“RUNNING OF THE FISH”: NYC PARKS, WCS, BRONX RIVER ALLIANCE AND PARTNERS RESTOCK BRONX RIVER WITH HERRING FISH

More than 200 river herring were released into the Bronx River as part of a fish revitalization effort

NYC Parks, in partnership with the Wildlife Conservation Society, the Bronx River Alliance, the Connecticut Department of Energy and Environmental Protection (CT DEEP), and the New York State Department of Environmental Conservation, stocked the Bronx River with more than 200 river herring in efforts to restore a native migratory fish run in the city's largest freshwater river.

"As the custodians of New York City' s natural areas, it is so important that we support local wildlife and strengthen regional ecosystems," said NYC Parks Commissioner Tricia Shimamura. "This fish stocking showcases the ongoing efforts to care for and revitalize the Bronx River and Estuary, and I thank our local and state partners for their vital work keeping our natural areas healthy and resilient."

On April 15, NYC Parks transported adult fish from Bride's Brook in East Lyme, CT in a large tank truck designed specifically to carry fish. Parks staff netted fish from the tank and distributed them into water-filled buckets, as partner groups assisted in placing the herring into the river.

"This fish stocking is an exciting milestone for New York City's last remaining freshwater river. Thanks to decades of community stewardship and ongoing advocacy, the Bronx River has transformed from an open sewer into a revitalized ecosystem where native species like river herring can begin to return," said Siddhartha Sánchez, Executive Director of the Bronx River Alliance. "We remain committed to protecting and restoring this critical urban habitat so it can thrive for generations to come."

"River herring were once abundant in our rivers and streams, but alewife have not run free in the Bronx River for over 300 years. With luck, the offspring of the fish brought here today will return to the Bronx River in 3 or 4 years' time and highlight the continued recovery of New York City's largest freshwater stream," said Jake LaBelle of the Wildlife Conservation Society New York Bight Program. "WCS is proud to support the restoration of this key diadromous species right near our Bronx Zoo headquarters."

The restocking, which took place in a section of the Bronx River located in the Bronx Zoo, is part of an ongoing effort to re-establish a population of these native fish in one of the nation's most urbanized waterways.

River herring are anadromous fish; meaning they live in the ocean but spawn in freshwater. These fish are an important food source for larger fish, birds and other wildlife in our ocean, estuaries and rivers. Stocking herring in the Bronx River will provide the species with additional habitat and increase local biodiversity.

The river herring "run," or migrate upstream, to spawn each April. Adult river herring make an incredible round-trip journey over thousands of miles, traveling from the Bay of Fundy off Newfoundland back to the freshwater streams where they hatched.

In 2015, NYC Parks' constructed a fish ladder over the 182nd Street Dam to allow fish to migrate upstream to spawn. This ladder gives fish access to 12 acres of freshwater habitat that have been blocked for centuries and allows them to pass from ocean to river.

Restoration of the Bronx River habitat is part of a much larger mission to restore river herring runs throughout the northeast and increase the biodiversity of our oceans and streams.