Bronx River Alliance Marks 25 Years with Fish Stocking Event, Looks Ahead to a Future of Restored Fish Runs

BRONX, NY (04/17/2026) (readMedia)-- This week, the Bronx River Alliance marked its 25th anniversary with a symbolic and forward-looking fish stocking event at the Bronx Zoo with NYC Parks, Natural Resources Group, and the Wildlife Conservation Society-celebrating decades of progress while setting a bold vision for the next generation of restoration. 215 breeding alewife herring were successfully reintroduced to the Bronx River where they will spawn before moving back out to the Atlantic Ocean. The next generation of alewife will then return to the Bronx River to spawn in 3 to 5 years to continue the cycle and grow the river's population.

View photos of the event here.

Bronx River restoration and ecology partners gathered at the river's edge to release alewife herring into a waterway that has undergone one of the most remarkable urban ecological transformations in the country. The alewife came from Bride Brook, Connecticut, a small stream that connects to the Long Island Sound and often supports large runs of migratory river herring. The stream has also been used as a source of fish stocking in the past.

Alewife herring are a key species in freshwater river ecosystems with dozens of other species relying on them. Birds of prey like osprey, herons, and even bald eagles flock to the river during fish runs, and in recent years dolphin and dogfish sharks have been spotted in the estuary portion of the river. Pollution and invasive species are the biggest threats to fish populations thriving, both issues community scientists on the Ecology Team of the Bronx River Alliance work to educate the public and advocate to electeds.

Fish stocking began over 20 years ago with early coverage of Bronx River restoration efforts, building toward a future where fish could once again return to these waters. At the time, that vision felt aspirational. Today, it feels within reach. Once written off as a lost river, the Bronx River is now a living system-supporting wildlife, connecting communities, and serving as a classroom for thousands of New Yorkers each year.

"When I released herring into the Bronx River nineteen years ago on behalf of Congressman Serrano, it marked the beginning of an effort to restore a species that had disappeared and to bring the river back to life. That work showed early signs of hope-even then, the river was proving it could support wildlife again. Today, we're building on that foundation. And nineteen years from now, I believe we'll see a fully reconnected river system, where fish runs are not an experiment but a reality, and where generations of young people come to the Bronx River to experience a thriving ecosystem in the heart of New York City," said Siddhartha Sánchez, Executive Director of the Bronx River Alliance.

While fish stocking plays an important role in ecosystem support today, long-term restoration depends on removing barriers and restoring habitat throughout the watershed. Efforts to remove dams, improve water quality, and reconnect the river to the Long Island Sound are underway and gaining momentum. The Alliance envisions a future-25 years from now-where school groups regularly visit the Bronx River not just to learn about restoration, but to witness it in action.

"We imagine a day when classrooms come down to the river each spring to watch alewife runs the way schools do in the Pacific northwest with salmon runs." said Christian Murphy, Ecology Manager for the Bronx River Alliance. "That's the kind of living, breathing science education every young person deserves."

The Bronx River Alliance has already built a strong foundation for that future.

Each year:

• Thousands of students participate in environmental education programs
• Hundreds of volunteers steward parks and shorelines
• Water quality monitoring tracks improvements in water quality and habitat health
• Today's event builds on that legacy-connecting past progress to future possibility.

"As we celebrate 25 years, we're also issuing an invitation," Siddhartha Sánchez added. "To our partners, to the City, to our communities: let's finish the work. Let's remove the barriers, restore the habitat, and make fish runs in the Bronx River not just possible, but inevitable."

About the Bronx River Alliance: The Bronx River Alliance works to protect, improve, and restore the corridor so that one day the river can be a fishable, swimmable river as a healthy, vibrant ecosystem that serves as a resource for the communities through which it flows. Over the past 25 years, the Alliance has helped transform the river into a hub for recreation, education, and environmental stewardship across more than 100 acres of parkland and 23 miles of greenway.

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