This page includes a variety of facts about the Mid Atlantic Region.
Travel and Tourism
Along the Mid Atlantic coast are numerous vacation destinations.
The Long Island South Shore is known for its sandy beaches, seaside communities, and other attractions.
New Jersey is also known for its beaches and historic lighthouses.
In Delaware, beaches along the lower Delaware Bay attract millions of migrating shorebirds.
The Outer Banks attracts fishermen, beach lovers, and other outdoor enthusiasts.
Many of the nation’s most popular national parks, wildlife refuges, and other assets are located in the Mid Atlantic region.
Waterways
Several Mid Atlantic waterways have national significance.
Off Montauk, New York, an area known as “The Race” is one of the top saltwater fishing hotspots along the Atlantic coast. Formed by converging tides from the Atlantic and Block Island Sound, the Race is famous for its powerful tide rips.
The Hudson River is one of the nation’s most famous rivers. The Hudson combines with water exiting Long Island Sound via the East River to form Upper New York Bay before flowing thru the Narrows between Staten Island and Brooklyn.
The Delaware River is the longest free-flowing river in the Mid Atlantic region.
The Delaware Bay is known for its horseshoe crab populations, which support millions of migrating shorebirds.
The Chesapeake Bay is the largest estuary in North America.
The Chesapeake and Delaware (C&D) canal provides an important pathway for commercial vessel traffic between the Delaware Bay and the Chesapeake Bay.
The Albemarle – Pamlico Sound watershed is one of the nation’s most productive natural habitats.
Off the Mid Atlantic coast, Deepwater canyons attract anglers and marine life enthusiasts. Major underwater canyons include Hudson, Toms, Lindenkohl, Spencer, Wilmington, Baltimore, Poor Man’s, Washington, and Norfolk.
From Block Island to Virginia, offshore wind energy installations (wind farms) are becoming a reality for mariners.
Fishing
Popular saltwater fisheries in the Mid Atlantic include striped bass, speckled trout, summer flounder, croaker, cobia, red drum, and black drum.
The region is home to several important fishing tournaments including the White Marlin Open, Midatlantic Cup, and others.
Located in the Mid Atlantic region are numerous lakes and rivers noted for black bass, landlocked striped bass, catfish, and other fisheries.
The Mid Atlantic region is a hotspot for northern snakehead activity. Top locations include the Potomac River watershed and the Blackwater complex. Northern snakeheads are caught in nearly every major tributary of the Chesapeake Bay. They are also present in the Delaware River watershed.
The Mid Atlantic states are included in two regional fisheries councils. The Atlantic States Marine Fisheries Commission (ASMFC) oversees fisheries coastwide, while the smaller Mid-Atlantic Fishery Management Council (MAFMC) deliberates on issues that are exclusive to the region.
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