Neighbors of the Deep Ready for Their Closeup at The River Project

An oyster toad fish, recently caught in a River Project trap, is one of the most plentiful fish along the Lower Manhattan stretch of the Hudson. Photo: Carl Glassman/Tribeca Trib

It’s time to get to know your neighbors—the ones that dwell just beyond the Lower Manhattan shoreline. True, there are a few cannibals among them and their mating rituals might seem a bit peculiar. But they offer a fascinating variety of looks and lifestyles that make them well worth the visit.

They are the creatures of the deep, and not so deep, that inhabit the local waters of the Hudson—from the fast and agile white perch and eel-like rock gunnel to the tiny seahorse and shell-crunching oyster toad fish. A delightful variety of these aquatic animals now reside at the River Project, the marine science field station at Pier 40, near Houston Street.

Each spring and summer, many different kinds of fish and crustaceans find their way into River Project traps that are hung off The Lilac steamship at Pier 25 in Tribeca. Placed in tanks in the field station’s wetlab, they are available for public “look ins” every Tuesday and Thursday from 2 to 5 p.m., when River Project staff are available to talk about these creatures, most of which are returned to the river in the fall.  And there is a touch tank where kids can get a true feel for the snails, shrimp and small crabs that live in the Hudson River estuary.

The River Project’s annual “Meet the Fishes” event, with refreshments, takes place on May 24, from 4 to 7 p.m.