For vast schools of migratory shad, sturgeon, herring, alewives, blue crab, mackerel, menhaden, and striped bass, the Hudson is an unimpeded corridor from the Atlantic to the ancestral spawning grounds. Tidal action stirs the brackish broth and traps the rich stock of nutrients and minerals drained from the Hudson’s 13,500-square-mile watershed, feeding the younger migratory fishes and making the Hudson one of the two principal spawning grounds on the East Coast. These fishes support recreational and commercial fisheries along the Atlantic coast worth hundreds of millions of dollars and a 350-year-old commercial fishery within the Hudson.
-John Cronin and Robert F. Kennedy, Jr, "The Riverkeepers" (1997) p. 21

Humans have been fishing in the Hudson River for well over 6,000 years. Since Europeans settled here, the Hudson’s fisheries have been harvested for subsistence, recreation, and commercial purposes. Populations of several Hudson fish species, such as American shad and tomcod, have declined in recent years. A few fish stocks, such as striped bass, are abundant. To maintain the rich natural bounty of the Hudson, fish stocks must be carefully studied and fishing must be properly managed.

Management of migratory fish species such as American shad, river herring, striped bass, American eel, rainbow smelt, and Atlantic sturgeon is coordinated by the Atlantic States Marine Fisheries Commission (ASMFC), an interstate agency comprised of the 15 Atlantic coastal states. Resident species including smallmouth and largemouth bass, catfish, and white perch are managed exclusively by the New York State Department of Environmental Conservation (DEC).

The striped bass are perhaps the Hudson’s most prominent and popular recreational fish. The commercial striped bass fishery has been closed since 1976 because of General Electric’s PCB contamination. The ban on commercial fishing combined with improved water quality have drastically increased the population of striped bass in the Hudson. Charter boat and sport fishing for striped bass are permitted and have increased in popularity as the number of fish has grown. With PCB levels declining in striped bass, state and federal agencies now are considering whether commercial shad fishers should be allowed to keep and sell the striped bass taken as “bycatch” in their shad nets.

Sport fishing for stripers is currently sustainable in the Hudson River, but the stock may not be able to accommodate increased fishing pressure. More information is needed to determine sustainable harvest levels. Riverkeeper and its fisheries consultants are studying management proposals for the striped bass fishery.