Join Columbia University’s Lamont-Doherty Earth Observatory, NYSDEC, NYCDEP and other environmental organizations in the Lower Hudson River and Harbor to celebrate World Fish Migration Day on Saturday, June 7.
There are a number of regional events to attend at different times and locations throughout the Lower Hudson. You can view event details on the map below, or check out the event flier!
More On Fish Migration
World Fish Migration Day (WFMD) is a global celebration to create awareness about the importance of migratory fish and free-flowing rivers. On World Fish Migration Day, organizations from around the world coordinate their own event around a common theme. In the Hudson River, migratory fish species are drawn into the protective waters of the estuary as part of their spawning cycle. Estuaries like the Hudson provide smaller, shallower waterways that protect young fish from larger predators and provide a variety of food sources.
Most of our migratory species are anadromous, meaning they live in the ocean and move into the Hudson just to reproduce. After spawning, most of the young fish spend only months in the Hudson, though several years here before moving back out to the ocean. We also see the migration of one catadromous species, the American eel. Catadromous fish spend most of their lives in the estuary and use the ocean as their spawning grounds.
Each site will collect data during the fish count to support better understanding of the migratory use of the estuary, along with the biodiversity of the lower Hudson. The full set of data allows to compare species richness and abundance to prior year spring fish counts and those that occur during other times of the year. Data from previous years can be explored here.
Want to learn more about fun, free events? Check out our Event page or visit the NYSDEC event calendar.
