Hudson And Delaware Marine Fisheries

Hudson River Fisheries Unit

The Hudson River Fisheries Unit of the Division of Marine Resources takes a river-wide approach to its work which covers the main stem of the Hudson and Delaware rivers. This Unit is one of the 4 key components of the Hudson River Estuary Management Program. Research focuses on migratory fishes in the tidal portion of the Hudson River from New York Harbor to the Federal Dam located in Troy and in the non-tidal portion of the Delaware River in New York State. 

The Unit also gathers data on resident species such as the shortnose sturgeon, blue crabs, and many other fishes among the greater than 200 other species that occur in the Hudson and Delaware rivers.

Management

Both the monitoring data and research projects conducted by the Unit are all designed to inform management decisions about migratory fishes. These management decisions primarily include commercial and recreational fishing regulation changes, habitat restoration, and mitigating in-river construction impacts to fishes during State Environmental Quality Review. More recently, our work has been used to inform things as varied as the spread of invasive species, bycatch of ocean fisheries, and the operation of the New York State Canal locks. Unit staff participate in a variety of entities that implement these important management measures including: 

Atlantic States Marine Fisheries Commission Committees 

• Technical Committees: Shad and River Herring (chair; 2023-2025); Atlantic sturgeon (chair; 2018-present); Striped bass tagging subcommittee; Atlantic Herring.
• Stock Assessment Subcommittees: Shad (2020), Atlantic Sturgeon (2024) River Herring (2024)
• Science Subcommittee
• Fishery Management Plan Review Team; American Shad, River Herring
• Delaware Basin Fish and Wildlife Cooperative

In addition to their fisheries management responsibilities, our team members hold leadership positions in various organizations that support the conservation of the Hudson River and broader conservation of fish populations. Examples include: 

• Hudson River Environmental Society, board member
• Hudson River Aquatic Invasive Species Task Force, Coordinator
• North American Sturgeon and Paddlefish Society, board member
• NY Chapter of the American Fisheries Society, President

Recreational Fishing

To fish for migratory fishes of the sea (striped bass, river herring, American eel) in the tidal portion of the Hudson River and its tributaries, or waters of Delaware River or Mohawk River, you must enroll in the annual non-fee Recreational Marine Fishing Registry. Enrollment can be performed online, by phone, or at a license issuing agent location.

Commercial Fishing

A permit issued by DEC is required to participate in commercial fisheries on the Hudson & Delaware River. Visit Delaware and Hudson River Permits for permit information and applications or contact DEC Marine Permit Office at (631) 444-0470 for additional information.

Monthly reporting is required for Hudson River Marine and Delaware River Eel Weir permits. All reports must be received no later than the 15th of the following month. Fishermen must submit "Did Not Fish Forms" for all months of the year they did not fish under the privilege of their permit(s). Visit Vessel Trip Reports (VTRs) for complete reporting requirements.

Monitoring

We have a variety of long-term monitoring efforts that have tracked the relative abundance of migratory fishes over time. Some of these surveys began as early as the 1980s and more information about the surveys is provided in our species pages including American shad and striped bass. These data are both requirements of Fishery Management Plans that DEC has developed through the Atlantic States Marine Fisheries Commission and are critical for tracking our progress toward species recovery and developing changes to Hudson River angling regulations. 

Research 

As we manage fisheries in these areas, new challenges and questions frequently arise. In response, we design and implement projects to generate high-quality scientific data that support informed decision making.  Recent research conducted by the Unit includes scientific manuscripts on wide variety of topics ranging from identifying key habitats and behaviors of endangered species, assessing potential impacts of invasive species, and understanding the impact of canal operations on migratory fishes. Unit biologists collaborate with a wide range of researchers to answer questions that support the management of Hudson River fishes. 

See individual species webpages for additional research projects for American shad, striped bass, river herring, Atlantic and shortnose sturgeon, and blue crab.

Multispecies Telemetry Project

Acoustic telemetry is a technique used by biologists to track the movement of fishes by attaching an acoustic tag to a fish and monitoring its movement on a series on receivers located underwater. The receivers (fish detection equipment) are primarily hung on US Coast Guard buoys from the Harbor to the Federal Dam and when a tagged fish swims past the equipment, the receiver stores the tag number, date, and time (like EZ Pass for fishes). These data helps us understand how fishes move through the Hudson River and allow us to identify, protect, and restore important habitat.  

We are expanding a multispecies telemetry project to better understand movement patterns, habitat use, and migration dynamics of blueback herring, Atlantic and shortnose sturgeon, American eel, and striped bass. By integrating telemetry data from various projects and leveraging existing tracking arrays, we aim to improve fisheries management and conservation strategies. Key objectives include:

• Blueback Herring – Determine how many spawning adults use the Mohawk River and assess mortality rates to understand whether the river functions as a population source or sink--this work will guide fish passage improvements and management of lock operations
• Juvenile Atlantic Sturgeon – Investigate overwintering locations, migration timing, and survival rates to refine abundance estimates and support conservation efforts
• Shortnose Sturgeon – Identify New York harbor and winter movement patterns and determine the relative use of known and potential overwintering sites to inform habitat protection efforts

• Grass Carp – Track diploid and triploid grass carp movements to locate aggregation areas for targeted removal

  

• American Eel – Study migration timing, maturation, and triggers for metamorphosis into the silver eel life stage to help address critical data gaps identified in the ASMFC 2023 research needs, and to guide eel passage and conservation strategies
• Striped Bass – Investigate movement, habitat use, and emigration rates of resident and juvenile striped bass to inform fishing regulations and health advisories. This work supports ASMFC Amendment 7, which seeks to improve estimates of striped bass removals in inland waters and better understand annual variations in migration behavior.

Striped Bass Spawning Stock Index

The most recent striped bass stock assessment and the Hudson River Action Agenda highlight the need for a reliable spawning stock index for the Hudson River population. The current survey was originally designed for tagging striped bass, not for estimating population size. We are currently applying advanced modeling techniques to our long-term datasets determine if the survey can be standardized and informative for the next ASMFC striped bass stock assessment. 

American Shad Genetics

We are sequencing the full genome of American Shad to identify genetic markers that differentiate between Atlantic Coast stocks. This research will establish a genetic profile for 30 different stocks. Additionally, we are analyzing bycatch and landings data to determine where Hudson River shad experience the highest mortality along the Atlantic coast.

Round Goby Diet and Population Estimate

We are investigating the potential impact of Round Goby on the Hudson River ecosystem. This includes completing salinity tolerance trials to assess their invasion potential, evaluating predation threats to sturgeon and other key species using metabarcoding diet analysis, and applying genetic techniques to track population changes in the early stages of the invasion.

Striped Bass Mycobacteria Research

We are studying the prevalence of mycobacterial infections in striped bass within the Hudson River and marine environments.