which drains the bulk of the watershed, is also one of the principal conveyors of fecal bacteria and nitrogen, but dense development on the eastern shore contribute substantially. Portions of the watershed, which encompasses parts of the West End of the City of New Bedford are sewered and heavily urbanized. The sources of nutrients and coliforms along Buttonwood Brook include residential land, cropland, farm animals, and a zoo. The Buttonwood Brook watershed has also been beset with flooding problems due to poor stormwater management from the urbanized areas and new construction. Eelgrass populations began disappearing in Apponagansett Bay during the 1960s and is largely absent in the upper estuary. Drift algae, including large sheets of Ulva are present. The bottom sediments are characterized by organically rich muds with a consistency of mayonnaise, and these observations are also consistent with severe eutrophication.