Do not expect to see wild boat parties or DJs blasting music from barges in two man-made lagoons in Ocean County anymore.

Partying at F Cove in Brick
Partying at F Cove in Brick (Facebook via Jersey Shore Hurricane News)
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This weekend's trial opening of the F-Cove and Trader's Cove, located in the middle of a federal wildlife preserve in Brick, means that visitors will have to be on their best behavior.

Brick Mayor Steve Acropolis admits that things got way out of hand during the last few years in the F-Cove made popular by MTV's reality show Jersey Shore. So much so, that he says that he and his wife stopped going altogether, but he says this year is going to be different.

Acropolis says there will be a noticeable stepped up state and local police presence patrolling the waterways in the area, and while the coves are the jurisdiction of the state, township police will be assisting.

"We have our new boat - it's up and running, it's powered, we're gonna have people out on the water. We're probably going to be doing some overtime patrols because on the weekends we're going to have to have people out."

Acropolis also says park officials from the Trader's Cove Marina will be keeping watch as well as the residents, who vigorously lobbied federal, state and local authorities for the re-opening.

"There are gonna be some rules and regulations posted. We're gonna be putting them out in the different marinas where people might be launching their boats. So if your launching your boat, we might go boat to boat in F-Cove."

Aerial shot of Brick's F-Cove (Facebook)
Aerial shot of Brick's F-Cove (Facebook)
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The coves were closed over a year ago by the Manager of the Edwin B. Forsythe National Wildlife Refuge because the lagoons were considered a part of the wildlife refuge. However, Brick residents and local officials lobbied the Department of Fish and Wildlife for its reopening.

The New Jersey Department of Environmental Protection (NJDEP) also got involved when questions were raised over the jurisdiction of the man-made lagoons. The state was able to convince federal officials that the waters within the coves were state property and not subject to federal access restrictions, which allowed for the re-opening on a trial basis.

The manmade F-Cove and nearby T-Cove were dug out decades ago for the construction of waterfront condominiums. However, the condominiums were never built and the lagoons and surrounding land eventually became a part of the National Wildlife Refuge.

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