Great Hudson River Estuary Fish Count: 'Get Offline, Get Outside'

HUDSON VALLEY, NY — The 13th annual Great Hudson River Estuary Fish Count will take place at multiple sites along the banks and piers of the Hudson River on Saturday, and the public is urged to join in.

Participants can explore the variety of creatures usually hidden below the river’s surface. Freshwater upriver and salty at New York City, the Hudson River Estuary and watershed are home to more than 200 fish species, including several that migrate into the river from the Atlantic Ocean each spring to spawn, according to officials at the Department of Environmental Conservation.

During the annual Fish Count, participating organizations encourage volunteers 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 its mesh. Participants may watch from shore and use available waders to help pull in the net. The fish are released after everyone has a chance to experience them up close.

All Fish Count programs are family friendly and free of charge.

Participating public and virtual Fish Count sites include:

Dutchess County:
Norrie Point Environmental Center, Staatsburg: 10 a.m. – 11:30 a.m.
DEC Hudson River National Estuarine Research Reserve and Hudson River Estuary Program

Putnam:
Little Stony Point Beach in Hudson Highlands State Park, Cold Spring: 10 a.m.
DEC Hudson River Estuary Program
Note: Meet on the beach

Rockland:
Piermont Pier, Hudson River Field Station, Piermont: 11 a.m. – 3 p.m.
Lamont-Doherty Earth Observatory of Columbia University

Westchester:
Center for the Urban River at Beczak, 35 Alexander Street, Yonkers: 1 p.m. – 2 p.m.
Center for the Urban River at Beczak

Croton Point Park, Mother’s Lap Beach, Croton-on-Hudson: 9:30 a.m. – 11:30 a.m.
Westchester County Parks, Recreation & Conservation

This event, sponsored by DEC’s Hudson River Estuary Program and Hudson River National Estuarine Research Reserve, in partnership with other environmental organizations, complements Gov. Kathy Hochul’s “Get Offline, Get Outside” initiative, launched earlier last month to promote physical and mental health by helping encourage New York’s kids and families to put down their phones and computers, take a break from social media, and enjoy recreation and outdoor social gatherings, DEC officials said.

“The Hudson River Estuary is an amazing and critical habitat for many fish species, and this annual event provides a great opportunity for New York families and visitors to get outside and see first-hand how unique the river is to the life cycle of so many fish,” DEC Interim Commissioner Sean Mahar said. “With sites from New York Harbor to Cohoes, there are many places for young and old alike to participate in this year’s event and learn about DEC’s wide-ranging conservation efforts to protect and restore the Hudson River.”

Participating groups can share catch results by posting to DEC’s Facebook, Instagram, and X (formally Twitter) @NYSDEC pages with the hashtag #hudsonriverfishcount. Comparing notes builds an understanding of the diversity of fishes and habitats in the Hudson, the vitality of the estuarine ecosystem in urban and rural settings, and the influence of salinity and tides.

Learn more about the fish found since 2012 and the counts of previous years here.