The Hudson River’s iconic fish species — from American shad, Atlantic sturgeon and shortnose sturgeon, American eels, and river herring, to striped bass — are a crucial part of our connected ecosystem. And they are all in decline.

For many fish species, the Hudson is a critical highway from the Atlantic Ocean to their spawning grounds or nursery habitat. The river's tides and nutrients provide the essential basis for this aquatic life, and impacts to the Hudson have cascading effects on the health and populations of threatened or endangered species.

Numerous Hudson River fish species are in serious long-term decline, and at risk of collapse — threatened by contamination, habitat loss and degradation, sewage overflows, barriers like dams, invasive species, and overfishing.

A species that has managed to survive since the age of the dinosaurs, Atlantic sturgeon spawn in the Hudson from April to June. Their populations in the Hudson were once bountiful, but due to the harvesting of their eggs for caviar, their numbers have dwindled since the late 1800s. In 2012, Atlantic sturgeon were placed on the federal endangered species list. Despite the protections, Atlantic sturgeon populations are not rebounding.

Striped bass are the East Coast’s premier saltwater gamefish, and these fish represent another iconic Hudson River species that is in long-term decline. In 2023, striped bass experienced their worst spawning season since 1995. When striped bass enter the river to spawn and as they mature, they utilize river herring and shad as a food source (the latter serving primarily as a source during spawning). However, research shows that river herring populations are fully depleted and are at historic lows. River herring rely on the Hudson’s tributaries to spawn, but a significant amount of that habitat lies upstream of obsolete dams, making our work to remove these barriers even more impactful and necessary.

In the past, river herring were wildly abundant, arriving into the Hudson and its tributaries by the millions and marking the onset of spring. These species are now in serious decline

At one time there were as many as 400 shad fishing operations in the Hudson River, running six days a week during spring migrations. This fishery also targeted the females for their roe. As a result, persistent and long-term declines and a fully depleted stock status has led to closures for all fishing of American shad in the Hudson River. Despite our efforts to restore American shad and river herring populations, they are not rebounding as they should. These fish face additional threats due to commercial fisheries in the Atlantic where they are often caught as bycatch. We are working with our partner groups to ensure the fishery managers address these issues and we will continue to fight for our fishes in the river or the ocean.