The Hudson River fishermen and the boat that began the Riverkeeper movement

Recently, members of the Hudson River Fishermen’s Association (HRFA) recovered the original Riverkeeper boat in the woods of Garrison, New York. This 25-foot wooden vessel, at risk of rotting away, represents the remarkable history of the Riverkeeper movement and the recovery of the life of the Hudson River. 

The Hudson River Fishermen’s Association began in 1966 when a group of commercial and recreational fishermen, including a Sports Illustrated writer named Bob Boyle, organized to combat the industrial pollution they witnessed contaminating the Hudson River. Boyle uncovered two obscure laws, the Rivers and Harbors Act of 1888 and the Refuse Act of 1899, that prohibited the polluting of American waters; the laws not only fined polluters but provided a bounty to those reporting them. 

The fishermen resolved to find and prosecute polluters, and within a few years had won several cases that allowed them to build a patrol boat and hire John Cronin as the first Riverkeeper. In 1983, aboard the Riverkeeper, Cronin began patrolling  the Hudson River. In a September 9, 1984 article in the New York Times, he stated, “I have a boat. My job is to investigate the bad and keep track of the good and to try to come up with solutions to problems. I lobby. I patrol. I fish. I do public speaking. I do investigations. I work with scientists, attorneys and politicians.”

Shortly after the launch of the Riverkeeper, Cronin was tracking Exxon’s oil tankers that were making over a hundred trips up the Hudson to remove fresh water. After navigating his boat beside the tankers, he took samples and discovered that Exxon was discharging saltwater contaminated with benzene, toluene and other petro-chemical toxins, directly into the Hudson River. In an April 1984 settlement, Exxon agreed to pay $500,0000 to the HRFA and later, $1.5 million to the State of New York. The HRFA continued to win cases against major industrial offenders, including Penn Central Railroad, Standard Brands, Ciba-Geigy, and Anaconda Wire and Copper.  

This was the beginning of what became a world-wide waterkeeper movement. Today, over 340 waterkeeper groups patrol the waterways in 46 countries. The Waterkeeper Alliance is the largest and fastest growing nonprofit solely focused on clean water, with the goal of ensuring “drinkable, fishable, swimmable water everywhere.” Our own local waterkeepers include the Hudson Riverkeeper, the Hackensack Riverkeeper, the NY/NJ Baykeeper, Long Island Soundkeeper and the Delaware Riverkeeper.