Ocean County Sheriff Taking Audit of Abandoned Boats in County Waters Friday

A sailboat abandoned in Seaside Park since 2024. (File Photo)

Mariners whose derelict vessels are abandoned in Ocean County waters may soon have to pay the piper.

The Ocean County Sheriff’s Department announced the agency would be conducting a search of county waterways Friday to identify abandoned boats. The search will be conducted in “Barnegat Bay and its tributaries,” the announcement said.

“This effort serves as an audit to identify and document these vessels, helping assess the scope of the issue and support future planning and enforcement efforts,” the office said.

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Officers will be collecting photos, GPS coordinates, and past owner information of any vessels located. The announcement comes on the heels of a legal notice published by Seaside Park officials marking the intent to remove and seize a vessel that has long been abandoned in Barnegat Bay at the northernmost portion of town, just south of the Dock Outfitters store.

The borough last month published a formal notice stating the vessel, a 1979 30-foot Island Stream sailboat, appeared in the bay off Farragut Avenue on July 24, 2024 (or perhaps before). The boat has been moored in the spot for so long without moving that it has even been captured on Google Earth satellite imagery. Seeing it up close is less convenient, since the ramps from the Route 37 bridges run along the shoreline in the area.

The Sheriff’s Office asked anyone who is aware of any derelict or abandoned vessels to report them to OCSHFMarineServices@co.ocean.nj.us so they can be documented in the survey.