Are there big fish in the Hudson River?

The Atlantic sturgeon is the largest fish in the Hudson River. Adults are often five to eight feet long.



The Hudson River is home to several species of surprisingly large fish, most notably the Atlantic Sturgeon, which can grow up to 8 feet in length and weigh over 300 pounds. These ancient, armor-plated fish are federally protected and are a symbol of the river's ecological recovery. Another iconic "big fish" is the Striped Bass, which migrates up the river every spring to spawn; trophy-sized "stripers" can reach 4 to 5 feet in length and weigh over 50 pounds, making them a primary target for local anglers. The river also supports a healthy population of Channel Catfish and Blue Catfish, with the latter occasionally exceeding 40 pounds in the deeper, slower-moving sections of the river. In the freshwater stretches further north, you may find Northern Pike reaching up to 40 inches. While the river was historically plagued by industrial pollution, improvements in water quality have allowed these large predatory species to thrive. However, due to lingering PCB contamination in the sediment, health advisories still recommend strictly limiting the consumption of most fish caught in the Hudson, particularly for children and women of childbearing age.

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Hudson waters north of the dam to Hudson Falls are open to sports fishing on a catch-and-release basis only, and eating fish from any part of the river is discouraged, according to advisories from the state Department of Health.

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For Your Health- In 1976, the Upper Hudson River was closed to fishing due to extremely high amounts of polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs) in fish. These levels posed a high risk of possible harmful health effects in humans. Since 1976, the manufacture of PCBs has been banned and their use phased out.

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Other ongoing pollution problems affecting the river include: accidental sewage discharges, urban runoff, heavy metals, furans, dioxin, pesticides, and polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs). Numerous factories that once lined the Hudson River poured garbage and industrial waste directly into the river.

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The Hudson River lacked the necessary spawning and nursery capacity to maintain salmon. The first major tributary, the Mohawk River, entering from the west above Albany, was impassable due to the 70 foot falls at Cohoes.

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Predators like blue crabs and sturgeons do eat zebra mussels, but have never been shown to control natural populations. Research on new control measures, including biological controls, is ongoing, but the changes we've seen to the Hudson's ecosystem probably are irreversible or at least long-lasting.

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While there are orange individuals in the Hudson, these tend to be easy pickings for predators; one study of the diet of ospreys along the Hudson found that goldfish were a common prey of this fish-eating hawk. Thus the goldfish we catch are more likely to be olive green or brown than orange or gold.

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Cyrpinus carpio The common carp is native to Eurasia. The first reported introduction to the United States was to a pond near Newburgh, New York, in 1832. The fish is now abundant in fresh water here in the Hudson and throughout the country. In Europe, carp are cultivated and stocked as a popular game fish.

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Seahorses are found in temperate and tropical waters all over the world, including the Hudson River.

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Yes, Bull Sharks, Dogfish, Great White?, Whale. 25 different species live in the area, and while most won't spend much time in the river all are capable, though for short times as they are salt water specific.

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This results in a total of 59 bodies floating down the lower Hudson every year (49 or 50 from NYC, 5 or 6 from Bergen County, and about 4 from Hudson County). 59 divided by 365 gives you about 0.16 bodies per day.

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Here are the five most polluted rivers in the world.
  • Ganges River, India: The Ganges River is a highly revered waterbody among Hindus. ...
  • Citarum River, Indonesia: The Citarum River in Indonesia is the second most polluted river in the world. ...
  • The Buriganga River. ...
  • Yellow River, China: ...
  • Mississippi River, United States:


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The Mississippi River This once pristine waterway is perhaps the most polluted in the United States. Part of the problem stems from agriculture. The Mississippi River traverses much of America's heartland, drawing no end of runoff from factory farms. Animal waste isn't the only problem.

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For about half its length, the Hudson is actually a tidal estuary, where salt water from the ocean combines with fresh water from northern tributaries. The Hudson is tidal from the mouth of the Hudson in New York Harbor to the Federal Dam in Troy, a distance of about 153 miles.

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