Hudson River Park Trust Tallies Resurgence of Native Species in Local Waters
While Hudson River Park may look like a world-class public space and recreational amenity, its primary mission is almost completely invisible to the visitors who flock there from all over the world. The Hudson River Park Trust (HRPT) is the steward of the Estuarine Sanctuary: 400 underwater acres that provide critical habitat to nearly 100 species of fish (including seahorses, eels, and striped bass), and a vital migration corridor for birds and other wildlife. In this capacity, HRPT conducts a Fish Ecology Survey, which has been ongoing since 1988, during which time it has collected samples of 56 of the 88-plus species known to inhabit local waters. Recent results from this project (which gently traps, measures, and releases dozens of samples each year) shed intriguing light on the life teeming just beneath the surface of the river along Manhattan’s western shore.
Submerged pots and traps at Pier 26 (near North Moore Street) and Pier 40 (near West Houston Street) are checked at least once a week. So far this summer, the HRPT River Project survey team has found tautog blackfish (between seven and nine inches in length), oyster toadfish (one to eight inches), northern pipefish (more than six inches), white perch (ten inches), summer flounder (seven inches), and a lined seahorse (three inches).
Invertebrates included the first two blue crabs of the season (two inches), along with oyster drills (a species of small predatory sea snail that feasts on oysters), mud dog whelks, mud crabs, grass shrimp, and hermit crabs. On a sobering note, HRPT’s Fish Ecology Survey is also monitoring the increasing proliferation Pacific shore crabs—an invasive species first sighted on the East Coast in 1988 off New Jersey, which outcompete native fauna like mud crabs, and prey on economically significant species like blue mussels.
Siddhartha Hayes, HRPT’s manager of research and aquaria, said, “there’s always a lot of inter-annual variation between seasons. We’ve caught 211 fishes so far in 2026, and had caught 178 fishes at the end of July last year. There are fewer observed species this year but those were only represented by three or fewer individuals in 2025.”
“We’ve seen proportionally more oyster toadfish—it’s been great year for their babies,” he added, “and tautogs, as well as pipefish. But we’ve seen fewer black sea bass, skilletfish, and blue crabs so far, compared to last year. I expect more of these species to be present a bit later in the summer as we start to reach peak biodiversity.”
From now through July 25, HRPT’s WetLab (an aquatic research station at Pier 40) is hosting Crab Week, a kid-friendly program that celebrates the eight species of local crabs that call the Hudson River home.
Tomorrow (Tuesday, July 21), visit Pier 40 for a WetLab Look-In—a guided tour by River Project team members of the multiple aquaria filled with marine life. The WetLab features a rotating exhibit of fish and invertebrates collected in the Hudson River as part of the ongoing Fish Ecology Survey. Animals are released throughout the season to ensure minimal impacts on their lives.
HRPT’s Fish Survey for 2025 snared a total of 21 species, with tautog, oyster toadfish, and black sea bass among the most common. The 2025 report noted the abundance of skilletfish, an encouraging sign of the health of the waters around New York City. While native to the Hudson, skilletfish had not been caught in New York waters for nearly a century as a result of habitat degradation—until 2011, when the Fish Ecology Survey found one in an oyster cage. Since then, skilletfish have been caught every year, an indirect sign of the growing population of oysters in New York Harbor, with which have they have a symbiotic partnership.
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