The Hudson River Today What is the current condition of the
Hudson River and how will it affect you? Cary's David Strayer,
Freshwater Ecologist and author of The Hudson River Primer – The
Ecology of an Iconic River, discusses the positive effects of
the federal Clean Water Act and other government regulations
with Jonah Triebwasser and Sarah O’Connell of Radio Rotary. The
Hudson is much cleaner today than years ago, with most of the
Hudson today now safe for swimming. However, Hudson River fish
are still contaminated with chemical compounds (PCBs), limiting
food fish to those that spend most of their lives at sea.
Furthermore, alien species, often carried on ships entering the
Hudson River from foreign lands, disrupt the Hudson’s ecosystem.
Dr. Strayer also discusses future Hudson Valley prospects in the
face of climate change, such as the effect of sea level rises on
the Hudson River.