| Fortescue, New Jersey | |
| Settlement Type: | Census-designated place |
| Mapsize1: | 300px |
| Pushpin Map: | USA New Jersey Cumberland County#USA New Jersey#USA |
| Pushpin Label: | Fortescue |
| Pushpin Map Caption: | Location in Cumberland County##Location in New Jersey##Location in the United States |
| Pushpin Relief: | yes |
| Pushpin Mapsize: | 300px |
| Subdivision Type: | Country |
| Subdivision Type1: | State |
| Subdivision Type2: | County |
| Subdivision Name2: | Cumberland |
| Subdivision Type3: | Township |
| Subdivision Name3: | Downe |
| Area Footnotes: | [1] |
| Area Total Km2: | 0.81 |
| Area Total Sq Mi: | 0.32 |
| Area Land Km2: | 0.75 |
| Area Water Km2: | 0.06 |
| Area Land Sq Mi: | 0.29 |
| Area Water Sq Mi: | 0.03 |
| Population As Of: | 2020 |
| Population Footnotes: | [2] |
| Population Total: | 189 |
| Population Density Sq Mi: | 651.7 |
| Population Density Km2: | auto |
| Elevation M: | 2 |
| Elevation Ft: | 7 |
| Coordinates: | 39.2375°N -75.1717°W |
| Postal Code Type: | ZIP Code |
| Postal Code: | 08321 |
| Blank Name: | FIPS code |
| Blank Info: | [3] |
| Blank1 Name: | GNIS feature ID |
| Blank1 Info: | 0876423 |
| Unit Pref: | Imperial |
Fortescue is a community and census-designated place (CDP)[4] in Downe Township, Cumberland County, in the U.S. state of New Jersey.[5] The community is located on the state's southern coast, on the Delaware Bay, surrounded on three sides by marshland. The area was named for John Fortescue, a local property owner at the time of American independence.[6] [7] As of the 2020 United States census, the CDP's population was 189.[2]
During the late 1970s and mid 1980s, Fortescue experienced the best fishing it had ever seen. Anglers were catching enormous numbers of weakfish every summer. Fortescue was the self-proclaimed "weakfish capital of the world".[8] Overfishing led federal authorities to establish limits in the mid-1970s on the weakfish catch, though by 1990 the fish population had crashed, severely impacting the commercial fishing economy in the area.[6]
Fortescue is part of the Fortescue State Wildlife Management Area which covers .[9]
As of the 2020 United States census, the area had a population of 189.[2]
The climate in this area is characterized by hot, humid summers and generally mild to cool winters. According to the Köppen Climate Classification system, Fortescue has a humid subtropical climate, abbreviated "Cfa" on climate maps.[10]