Eel Project Volunteers Wanted!

Research migratory fish at the Hannacroix Creek

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 2022 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.

To volunteer at the Hannacroix Creek site in New Baltimore, email or call Kelsey West of CCE Columbia-Greene at kjw228@cornell.edu, 518-622-9820 x112. For all other locations email or call Sarah Mount of NYSDEC at sarah.mount@dec.ny.gov, 845‐889‐4745 x106. 

Last updated March 8, 2022