According to the Barnegat Bay Partnership, the fish species black drum – a member of the Sciaenidae family, categorized by the throbbing or drumming sound they emit – is most often found locally in the watershed around Tuckerton. This year, though, said BBP Field Specialist JJ Egan, “has been unusual not only in the number of drum, but in their location. Large numbers of drum have been found significantly farther north in the bay than in years past.”

This sent some tackle shops “into a fury trying to stock as many fresh clams as they can get their hands on, as this is…