What is New York State's Largest Freshwater Fish?

New York state has an abundance of fishing opportunities, as one of the biggest times for angling is between the months of May and November, according to Fishing Booker.

It's hard to miss the many bodies of available water, as the Empire State boasts "more than 7,600 freshwater lakes, ponds and reservoirs", and parts of two Great Lakes and "over 70,000 miles of rivers and streams", says the New York State Department of Environmental Conservation.

How Many Species of Freshwater Fish Live in New York?

With so much water, there's got to be lots of fish. the I FISH NY website says that there are over 165 freshwater fish species, including some that have been around since the days of the dinosaurs. So, which species is the biggest?

New York State's Largest Freshwater Fish?

According to the New York State DEC, the lake sturgeon is one of state's largest freshwater fish. Mature adults average between three to five feet in length, though some can grow as large as over seven feet and over three hundred pounds.

The DEC says that lake sturgeon are usually found in freshwater lakes and large rivers in the Northeast, but can also be found in the Hudson Bay and the St. Lawrence River.

Experts say that lake sturgeon have been found locally in the Niagara River, Oswegatchie River, Grasse River, Lake Ontario, Lake Erie, Lake Champlain, Cayuga Lake, and in the Seneca and Cayuga canals.

The American Fisheries Society says that the lake sturgeon as has been listed as threatened in all the states.

Population decline could be attributed to several factors have been blamed such as, "high demand for their eggs (or, caviar) and smoked flesh, the "construction of dams that cut off spawning and nursery areas", and even pollution to the water, says the DEC.