The Shark River is one of three bodies of water, along with Sylvan Lake and the
Atlantic Ocean, that surrounds Avon-by-the-Sea. It was a quiet late
afternoon when I got down there, so I missed the parade of boats that often go
by. But I gloried in the view and the crisp air of this seaside community.
Running eleven
miles, the Shark River is bordered by Avon-by-the-Sea, Neptune City, Neptune
Township, Wall Township and Belmar Borough. Despite its approximately 800 acres
of shellfish growing waters, much of the river is classified “Restricted “by the
New Jersey Department of Environmental Protection.
Oh, yes:
wondering about sharks? Turns out none is present in these waters. So why this
name? Some possible theories:
*Maybe the
name dates from the mid-1800s, when a shark might have been in the river;
*Maybe it
derives from the “low-grade” fishing huts or shacks around in the late 1700s,
with “shark” being a twisted form of “Shirk” or “Shack”; or
*Maybe it
comes from because upstream in Shark River Park can be found shark teeth left
in fossil from the Cretaceous geologic period.
For an
interesting oral history of the Avon River (including bootlegging that went on
during Prohibition), see this interview with longtime area resident Ray Dodd,
recorded and posted online by his son Charlie after his death.
