Fish Advisories for the Hudson River & Tributaries

The Hudson River offers excellent freshwater and saltwater fishing opportunities between the Adirondack headwaters and New York City's saltwater Upper Bay. The Hudson River is also known for it's world class striped bass fishery. Unfortunately, the river has been impacted by PCB contamination. The advice on the Hudson depends on who you are, where you're fishing, and what you're catching. The sensitive population should avoid eating all fish from the Hudson from the South Glens Falls Dam all the way to The Battery. No one should eat striped bass between the Federal Dam in Troy to the Rip Van Winkle Bridge in Catskill. The general population can eat several species (see tables), but should follow our tips to reduce exposure to PCBs.

Maps of the river sections are available at the bottom of the page.

Advisory Tables

Hudson River Advice

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Waterbody 1 (County)
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Fish
men & older women icon
General Population
Women and Kids icon
Sensitive Population
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Chemicals of Concern
Hudson River, upstream from Corinth Dam (Palmer Falls Dam)
(Warren, Essex, Saratoga, Hamilton)
All fish See Adirondack Regional Advisory Mercury
Hudson River, Corinth Dam (Palmer Falls Dam) to South Glens Falls Dam at Route 9 Bridge
(Warren, Saratoga)
Channel catfish DON'T EAT DON'T EAT PCBs
Carp DON'T EAT DON'T EAT PCBs
All other fish See Adirondack Regional Advisory Mercury
Hudson River, South Glens Falls Dam at Route 9 Bridge to Hudson Falls Dam at Bakers Falls
(Warren, Washington, Saratoga)
All fish DON'T EAT DON'T EAT PCBs
Hudson River, Hudson Falls Dam at Bakers Falls to Federal Dam at Troy
(Rensselaer, Albany, Washington, Saratoga)
All fish Catch and Release fishing ONLY per NYS DEC regulations. Take No Fish. Eat No Fish. Catch and Release fishing ONLY per NYS DEC regulations. Take No Fish. Eat No Fish. PCBs
Hudson River, Federal Dam at Troy to Rip Van Winkle Bridge at Catskill 3
(Rensselaer, Albany, Columbia, Greene)
Yellow perch Up to 1 meal/month DON'T EAT PCBs
Rock bass Up to 1 meal/month DON'T EAT PCBs
Blueback herring Up to 1 meal/month DON'T EAT PCBs
Alewife Up to 1 meal/month DON'T EAT PCBs
All other fish (including
Striped bass and Walleye)
DON'T EAT DON'T EAT PCBs
Hudson River, Rip Van Winkle Bridge at Catskill to NYC Battery2,3
(Bronx, Columbia, Dutchess, Greene, New York, Orange, Putnam, Rockland, Ulster, Westchester)
White perch Up to 1 meal/month DON'T EAT PCBs
White catfish DON'T EAT DON'T EAT PCBs
Walleye DON'T EAT DON'T EAT PCBs
Striped bass Up to 1 meal/month DON'T EAT PCBs
Smallmouth bass Up to 1 meal/month DON'T EAT PCBs
Rainbow smelt Up to 1 meal/month DON'T EAT PCBs
Largemouth bass Up to 1 meal/month DON'T EAT PCBs
Freshwater drum Up to 1 meal/month DON'T EAT PCBs
Goldfish Up to 1 meal/month DON'T EAT PCBs
Gizzard shad DON'T EAT DON'T EAT PCBs
Channel catfish DON'T EAT DON'T EAT PCBs
Carp Up to 1 meal/month DON'T EAT PCBs
Crab or lobster tomalley and cooking liquid 2 DON'T EAT DON'T EAT PCBs, Dioxin, Cadmium
Blue crab meat Up to 4 meals/month (six crabs per meal) DON'T EAT PCBs, Cadmium
Brown bullhead Up to 1 meal/month DON'T EAT PCBs
Bluefish Up to 1 meal/month DON'T EAT PCBs
Atlantic needlefish Up to 1 meal/month DON'T EAT PCBs
All other fish See Statewide Advice
(Only for General Population)
DON'T EAT PCBs

The sensitive population refers to people who may become pregnant (under the age of 50) and children under 15. The general population refers to everyone else.

1 The specific health advisories for the waters listed above also apply to tributaries and connected waters if there are no dams, falls, or barriers to stop the fish from moving upstream.

2 Don't eat the soft "green stuff' (mustard, tomalley, liver, or hepatopancreas) found in the body section of crabs and lobsters from any waters because cadmium, PCBs, and other contaminants concentrate there. As contaminants are transferred to cooking liquid, you should also discard crab or lobster cooking liquid.

3 Check the NYS DEC website for updated regulations and special restrictions for certain species.

Maps

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Northern Hudson River Map

Map of the Northern Hudson River

Hudson River Map

Map of the Hudson River