DEC to Host 8th Annual Great Hudson River Fish Count on August 10

Fish Counts at Multiple Sites on Hudson River Banks and Piers

New York State Department of Environmental Conservation (DEC) Commissioner Basil Seggos today announced that the eighth 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 10. This is a family-friendly, free event open to the public.

“I encourage New Yorkers and visitors to get outdoors and enjoy this opportunity to learn about the more than 200 species of fish that live in our Hudson River,” Commissioner Seggos said. “With sites from the New York Harbor to Waterford, there are many places for young and old alike to join the Great Hudson River Estuary Fish Count and have fun supporting DEC’s research efforts and fisheries management.”

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 serves as the habitat to hundreds of 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 the 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 by posting to the DEC Twitter feed with the hashtag #hudsonriverfishcount. Comparing notes builds understanding of the diversity of fish and habitats in the Hudson, the vitality of the estuarine ecosystem in urban and rural settings, and the influence of salinity and tides.

For more information, including a video clip about seining in the Hudson River on DEC’s YouTube Channel, visit the Great Hudson River Estuary Fish Count page on DEC’s website. 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: 11 a.m. – 12:30 p.m.; seining. Brooklyn Bridge Park Conservancy

Manhattan

• Hudson River Park Pier 84: 12 – 4 p.m.; minnow pots and crab traps, rod and reel. Hudson River Park Trust & The River Project
• Randall’s Island Park: 1 – 3 p.m.; seining on Randall’s Island Shoreline (just north of 103rd Bridge). Randall’s Island Parks Alliance

Queens

• Francis Lewis Park: 5 – 7 p.m.; seining. Peter Park/Nyack College.
• Gantry Plaza State Park, Pier 4: 11 a.m. – 1 p.m.; rod and reel. New York State Office of Parks, Recreation and Historic Preservation

Yonkers

• Habirshaw Park: 1 – 3 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 Pier: 2 – 4 p.m.; seining at blockhouse at pier’s end. Lamont-Doherty Earth Observatory of Columbia University

Sleepy Hollow
Kingsland Point Park: 2 – 3:30 p.m.; seining at Kathryn W. Davis RiverWalk Center. Teatown Lake Reservation

Croton-on-Hudson
Croton Point Park: 12:45 – 2 p.m.; seining at Mother’s Lap waterfront just west of swimming beach. Westchester County Parks

Cold Spring
Little Stony Point: 2 – 3:30 p.m.; seining at north end of Sandy Beach. DEC Hudson River Estuary Program/Hudson River Almanac and Hudson Highlands State Park

New Windsor
Kowawese Unique Area/Plum Point: 2:30 – 4 p.m.; seining on county park beach. Steve Stanne and Hudson River Estuary Program

Esopus
Esopus Meadows Preserve: 11 a.m. – 1 p.m.; seining. Hudson River Sloop Clearwater

Staatsburg
Norrie Point: 11 a.m. – 1 p.m.; seining next to Environmental Center. Hudson River National Estuarine Research Reserve

Kingston
Kingston Point Beach: 2 – 3 p.m.; seining. Kingston Parks and Recreation

Castleton-on-Hudson
Schodack Island State Park: 7 – 8:30 p.m.; seining at boat launch. River Haggie Outdoors

Germantown
Lasher Memorial Park: 10 a.m. – 12 p.m.; seining. Columbia Land Conservancy

Albany
Corning Preserve boat ramp: 9 a.m. – 2 p.m.; seining on boat ramp, fish on display from DEC. DEC

Troy
Green Island Lower Hudson Ave Park: 11 a.m. – 1 p.m.; seining. Children’s Museum of Science and Technology

Waterford
Peebles Island State Park: 9 a.m. – 2 p.m.; seining just east of bridge to Waterford; and fish on display from DEC. DEC