Are there fish in the New York river?

The upper Hudson River is freshwater through-and-through, with sparkling mountain streams and tributaries that are perfect to lazily drift down. It's also the place to cast a line for some prized fish, including Bass and Trout. The lower river around New York City, however, is a tidal estuary.



Yes, there are over 200 species of fish living in the Hudson River and the East River surrounding New York City. Despite their urban reputation, these rivers are thriving estuaries. Common residents include Striped Bass, Bluefish, Flounder, and the ancient, protected Atlantic Sturgeon, which can grow up to 14 feet long. You will also find American Eels, Seahorses, and even small sharks like the Smooth Dogfish. In 2026, water quality improvements have made the rivers a popular spot for "catch-and-release" fishing. However, it is a peer-to-peer health warning that the New York State Department of Health still advises against eating most fish caught in these waters—especially for children and pregnant women—due to historical PCB and heavy metal contamination stored in the riverbed sediment. While the rivers are biologically diverse and "cleaner" than they have been in decades, they remain an environment to be enjoyed primarily for recreation rather than for food.

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Women under 50 and children under 15 should not eat any fish from the Hudson River, including striped bass. Women who eat highly contaminated fish and become pregnant may have an increased risk of having children who are slower to develop and learn. Some contaminants may be passed on to infants in mother's milk.

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Experts say it's safe to swim in most of the Hudson most of the time — though things get dicey after it rains.

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

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Climate activist Lewis Pugh became the first person to swim the entire Hudson River -- all 315 miles of it -- unassisted.

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The short answer is “Yes!” The long answer is that it depends on when and where. Issues like sewage outflow and algal blooms keep many areas along the Hudson from being swimmable, particularly after rainfall.

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Geology. The Hudson is sometimes called, in geological terms, a drowned river. The rising sea levels after the retreat of the Wisconsin glaciation, the most recent ice age, have resulted in a marine incursion that drowned the coastal plain and brought salt water well above the mouth of the river.

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An estimated 100,000 people in the Hudson Valley rely on the Hudson for their drinking water.

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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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