Herring Spawn in New York Tributary for First Time in 85 Years

TROY, N.Y. (AP) — For the first time in 85 years, herring and other ocean-going fish are spawning in a Hudson River tributary in New York, thanks to a dam-removal project last spring.

The project on the shallow Wynants Kill tributary near Albany was the first of what ecologists hope will be many such efforts on the 150-mile-long Hudson estuary. It's part of a larger movement nationwide to remove dams to restore fish spawning and nursery habitat.

Dams built during the Industrial Revolution have long prevented herring from spawning in Hudson tributaries, causing the population to crash. Pollution and overfishing made things worse.

Fishing has been restricted and pollution cleaned up. Biologists say removing dams to restore stream habitat is the next step for fish population recovery efforts.

(Story by: Mary Esch, The Associated Press)