1. Migratory Fishes of the Hudson River
Gregg Kenney
Amanda Higgs
December 4, 2017

2. Who we are Rich Pendleton Wes Eakin Amanda Higgs Jess Best Bobby Adams
Photos by NYSDEC
Amanda Higgs
Jess Best
Bobby Adams

3. What we do Marine Resources Mission: Action Agenda Target:
Manage and maintain the state's living marine, estuarine and anadromous resources, and to protect and enhance the habitat upon which these resources depend, in order to assure that diverse and self-sustaining populations of these resources are available for future generations.
Action Agenda Target:
Populations of Striped Bass, American Shad, River Herring, Atlantic Sturgeon, Blue crab, American Eel … are robust and sustained at levels that support both a resilient ecosystem and a sustainable commercial and/or recreational harvest.

5. How we “manage fisheries”
Field Sampling
Science
Collaboration
Regulations
Fishery Mgmt Plans
Impact Assessment

6. State-Federal partnership
For species with significant fisheries in state + federal waters
Science based decisions
Technical committees
Policy committees
One state, one vote

7. Life History of Diadromous Fishes
Anadromous and Catadromous
Anadromous = Greek “running upward”. Spend much of their life in ocean and spawn in freshwater.
Juveniles in Hudson at least the first summer
Photo by HR Fisheries Unit

9. Atlantic sturgeon Life History
Maximum age observed: 60 years
Maturity
males age 12-15, females age 15-20
Spawning frequency: 3-5 years?
Juveniles: First 3-5 years in the river
Food: Fish, insects, worms, mollusks
Listed as Federally Endangered in 2012 – NYB DPS
Photo by Margie Turrin

10. Atlantic sturgeon Collected under NMFS ESA permit 16436-01
Photo by Chris Bowser
Collected under NMFS ESA permit
Photo by Rebecca Houser

11. Photo by NYSDEC
Photo by NYSDEC
Photo by Dan Erickson

12. Coastal Congregation Areas
Map created by Dan Erickson

13. 14 of 17 remained within the Mid- Atlantic Bight
3 moved far
12/15 fish with PATs remained bet/ Cape Hatteras and Long Island (in the Mid-Atlantic Bight; Pink Area). Although the others spent considerable time in the MAB, evidence suggests that they eventually travelled to the NC/SC coast (1 fish; light data), the GA/Fl coast (1 fish; light data), and into the Bay of Fundy (1 fish; transmitted locations).

14. American Shad Life History
Maximum age observed :13
Maturity
males age 3-5, females age 5-7
Iteroparous spawners, can spawn
up to 8 times
Spawning: Hyde Park – Troy
Migration: Maine (summer) – NC (winter)
Photo by NYSDEC

15. Understanding In River Migrations
Photo by NYSDEC
Photo by NYSDEC

16. Findings
Tagged fish moved a lot and often, historic commercial fishing, management implications
Hot spot near Troy-Menands Bridge
Fish tagged in the Hudson are recaptured in DE Bay, mixed stock harvest

17. Striped Bass Life History
Maximum age observed: 21
Maturity
males age 3-6, females age 6-8
Spawning: Highlands – Newburgh, Kingston – Catskill
Migration: Maine (summer) – NC (winter)
Photo by NYSDEC

18. Photos by NYSDEC

19. Hope to learn…..
New spawning areas
Migration rates
Coastal movement

21. Findings Very sensitive to mobile tracking, receivers ok
5 year tags, will continue to collect data by sex
Fish are detected on receivers along the coast, up to 30 miles from shore
Management implications
0-3 miles vs miles

22. Blue Crabs Use the entire Estuary Females need saltier water, lay eggs
Bury in the mud in the winter,
vulnerable
Catches fluctuate, Cold winters/ice? Salt water?
May be moving north as the water warms
Photo by NYSDEC

23. Catch with baited pots and tag Fishers call in tags with recapture
info
Photos by NYSDEC

24. What we are finding Movement within river and LI
Winter hot spot – Raritan Bay,
NJ fishers
One crab, fish market outside
Philly, PA
Crabs move more than we thought……

25. Thank You
Amanda Higgs Fisheries Biologist – HREP/Cornell Gregg Kenney
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