HUDSON VALLEY – Several Hudson River anglers received summonses for the illegal harvesting of striped bass from the river in February. The New York State Environmental Conservation Police from Orange, Rockland, Westchester, and Putnam Counties conducted the operation.
The joint detail was conducted by Environmental Conservation Officers (ECOs) along the Hudson River to stop illegal striped bass activity.
On Feb. 12, Officers Tompkins, Thibodeau, and Franz conducted a fishing enforcement detail in Westchester County prioritizing anglers taking out-of-season striped bass. The officers patrolled Oscawana Island Park in the town of Cortlandt and Croton Point Park in the village of Croton-on-Hudson. During the detail, officers observed several anglers taking and keeping out-of-season fish. The police issued 17 citations for violations including possessing out-of-season fish and fishing without a valid license. Thirty striped bass were seized from violators, with many being released back into the Hudson River. The rest of the fish were donated to a wolf conservation center in Westchester..
On February 21, officers wrote a total of 16 summonses and seized 33 out-of-season striped bass. The striped bass season runs from April 1 to November 30 on the Hudson River. Striped bass seized during the detail were returned to the water or donated to the Wolf Conservancy in Westchester County.
In 2015, New York reduced the harvest amount due to a decline in the coastal spawning stock, resulting in a slot limit of 18 to 28 inches in length for the Hudson River.
Striped bass is an ecologically, recreationally, and economically important migratory fish species in New York, according to the NYS DEC. The Hudson River acts as a nursery for newly hatched young bass.
Striped bass seized during the detail were returned to the water or donated to the Wolf Conservancy in Westchester County.
