Eel project volunteers sought

NEW BALTIMORE — Spring is almost here and so are the eels. Help protect this critical species! Volunteers can assist in the Department of Environmental Conservation’s Spring 2023 study on streams from NYC to Albany County. This requires mostly outdoor field work from late March through May, with very flexible schedules. Participants gain valuable field experience, study important species in the living environment, and work with their local communities.

American eels (Anguilla rostrata) are migratory fish that are hatched in the Atlantic Ocean and enter rivers as tiny “glass eels” each spring. The species is in decline over much of its range, and baseline studies are needed for conservation. Teams of scientists, volunteers, and students collect glass eels using a net on several Hudson River tributaries. Juvenile fish are counted, weighed, and released to better habitat upstream, often above dams.