Editing Hudson River (section)

===Fish===
About 220 species of fish, including 173 native species, currently are found in the Hudson River.<ref name="Species">{{cite news|last=Lake|first=Tom|title=Hudson River Watershed Fish Fauna Check List |publisher=NYSDEC Hudson River Estuary Program|url=http://www.dec.ny.gov/docs/remediation_hudson_pdf/hrepfishlist.pdf|date=October 20, 2016|access-date=September 26, 2017|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170320225017/http://www.dec.ny.gov/docs/remediation_hudson_pdf/hrepfishlist.pdf|archive-date=March 20, 2017|url-status=live}}</ref> Commercial fishing was once prominent in the river, although most were shut down in 1976 due to pollution; few survive today. [[American shad]] are the only finfish harvested for profit, though in limited numbers.<ref name="RP"/>

Species include [[striped bass]], the most important game fish in the Hudson. Estimates of the striped bass population in the Hudson range to nearly 100&nbsp;million fish.<ref name="Million1"/><ref name="Million2"/> [[American eel]]s also live in the river before reaching breeding age; for much of this stage they are known as [[glass eel]]s because of the transparency of their bodies. The fish are the only [[catadromous]] species in the Hudson's estuary.<ref name="HRPark"/>

The [[Atlantic tomcod]] is a unique species that adapted resistance to the toxic effects of the PCBs polluting the river. Scientists identified the genetic mutation that conferred the resistance, and found that the mutated form was present in 99 percent of the tomcods in the river, compared to fewer than 10 percent of the tomcods from other waters.<ref name="HRPark"/><ref name="Welsh"/> The [[hogchoker]] [[flatfish]] have been historically abundant in the river, where farmers would use them for inexpensive livestock feed, giving the fish its name.<ref name="HRPark" /> Other unusual fish found in the river include the [[northern pipefish]], the [[lined seahorse]], and the [[northern puffer]].<ref name="HRPark"/>

The [[Atlantic sturgeon]], a species about 120&nbsp;million years old, enter the estuary during their annual migrations. The fish grow to a considerable size, up to {{convert|15|ft}} and {{convert|800|lbs}}.<ref name="HRPark"/> The fish are the symbol of the Hudson River Estuary. Their smoked flesh was commonly eaten in the river valley since 1779, and it was sometimes known as "Albany beef". The city of Albany was called "Sturgeondom" or "Sturgeontown" in the 1850s and 1860s, with its residents known as "Sturgeonites". The "Sturgeondom" name lost popularity around 1900.<ref name="AlbanyBeef"/> The fish have been off limits from fishing since 1998. The river's population of [[shortnose sturgeon]] have quadrupled since the 1970s, and are also off limits to all fishing as they are a federally endangered species.<ref name="RP"/>

Lined seahorse or northern seahorse (''[[Hippocampus erectus]]'') are found in the brackish waters of the Lower [[New York Bay]], [[New York Harbor]] and surrounding waters (including [[Raritan Bay]] and [[Sandy Hook Bay]]) and the Hudson River [[estuary]].<ref>{{Cite web |date=2016-07-20 |title=Spot a Seahorse in NYC |url=https://slownaturefastcity.com/2016/07/20/spot-a-seahorse-in-nyc/ |access-date=2022-04-19 |website=Slow Nature Fast City |language=en}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |last=Pereira |first=Sydney |date=2021-04-18 |title=Seahorse Spotted In The Hudson River, Marking Yet Another Hopeful Sign Of Spring |url=https://gothamist.com/ |access-date=2022-04-19 |website=Gothamist |language=en}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |title=Seahorses Really Do Swim in NY Harbor |url=http://www.nyharbornature.com/1/post/2016/07/-seahorses-really-do-swim-in-ny-harbor.html |access-date=2022-04-19 |website=NY HARBOR NATURE |language=en }}{{Dead link|date=December 2023 |bot=InternetArchiveBot |fix-attempted=yes }}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |date=2012-10-04 |title=There are seahorses living in New York City |url=https://grist.org/article/there-are-seahorses-living-in-new-york-city/ |access-date=2022-04-19 |website=Grist |language=en-us}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |last=Gonzalez • • |first=Georgina |title=The Many Creatures of the Hudson River May Surprise You |url=https://www.nbcnewyork.com/news/local/the-many-creatures-of-the-hudson-river-may-surprise-you/3003201/ |access-date=2022-04-19 |website=NBC New York |date=April 16, 2021 |language=en-US}}</ref>