Blueback herring make a robust return as an urbanized waterway recovers

In a surprising discovery, researchers from the Academy of Natural Sciences of Drexel University have found a substantial number of anadromous blueback herring in New Jersey's Cooper River. The fish, similar to salmon, swim upriver to spawn, and had been considered all but extinct in the region by the 1970s. But the finding suggests they have made a robust return in the river, which is somewhat unexpected considering the area along it remains highly urbanized. The finding suggests that the herring's return corresponds with improvements in water quality and fish passage over the last 50 years.