To determine whether brown tide blooms are a threat to coastal waters in New Jersey, the division of NJDEP Science Research and Technology implemented the Brown Tide Assessment Project from 2000-2004. The primary objectives of this study are to (1) characterize the spatial and temporal occurrence of brown tides in Barnegat Bay-Little Egg Harbor, (2) identify those environmental factors that may promote the development and maintenance of brown tides, and (3) analyze the risk of brown tides to submerged aquatic vegetation communities.