 On October 16th, waterfronts up and down the Hudson River and the piers of New York Harbor were bustling with activity. Nearly 6,000 students and teachers armed with seine nets, minnow pots, and water-testing gear collected data and studied some of the Hudson River’s 200-plus species of fish and myriad invertebrates, tracked its tides and currents, and examined water quality and chemistry.
During A Day in the Life of the Hudson and Harbor, schools partnered with environmental education centers and DEC using hands-on field techniques to capture a snapshot of the river’s ecology at more than 90 sites. Participating classes represent the diversity of the school population in urban and rural communities along the estuary.
 Fluctuations in fish catches and ranges are due to many factors including weather, tides and salinity. Most are young fish, evidence of the Hudson’s importance as a nursery habitat. One of the more unusual fish caught during the day was the northern pipefish, which blends in perfectly with long seaweed and debris. Like its cousin the seahorse, the male pipefish takes a major role in taking care of its eggs until they hatch.
A Day in the Life of the Hudson and Harbor is sponsored by DEC’s Hudson River Estuary Program and organized with assistance from the Lamont-Doherty Earth Observatory of Columbia University.
Watch a clip about this year’s A Day in the Life of the Hudson and Harbor and check out other clips on the NY Department of Environmental Conservation’s YouTube Channel.
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