What does the Hudson River contain?
What does the Hudson River contain? For about half its length, the Hudson is actually a tidal estuary, where salt water from the ocean combines with fresh water from northern tributaries. The Hudson is tidal from the mouth of the Hudson in New York Harbor to the Federal Dam in Troy, a distance of about 153 miles.
Why is the Hudson River so special?
Because the Hudson River is a tidal estuary, meaning it ebbs and flows with the ocean tide, it supports a biologically rich environment, making it an important ecosystem for various species of aquatic life. For many key species, it provides critical habitats and essential spawning and nursery grounds.
Are there fish in the Hudson River?
Saving the River's Fish. For schools of migratory shad, sturgeon, river herring, blue crab, menhaden and striped bass, the Hudson is an unimpeded corridor from the Atlantic to their ancestral spawning grounds.
Are there goldfish in the Hudson River?
While there are orange individuals in the Hudson, these tend to be easy pickings for predators; one study of the diet of ospreys along the Hudson found that goldfish were a common prey of this fish-eating hawk. Thus the goldfish we catch are more likely to be olive green or brown than orange or gold.
Why was fishing banned in the Hudson River?
For Your Health- In 1976, the Upper Hudson River was closed to fishing due to extremely high amounts of polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs) in fish. These levels posed a high risk of possible harmful health effects in humans. Since 1976, the manufacture of PCBs has been banned and their use phased out.
Do bull sharks swim in the Hudson River?
Yes, Bull Sharks, Dogfish, Great White?, Whale. 25 different species live in the area, and while most won't spend much time in the river all are capable, though for short times as they are salt water specific.
What was dumped in the Hudson River?
General Electric dumped an estimated 1.3 million pounds of polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs) into the Hudson River between 1947 and 1977. The PCB discharges came from two GE capacitor manufacturing plants located in Fort Edward and Hudson Falls, New York, about 50 miles north of Albany.
Is the Hudson River too salty to drink?
The “Salt Front” is the location where the river is 100 ppm salinity. 100 ppm salinity falls within acceptable drinking water standards.
Is there any sea life in the Hudson River?
In the warmer months, you can find seahorses in the river's shallow water around piers and in grassy areas from Staten Island to the Tappan Zee Bridge in Westchester. Oysters were once plentiful in the mouth of the Hudson River. In 1911, records show a peak harvest of almost 25 million pounds!
What does the Hudson River taste like?
Seawater pushes into the Hudson and mixes with fresh water, making the river taste slightly salty. This mix of salt and fresh water is called brackish water.
What are the giant fish in the Hudson River?
The Atlantic sturgeon is the largest fish in the Hudson River. Adults are often five to eight feet long.
Is it OK to swim in the Hudson River?
Experts say it's safe to swim in most of the Hudson most of the time — though things get dicey after it rains.
Are there predators in the Hudson River?
Predators like blue crabs and sturgeons do eat zebra mussels, but have never been shown to control natural populations. Research on new control measures, including biological controls, is ongoing, but the changes we've seen to the Hudson's ecosystem probably are irreversible or at least long-lasting.
Is it healthy to swim in the Hudson River?
The short answer is “Yes!” The long answer is that it depends on when and where. Issues like sewage outflow and algal blooms keep many areas along the Hudson from being swimmable, particularly after rainfall.
How many bodies are found in the Hudson River every year?
This results in a total of 59 bodies floating down the lower Hudson every year (49 or 50 from NYC, 5 or 6 from Bergen County, and about 4 from Hudson County). 59 divided by 365 gives you about 0.16 bodies per day.