Hudson River Seining Mid-Season Data Report
CURB’s Hudson River seining season began back in February and will continue though November. Our season got off to a slow start with not much being caught through April. However, things picked up in a big way, especially once we got into June. Here is a summary of the data from the first 5 months of the season.
Most Abundant Catches
June saw a huge surge in Atlantic menhaden with 975 caught throughout the month. On the season, we have caught 1,032 which is our second highest total all-time (since 2005). Please note that Atlantic menhaden are included in the "herring and shad" category in the graph below. We also have caught large numbers comb jellies (1,024 – second all-time) and shrimp (819).
New Catches
We had a few first-time catches for our location including yellow perch, a seaboard goby, and a common carp. Measuring at 26 inches in length, this carp may have been our largest catch ever caught in the seine net. In all, we have caught 31 different species so far this season.
Overall Catch
Due to the large numbers of the species mentioned above, our total combined catch currently ranks 2nd all-time for this point in the season (July 15th). We have done 384 hauls of the seine net and have a CPUE of 11.62.
Weather and Water
Because of above normal temperatures throughout much of the winter, spring, and now summer, our water temperature has been steadily rising and is now over 80F. Could this be playing a role in our abundant catches this year, as well as new species being caught? It’s tough to say but it’s something to monitor as the long range forecast continues to call for above normal temperatures.
Track the data with us on our website at https://www.centerfortheurbanriver.org/research/seining.html.