Why was fishing banned in the Hudson River?


Why was fishing banned in the Hudson River? 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.


Are there goldfish in the Hudson River?

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.


Is the Hudson River drinkable?

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


Was there ever salmon in the Hudson River?

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.


Is it safe to eat crabs from Hudson River?

Men over 15 and women over 50 face fewer health risks from some chemicals. For that reason, they can eat up to six crabs a week from the Hudson River and New York City waters. Crabs from the Long Island Sound, Jamaica Bay and the ocean are less contaminated and are a better choice for everyone.


Why is the Hudson River so deep?

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.


How salty is the Hudson River?

Seawater from the ocean generally has a salinity level of about 35,000ppm. Freshwater draining into the Hudson River usually has a salinity level of about 25-50ppm.


Why has commercial fishing on the Hudson River been banned for decades?

Since 1975, New York State has restricted fishing in the Hudson River and the consumption of fish taken from the Hudson because of the presence of high concentrations of polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs) in the fish.


Is the Hudson River fresh or saltwater?

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.


Are there predators in the Hudson River?

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.