Shaped like a hog or grazed by hogs, the jury is out on how Hog Island got its name, but how it got its fame is without debate. A beach retreat for Boss Tweed and his Tammany pals, this island was completely submerged by a category 2 hurricane that hit Brooklyn and Queens on August 23, 1893.
Despite the pollutants that surround our city, fish like shad and striped bass are increasing in number. Underwater New York is committed to building relationships with organizations that have a vested interest in the health of our waterways. This is why.
Why is this aquatic life unique enough to list, you might ask? Because they’re being fished and eaten, that’s why. Although most high-end restaurants wouldn’t dream of serving you Rockaway clams, some not-so-high-end restaurants do. Don’t email us to find out who, because we have no idea.
A fireboat captain spotted dolphins near the Navy Yard just a day after a NY Harbor School educator saw a 7-footer in toxic Newtown Creek. The mammals are also regularly seen off the Rockaways.
Like the subway cars, a fleet of ice cream trucks were used to build an artificial reef to lure schools of fish. The vehicles that once delivered Good Humor ice cream bars are now home to black sea bass, porgy, bergall, hake, and cod.
Built in 1897 for the Old Dominion line, the ship ran aground in the Rockaway Shoals when the Captain missed the entrance to New York Harbor. Despite severe weather, the passengers were all taken to safety, but strangely, the crew refused to leave without their luggage, which could not fit in the life boat. They stayed onboard for nine days, until the ship split in half and the passengers had to be rescued.