Great Hudson River Fish Count

Bluegill Sunfish

The Great Hudson River Fish Count is an annual event sponsored by the New York State Department of Environmental Conservation’s (NYSDEC) Hudson River Estuary Program and the Hudson River National Estuarine Research Reserve.

During the annual event, organizations all along the Hudson River and New York Harbor participate at riverfront sites to collect, count, and catalog fish species.

Visitors can participate by collecting 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 the mesh. The fish are identified, counted, and released back into the river.

More than 200 fish species are found in the Hudson River estuary and its tributaries. So far, 70 different types of fish have been recorded during the annual counts.

Participating groups share results during the day to see how the Hudson’s range of habitats and salinities (levels of fresh vs. salty water) supports a wide array of fishes, and to appreciate the estuary’s vitality in both urban and rural settings.

The Hudson River is popular destination for sportfishing enthusiasts. Sought after species include striped bass, catfish, largemouth bass, muskie, white perch, and others.

Columbia and Snake River Salmon Recovery Plan Lawsuit

A coalition of fishing, business, and conservation organizations have asked a federal judge to declare President Obama’s Columbia and Snake river salmon recovery plan illegal.

“We’d like to pretend this plan is just a ‘trick’ and the ‘treat’ is still to come,” said Michael Garrity of American Rivers. “But we can’t. We’ve been here too many times before. This administration has got to stop trying to put a pretty costume on an ugly plan and start following the law and science. We’re dealing with people’s livelihoods and keystone species on the brink of extinction.”

Because federal dams are harming threatened and endangered salmon and steelhead in the Columbia and Snake rivers, the law requires federal agencies to create a plan – or biological opinion (BiOp) – to reduce the damage. The papers filed today respond to the Obama administration’s continuing failure to provide legal, science-based plan.

“For two years the coalition has asked the Obama administration to uphold its promises for scientific integrity and transparency,” said former Oregon Department of Fish and Wildlife fisheries chief Jim Martin. “It appears those were empty promises. If anything, the administration is going backward in terms of openness and scientific integrity.”

source: www.wildsalmon.org