The purpose of this guide is to support efforts to return river herring, American eels, and eastern oysters to New York City’s only freshwater river, the Bronx River, which flows for 23-miles from Westchester through the Bronx and into the East River. The Bronx River was an historic migratory route and spawning ground for river herring, American eels, and other migratory and resident fish species. Development and industrialization dramatically impacted the river, and by the 1970s it was overwhelmed by trash and pollution. The community insisted on restoring it to health and, after decades of efforts to clean and reclaim the river, these three species symbolize its ecological restoration.