Fishing News

NYDEC Hosting 7th Annual Great Hudson River Fish Count August 11

NYDEC Hosting 7th Annual Great Hudson River Fish Count August 11

New York State Department of Environmental Conservation (DEC) Commissioner Basil Seggos today announced that the seventh annual Great Hudson River Estuary Fish Count will take place at multiple sites along the banks and piers of the Hudson River on Saturday, August 11.

“Citizen science efforts like the Great Hudson River Estuary Fish Count provide our fishery managers with invaluable data and give people the opportunity to help DEC monitor New York’s natural resources,” Commissioner Seggos said. “I encourage anyone interested and able to participate to visit one of these sites along the river and partner in our sampling efforts.”

The public is invited to join naturalists from the Capital Region to New York City to explore the variety of creatures usually hidden below the river’s surface. Fresh upriver and salty at New York City, the Hudson River’s estuary and watershed are home to more than 200 fish species, including several that migrate into the river from the Atlantic Ocean each spring to spawn.

During the fish count, participating organizations encourage visitors to help collect fish using seine nets, minnow traps, or rods and reels. Seining involves pulling a 30-foot net through the water and checking out the fish, crabs, and other river-life caught in its mesh. Participants may watch from shore or jump into available waterproof waders and help pull in the net. The fish are released after everyone has a chance to see them up close.

Participating groups share their catch results via cell phones and by posting to the DEC Twitter feed with the hashtag #hudsonriverfishcount. Comparing notes builds understanding of the diversity of fishes and habitats in the Hudson, the vitality of the estuarine ecosystem in urban and rural settings, and the influence of salinity and tides.

A list of participating sites follows. For more information, visit the Great Hudson River Estuary Fish Count page on DEC’s website. While there, watch a clip about seining in the Hudson River on DEC’s YouTube Channel.
All Fish Count programs are family-friendly and free of charge. For more information email hrep@dec.ny.gov or call (845) 256-3115.

Sites and participating organizations (south to north) include:

Brooklyn

  • Brooklyn Bridge Park, Pier 4: 2:30 – 4:00 p.m. Brooklyn Bridge Park Conservancy

Manhattan

  • Hudson River Park Pier 25: 12:00 – 4:00 p.m.; minnow pots & crab traps, rod and reel at West St & North Moore St., end of the pier; Hudson River Park Trust
  • Riverside Park, Manhattan: 3:00 – 5:00 p.m. Seining, 66th and Hudson River; Sloop Clearwater
  • Randall’s Island Park: 1:00 – 4:00 p.m.; seining on Harlem River north of pedestrian bridge from Manhattan at 103rd St.; Randall’s Island Parks Alliance

Staten Island

  • Freshkills Park: 9:00 a.m. -12:00 p.m.; rod and reel, meeting at the southern end of the LA Fitness parking lot located at 145 E Service Rd, Staten Island, NY 10314. Pre-registration required; please contact Cait Field cait.field@parks.nyc.gov

Yonkers

  • Habirshaw Park: 1:00 – 3:00 p.m.; seining at 35 Alexander St, 1 block from Yonkers Metro North Station (Hudson Line); Sarah Lawrence Center for the Urban River at Beczak

Piermont

  • Piermont Pier: 12:30 – 2:30 p.m.; seining at blockhouse at pier’s end; Lamont-Doherty Earth Observatory of Columbia University

Sleepy Hollow

  • Kingsland Pt. Park: 2:00 – 4:00 p.m.; seining at Kathryn W. Davis RiverWalk Center; Teatown Lake Reservation

Croton on Hudson

  • Croton Point Park: 3:00 – 4:30 p.m.; seining at Mother’s Lap waterfront just west of swimming beach; Westchester County Parks Department

Cold Spring

  • Little Stony Point: 3:30 – 5:00 p.m.; seining at north end of Sandy Beach; Steve Stanne

New Windsor

  • Kowawese Unique Area/Plum Point: 4:00 – 5:30 p.m.; seining on county park beach; Hudson River Estuary Program/Hudson River Almanac

Beacon

  • Long Dock Park: 2:00 – 4:00 p.m.; seining; Scenic Hudson

Poughkeepsie

  • Waryas Park: 9:00 – 11:00 a.m.; seining at north south end of park near Main street traffic circle; Scenic Hudson

Staatsburg

  • Norrie Point: 9:30 a.m. – 11:30 p.m.; seining next to Environmental Center; Hudson River National Estuarine Research Reserve Kingston

Kingston

  • Kingston Point Beach: 5:00 – 6:30 p.m.; seining; Hudson River Estuary Program.

Castleton-on-Hudson

  • Schodack Island State Park: 11:00 a.m.; seining at boat launch; River Haggie Outdoors/Rensselaer Land Trust

Albany

  • Corning Preserve: 10:00 a.m. – 1:00 p.m.; seining on boat ramp, fish display from DEC boat catch; DEC

Waterford

  • Peebles Island State Park: 10:30 a.m. – 1:00 p.m.; seining just east of bridge to Waterford. DEC/Mohawk River Basin Program/Office of Parks, Recreation and Historic Preservation, and volunteers