Overlapping slightly with the Northeast Regional Association Coastal Ocean Observing System (NERACOOS) region to the northeast, the Massachusetts and Rhode Island Bay subregion includes Cape Cod Bay, Buzzards Bay, Narragansett Bay, Martha’s Vineyard Sound, and Block Island Sound.

With more than eight million people living in its watershed and more than 1400 square miles of marine waters, Long Island Sound is one of the nation’s preeminent urban estuaries. This high population places enormous demand on the marine resources of the region, but supports a strong economy.

The New York Bight extends from the southern tip of Cape May, NJ to the southeastern coast of Long Island. At a population of over 20 million, the New York and New Jersey metropolitan area is the most densely populated region on the US coast. This high population places enormous demand on the marine resources of the region, but supports a strong economy.

The Delaware Bay estuary encompasses 782 square miles and its watershed includes parts of four states—New York, Pennsylvania, New Jersey and Delaware.

The Chesapeake Bay is the largest shallow-water estuary in the western hemisphere, encompassing 64,000 square miles and including parts of six states—New York, Pennsylvania, West Virginia, Delaware, Maryland and Virginia—and the District of Columbia.