The New York State Department of Environmental Conservation

When you think of the NYS Department of Environmental Conservation (DEC), what’s the first thing that comes to mind?  Government, beaurocracy, laws, fines?  Probably something on the line of prosecuting polluters and restricting use of public lands.  If I told you that they plant artificial reefs, teach kids how to fish, publish guides on fresh and saltwater fishing, give awards to fisherman who report the largest catch, hold free fishing days (last weekend in June), host summer environment camps for teens, and issue fishing licenses and advisories, would you believe me?

These good guys are all the wonderful people from NYSDEC who protect the wildlife in our waters so that we can enjoy it.  They have a myriad of resources available to budding and experienced fishermen and divers, and they need your help.  If you volunteer to report back what you find, they can help make the most of what wonderful resources we have. 

Here are just a few of the resources they have available for the public, for free!

Click here to download a pdf of saltwater fishing limits (Effective April 26, 2006).

To view a listing, description, and GPS coordinates of artificial reef sites, please click here.

Just some of the many resources for anglers distributed by the NYS DEC. We picked these up at the New York Boat Show. Getting Started is geared toward kids and has lots of games and puzzles at the back. The individual fish leaflets are great for fish identification and understanding their habits. The articificial reef guides show how the reefs were constructed and what you can expect to find from both fishing and diving perspectives.

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