A rare, elusive, yet healthy-looking, oyster found in the shallows of the Navesink River off the shore of Red Bank this weekend.
Once plentiful in the estuary, oysters were largely wiped out in the second half of the 20th century due to overfishing, disease and pollution.
A 2017 study by The American Littoral Society attempted to determine whether oysters were surviving in the river. It is unclear what the outcome of that study was, but this oyster we found (and another we found in spring of 2022) is proof that there are still at least a few still out there. (Partyline by Brian Donohue)
