New York Updates Hudson River Fish Consumption Guidance After 50 Years

New York State health officials updated fish consumption guidance for the lower Hudson River earlier this year, marking the first revision in 50 years. The new rules allow the general public one eight-ounce meal of striped bass per month and permit adult men up to four servings monthly.

Women who may become pregnant and children under 15 may eat fewer portions. Certain species remain restricted. Catfish and carp are still off-limits due to elevated contaminant levels. Officials continue to advise trimming, skinning, and cooking fish so fat drips away, a step they say can remove roughly half the targeted chemicals.

The Hudson River received more than one million pounds of polychlorinated biphenyls from two General Electric plants located about 200 miles upstream. Additional pollutants cited by state guidance include dioxins, cadmium, and PFAS. The federal Environmental Protection Agency links PCBs to certain cancers and thyroid disorders.

Cleanup projects have removed some sediment, yet an environmental group reports that PCB concentrations remain high in sections closer to the original discharge points. State officials note that striped bass are migratory and could encounter contaminants outside the lower Hudson.

City continue to fish the river despite past advisories. Some residents report traveling to bait shops in outer boroughs because Manhattan no longer hosts a dedicated tackle store. City environmental officials stated in an earlier report that surrounding waters are cleaner than at any point in more than a century, while acknowledging ongoing discharges from the combined sewer system.

An outreach manager for the state health department said the chemicals accumulate gradually and do not cause immediate illness. The same statement noted that chronic exposure remains the primary concern for regular consumers.