About Commercial Fishing & Aquaculture

New York has a long history of maritime and commercial fishing. Although New York has minimal shoreline on the Atlantic Coast, there are many miles of shoreline on Lake Erie and Lake Ontario as well as lakes, rivers, streams, and other bodies of water. The New York Department of Environmental Conservation (DEC) estimates that New York has over 7,600 lakes, ponds, and reservoirs. The DEC estimates that there are over 70,000 miles of rivers and streams.

Some of the many seafood species that are harvested in New York waters are shellfish, sea bass, blackfish, trout, salmon, and cod. Additionally, New York has a robust aquaculture industry. Aquaculture is the process of farming aquatic plant and animal species in a controlled process such as hatcheries, tanks, or cordoned areas in large bodies of water.

Additionally, New York has a healthy fishing charter industry on the Great Lakes and in the Atlantic Ocean. There are also many guided fishing excursions throughout the state's interior waterways.

Trip to the Docks

Come aboard as Susana Osinski of Widow's Hole Oyster Farm shares the world of oyster farming and the importance of healthy aquatic ecosystems to her family oyster farm off the shores of Long Island, NY.

Fun Facts

• The New York State fish is the brook trout.
• The first patent for cocktail sauce was granted to a company from New York.

Sources

• https://docs.dos.ny.gov/communitieswaterfronts/ocean_docs/Cornell_Report_NYS_Commercial_Fishing.pdf
• https://www.greatlakesnow.org/