An Amagansett family whose fishing provides clams for its roadside stand as well as its own dinner table is fighting the state over the right to fish. And the Lesters insist that a 1686 royal decree give them that right. more ›

Locavore eating is still so hot right now, and so is finding new purposes for discarded refuse. Therefore it comes as no surprise that some urban fishermen are using raw chicken and used condoms to catch crabs in Newtown Creek, which, you might recall, was declared a Superfund site last year. more ›

People talk about over-fishing all the time, but what does it exactly mean? Perhaps the above graphic from a paper out of the University of British Columbia [PDF], which used "ecosystem models, underwater terrain maps, fish catch records and statistical analysis to render the biomass of Atlantic fish at various points this century," will help clarify. As you can see, the supply of popular fishes like bluefin tuna, cod, haddock, hake, halibut, herring, mackerel, pollock, salmon, sea trout, striped bass, sturgeon and turbot has greatly diminished in the past hundred-plus years. But how come, with all those environmentalists calling on restrictions the past thirty years, that number of fish in the sea keeps dropping? Blame it on bad generational memory, apparently. more ›

In a situation that immediately calls to mind the great Montauk Monster fiasco of 2008, a giant, prehistoric-looking monster from another world was dragged out of the East River over the weekend. Anybody hungry? more ›

There's nothing that quite matches the exhilaration of reeling in a 25lb striped bass: the white-knuckle grip on the pole as your forearms feel the sweet burn of success before marveling at the size of your catch. Dean Ween, one half of the joyously unclassifiable rock band Ween, is addicted to this feeling. When he's not touring or recording, he's either running fishing charters as the skipper of his own boat, The Archangel, or fishing with his friends in the rivers of Pennsylvania, the Jersey Shore, and pretty much all over the world. His charter was some of the most fun we've ever had. We talked with Deaner (AKA Mickey Melchiondo, Jr.) about fishing minutiae, his Ween-crazed clientele, and the best boat name he's ever seen. more ›

The war between humans, humans with fishhooks, and waterfowl continues at Prospect Park Lake. In August four swans were hooked by fishermen, prompting locals to question why the Prospect Park Enforcement Patrol officers were turning a blind eye to unlawful fishermen. Well, now the Brooklyn Paper reports that a swan was found with an illegal barbed fishhook through its foot on Friday. more ›

A Jersey City man fishing at Exchange Place managed to snag a handgun covered in duct tape and barnacles while fishing off Grundy Pier earlier this week. For some reason the 71-year-old carried the .32 caliber handgun to the nearby Hyatt Hotel, where he was told to drop the weapon, complied, and then went back to fishing. Police are currently investigating if the gun is connected to any crimes. We're sure it was just a perfectly fine, unused gun someone happened to throw in the river. more ›

When it comes to fines, the Prospect Park Enforcement Patrol officers are slack on summonsing litterbugs, but have no problem ticketing an unleashed pup. And now according to the Brooklyn Paper, they turn a blind eye to law-breaking fishermen as well. more ›

The ongoing animal soap opera at Prospect Park Lake continues, this time the drama revolving around four swans—two adults and two babies. All four of them were discovered Monday with fishing hooks in their beaks and lines around their legs, according to the Brooklyn Paper. Two local swan enthusiasts saved the day, telling the paper that the injuries had to be treated immediately and they probably only had another day to live if they hadn't been found. more ›

Flickr user ibexclusive posted this photograph of a pretty nice-looking fish caught in the East River. NYCFishing.com, which says, "Upper East Side urban anglers don't need to travel to Brooklyn, Queens, Bronx or Long Island to go fishing. We have good fishing right in our back yard, John Finley Walk Way, along the FDR Drive," has more evidence of the bounty in the river and recommends this discussion on Noreast about East River fishing. more ›

People, throw the fish back in the water. That is what the city is making sure to remind New Yorkers of with new signage going up at fishing spots around town. This comes after the Daily News discovered that old signs had worn away or were non-existent while fishing for food among lower-income New Yorkers is on the rise. The signs warning of high levels of carcinogens such as PCBs and mercury don't sound likely to deter the fishermen though—they tell the paper that contaminated fish beats an empty dinner plate. While Senator Schumer is asking the federal government to update its guidelines on what fish is safe, the mayor has basically said pish posh to all this, that people should "use common sense" when dealing with city waters. Public Advocate Betsy Gotbaum is taking him to task for that, calling the mayor "out of touch" with the low-income fishermen, whom she says "we need to protect." A spokesman from the mayor shot back, "There are actually still a lot of people in government who work on solutions instead of just calling people names." more ›

The New York State Department of Health recently started drawing attention to their Hudson River Fish Advisory Outreach Project, according to FreeWilliamsburg. The site has a photo of a Parks Department sign, taken at the North 5th Street pier behind the Northside Piers development, which actually alludes to the fact that one can eat what they catch from the East River without a trip to the ER. Well, there are some caveats, the sign reads: "Pregnant women, women of childbearing age, and children under 15 years old should not eat fish or eels caught in these waters." Reassuring, no? So what goodies can be hooked in the river? According to NYC Fishing: bass, blues, stripers, snappers and flounder. Well, it's probably better than whatever you'd find in the Gowanus, but maybe not at Prospect Park. more ›

Art by John Blackford and James Fisher, photo courtesy John Barnes. more ›