Is it safe to fish in the Hudson River?

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.



While recreational fishing is allowed in the Hudson River, eating what you catch is subject to strict health advisories due to decades of PCB (polychlorinated biphenyl) contamination. In 2026, New York State health guidelines explicitly state that women under 50 and children under 15 should not eat any fish caught from any part of the Hudson River. For the general population (men over 15 and women over 50), the advice is limited to only four species—alewife, blueback herring, rock bass, and yellow perch—and even then, consumption is restricted to no more than one meal per month in the Mid-Hudson region. PCBs are "persistent" chemicals that accumulate in the fat of the fish and can cause cancer or developmental issues in humans. If you do choose to eat fish from the Lower Hudson (near NYC), you must remove the skin and fat before cooking and use a method like grilling or broiling that allows the fat to drip away, which can reduce contaminant levels by up to 40%.

People Also Ask

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.

MORE DETAILS

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.

MORE DETAILS

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.

MORE DETAILS

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

MORE DETAILS

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.

MORE DETAILS

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.

MORE DETAILS

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.

MORE DETAILS

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.

MORE DETAILS