Hudson RiverNet
News from the Hudson River Estuary Program

In This Issue:

• Funding to Help Remove Dams and Right-Size Culverts in Hudson Tributaries
• DEC Seeks Input on Proposed Management Actions to Rebuild Striped Bass
• Draft Shad Recovery Plan Released for Public Comment

Funding to Remove Dams and Right-Size Culverts in Hudson Tributaries

$500,000 in Tributary Restoration and Resiliency grant funding is now available to help Hudson River Estuary watershed communities remove dams and right-size culverts to restore aquatic connectivity for American eel or river herring in tributary streams. The funding is provided by the State's Environmental Protection Fund and is administered by DEC's Hudson River Estuary Program.

Applicants may apply for planning and engineering projects for dam removal and right-sizing of culverts affecting eel or herring migration in the tidal Hudson watershed. View a map of identified and prioritized barriers on Cornell Water Resources Institute Aquatic Connectivity and Barrier Removal webpage. The minimum grant award is $10,500; the maximum grant award is $150,000. The application deadline is May 4, 2022 at 3 p.m. For more information, please visit the Hudson River Estuary Program's Grant Funding webpage.

Please Note: An additional $500,000 is available for Division of Marine Resources Marine Habitat Tributary Restoration and Resiliency Grants. Please visit DEC's New York Ocean Action Plan for more information.

Proposed Management Actions to Rebuild Striped Bass

DEC is seeking public input on the development of Draft Amendment 7 to the Interstate Fishery Management Plan (PDF) (FMP) for Atlantic Striped Bass through the Atlantic States Marine Fisheries Commission (ASMFC). The Draft Amendment proposes new options to the FMP to help rebuild the stock and significantly update the management program. DEC encourages New Yorkers to review proposed changes, participate through in-person or virtual webinar events, and provide comments to ASMFC by April 15, 2022.

DEC is hosting two public hearings to solicit New Yorkers' input on the development of the Draft Amendment. Meeting spaces have limited seating capacity, and DEC encourages fishing clubs and organizations to send key representatives to provide public comments. Hearings are scheduled in two locations:

• Wednesday, March 16, 6 p.m. to 8 p.m., DEC Division of Marine Resources, 123 Kings Park Blvd, Kings Park
• Wednesday, March 23, 6 p.m. to 8 p.m., DEC Region 3, 21 South Putt Corners Rd., New Paltz

In addition, audio from the hearing will be livestreamed, and participants can listen to the hearing via links available on DEC’s website. Those joining the livestream will be limited to listening only and are encouraged to submit written comments to ASMFC.
ASMFC is hosting additional virtual webinar hearings during March for the public to review the proposed options and provide comments. A recording of the hearing presentation is available on ASMFC’s YouTube page. For more information, visit ASMFC’s website. 

Recovery Plan for Hudson River American Shad Released for Comment

DEC has released the Draft Recovery Plan for Hudson River American Shad (PDF) for public comment. American Shad is an economically and ecologically important migratory fish species that once supported a robust fishery in the Hudson River. Decades of intense fishing pressure, coupled with years of low reproduction and non-fishing-related mortality events, have further impacted the stock’s resilience and exacerbated declines.

DEC invites the public to provide comments on the Draft Recovery Plan (PDF) until May 2, 2022. Send comments, questions, or requests for a paper copy of the draft plan by e-mail with the subject line “Shad Recovery Plan” to hudsonriverfish@dec.ny.gov or by regular mail to the contact listed below:

ElizaBeth Streifeneder
NYSDEC - Hudson River Fisheries Unit
21 South Putt Corners Road, New Paltz, NY 12561
Phone: (845) 633-5466