Folks have heard me talk about Estuaries.....which by my definition are back bay nurseries, for forage and smaller gamefish.....this is where they grow up and spend most of their young lives......

Great South Bay, and Jamaica Bay, are 2 examples of the largest and most diverse estuaries in that area.
The Meadowlands and Newark bay areas are one NNJ estuary.
Hudson River and creeks and marshes of the NY Bight are another.
The Raritan River back creeks and coves and marsh areas beyond the river is another.
Shrewsbury and Navesink river back areas are another.
The Barnegat bay and back bay creeks and coves are another.
The Ocean City 3 river system and back bay marsh system is another large one.
And the Wildwoods/Cape May area has a system of marshes and back bays that is another.

There are others, but the ones named above are some of the most notable and largest for our area....
and the Long Island Sound, with it's rivers and bays that empty into it...is one of the most robust Estuaries on the East Coast...