Oysters Tell a Surprising Story of New Jersey’s Past—and a Perfect Way to Experience its Present

These remarkable bivalves have long connected New Jersey’s people to its waters—today, they offer a delicious gateway into the state’s maritime past and sustainable future.

The History of Oysters in New Jersey

The Lenni Lenape are the indigenous people of the Delaware River Valley and New Jersey’s original oyster farmers. They harvested meals from the sea and left vast piles of discarded shells, known as middens, along the state’s jagged coastlines over 2,000 years ago. Using dugout canoes, they searched the mudflat channels and sandbar basins for these nutritious mollusks, gathering them by hand in shallow waters. The Lenni made good use of naturally occurring oyster beds along what are now the Hudson, Hackensack, Raritan, and Delaware rivers, as well as the brackish and salty waters of the Delaware Bay along New Jersey’s southern shores, where the mineral-rich Eastern oyster (Crassostrea virginica) thrived.

When Europeans arrived in the region during the late 1600s and early 1700s, the local oyster trade became even more extensive. These settlers loaded up the earthy shellfish, which helped ward off famine and were a profitable commodity, and utilized the lime from their shells as both a building material and an agricultural fertilizer, which neutralized soil acidity. Oysters became so coveted that New Jersey passed laws to limit the overfishing of oyster reefs as early as 1719. Unfortunately, the industry remained largely unregulated.

Scenic sunset over a tranquil beach with sandy dunes, tall grasses, and a sailboat on the horizon, reflecting warm golden tones on the ocean. — The *A.J. Meerwald,* New Jersey’s official Tall Ship, sails gracefully across the Delaware Bay in Cumberland County. Once an oyster dredging schooner launched in 1928, the restored vessel now serves as a floating classroom and living history museum, educating visitors about the region’s maritime heritage and ecology.

By the 19th century, New Jersey’s oyster industry was booming. In the state’s north, freed enslaved individuals Thomas and John Vreeland Jackson pursued careers as oystermen along the Hudson River. The two brothers used their profits to purchase property that served as a major stop along the Underground Railroad, helping enslaved African Americans escape to freedom. Down south, thousands of people—mostly Black—were making their way up the Chesapeake to manage the oyster farms, sail the dredging ships, and shuck the bounty of the Delaware Bay.

With the arrival of the railway in 1876, the oyster industry grew even larger. Just a decade later, the southern New Jersey village of Bivalve was shipping more than 90 railcars full of oysters a week to cities like Philadelphia, New York, and Chicago, making the state one of the country’s largest suppliers. Today, you’ll still find towns along New Jersey’s southern coast with names like Port Norris and Shellpile, indicating their ties to the mighty mollusks. They sit close to once-prominent shipbuilding centers like Leesburg, Greenwich, and Dorchester, where the A.J. Meerwald first set sail.

New Jersey’s oyster production reached its zenith in the late 19th and early 20th centuries, with packing plants lining its coastal marshlands and waterways. However, overharvesting, pollution, and disease wreaked havoc on the industry, with the 1950s arrival of the MSX virus—a parasite that kills oysters—effectively bringing an end to the state’s illustrious, bustling bivalve business.

Black and white illustration of a busy oyster bar with patrons and staff under a sign reading 'Oysters in every style.' — This 19th-century illustration captures a lively oyster stall at New York’s Fulton Fish Market, where patrons enjoy freshly shucked oysters and vendors work behind the counter. At the height of the oyster industry’s boom, the market served as a central hub for the region’s thriving trade—fueled in part by abundant oyster harvests from New Jersey’s coastal waters.

Now, more than half a century on, sustainability efforts are in place to restore the area’s oyster populations all along the New Jersey coast. These include breeding MSX-resistant oyster strains and building artificial oyster reefs, both for healthier marine ecosystems and to protect shorelines from erosion. They come in the shape of stacked oyster “castles,” essentially interlocking blocks crafted from a blend of oyster shells and concrete that allow juvenile oysters to grow, and metal cages filled with old clam and oyster shells that provide habitat for various sea life, and oyster shells recycled by organizations like the NY/NJ Baykeeper, the American Littoral Society, and the NJDEP's Shell Recycling Program to replenish existing reefs along the coastline.

Where to Experience the New Jersey Oyster

Southern New Jersey’s Delaware Bay has been a prolific source of the Eastern oyster since European settlers arrived on its shores. This region of coastal sand dunes, marshlands, and maritime forests is also where visitors and local residents alike can experience these wonderful bivalve luxuries firsthand. Here are some of our favorite spots to sample and purchase New Jersey oysters, learn about their history, and celebrate their story both throughout the southern Bayshore and statewide.

Plate of opened oysters on ice with lemon wedges and a seafood garnish in the center. — These New Jersey's oysters range from salty and briny to sweet and buttery, with some offering hints of cucumber, minerality, or even maple syrup—flavors that shift with the seasons and by location.

A close-up image of a large pile of oysters with their shells closed. The oyster shells are predominantly brown and white, with various patterns and textures visible on each shell. — A pile of *Crassostrea virginicas*, commonly known as Atlantic oysters, showcasing their distinctive rough and ridged shells. These oysters are prized for their flavor and include popular regional varieties.

Sweet Amalia Oyster Farm, Newfield

Located along the banks of the Delaware Bay, Sweet Amalia celebrates its Jersey roots with a roadside stand that serves up local oysters—including both its own homegrown mollusks and Laughing Gull oysters from the central shore’s Barnegat Bay. About an hour’s drive from its outdoor eatery, there is also an active oyster farm where scientist-farmer Lisa Calvo uses European “rack and bag” methods to harvest about 300,000 to 500,000 oysters annually. Tours that delve into the farm’s sustainable methods, oyster ecology, and South Jersey’s maritime history are offered at various times throughout the year.

Bayshore Center at Bivalve, Commercial Township

Learn about the history and culture of New Jersey’s Bayshore oyster industry at the Delaware Bay Museum—housed in the center’s historic oyster sheds—slurp sumptuous oysters on the half-shell, complete with live tunes at the Oyster Cracker Cafe, or step aboard the historic AJ Meerwald and assist in the sailing of an authentic oyster dredging schooner. Come October, you can even vote for your favorite bivalve varietal at the center’s annual NJ Oyster Festival.

Dad’s Seafood, Vineland

In addition to local oysters, shop for a variety of fresh-from-the-water seafood such as scallops, shrimp, and crabs. They’ll even clean, cook, and season your fish any way you like it.

Barnegat Oyster Collective, Barnegat

Savor New Jersey oysters like plump Violet Skies, nutty Swan Points, and Sugar Shacks brimming with seawater at the oyster collective’s waterfront raw bar. Or purchase a 50-pound bag of local New Jersey oysters from the online shop for an impromptu picnic.

Local 130 Seafood, Asbury Park

Shop for sweet and briny Cape May Salt oysters alongside servings of fresh-cooked lobster meat and sustainably farmed salmon. The seafood market also features a grab-and-go fridge with everything from poke to potato fish chowder.

MudHen Brewpub, Wildwood

Dine on fresh Cape May Salt oysters, served raw with smoked onion mignonette and horseradish lemon, year-round, or partake in an amateur oyster shucking contest at the brewing company’s MudHen Oysterfest, which occurs in October.

Downbeach Seafood Festival, Ventnor

Enjoy a weekend of all things seafood, including a crab eating contest and a chowder cook-off, and don’t miss the “Oyster Tour of the Shore,” featuring seven bivalve stops along the coast, such as Sea Isle City’s Ludlam Bay Oysters and Tuckers Island Oysters near Long Beach Island.