Shooters Island: Location, History and Access

Shooters Island sits at the junction of Newark Bay, Arthur Kill and Kill Van Kull, off Staten Island’s north shore. The 43-acre island lies mostly in New York State, while a small part of its northern end is in New Jersey.

That location places the island amid waterways and shoreline habitat, rather than within a developed visitor destination. It is identified as open space and a Harbor Heron’s Wildlife Refuge, with wetland, mudflat and upland habitat.

Shooters Island shifted from a colonial hunting preserve to an industrial shipbuilding site, then became an abandoned shipyard and bird sanctuary.

A small shipyard was built there in 1860. Later businesses included the Shooter’s Island Petroleum Refining and Storage Company and Townsend-Downey Shipbuilding Company. In February 1902, the launch of Townsend-Downey’s yacht Meteor III drew President Theodore Roosevelt and Prince Henry of Prussia, along with hundreds of spectators.

Standard Shipbuilding Company acquired the island in 1915 and employed more than 9,000 people building steel cargo ships during World War I. More than 30 acres of fill expanded the shipyard. Shipbuilding stopped after the war, and the island was abandoned by 1922.

In March 1994, Shooters Island was transferred to the New York City Department of Parks & Recreation, which manages it as a bird sanctuary.

From a lawful public shoreline viewpoint, you may be able to look across the water toward the island, but the facts do not establish a particular viewpoint or guarantee visibility. The island’s former industrial use is reflected in foundations, heavy debris, abandoned vehicles, deteriorated pier ruins on its north and east shores, and derelict vessels.

Those remnants are not an invitation to explore the island. Its habitat and physical conditions make it important to distinguish viewing from entering.

Use New Jersey’s public-access map to identify shoreline access points and their amenities, then confirm the rules for the specific location.

The New Jersey Department of Environmental Protection explains that public rights extend to tidal lands and waters up to the mean high water line and adjoining shoreline, but access can be restricted for safety or habitat protection. Check the official site before you go.

Shooters Island itself has heavy sediment contamination, and public access may need to be controlled or limited to protect waterbird habitat. Shipyard foundations, debris, deteriorated piers and derelict vessels are further reasons not to assume that the island is open or safe to enter.

Plan around a public shoreline access point rather than an island visit. Check the New Jersey Department of Environmental Protection map for access locations and amenities, and verify any restrictions before setting out. The mapped access network includes tidal waterways as well as the Atlantic coast.

Pralls Island near Elizabeth is another island landmark with its own location and access considerations, distinct from Shooters Island.