<P> The Atlantic tomcod are a unique species that adapted resistance to the toxic effects of the PCBs polluting the river . Scientists identified the genetic mutation that conferred the resistance, and found that the mutated form was present in 99 percent of the tomcods in the river, compared to fewer than 10 percent of the tomcods from other waters . </P> <P> The hogchoker flatfish have been historically abundant in the river, where farmers would use them for inexpensive livestock feed, giving the fish its name . Other unique fish found in the river include the northern pipefish, the lined seahorse, and the northern puffer . </P> <P> The Atlantic sturgeon, a species about 120 million years old, enter the estuary during their annual migrations . The fish grow to a considerable size, up to 15 feet (4.6 m) and 800 pounds (360 kg). The fish are the symbol of the Hudson River Estuary . Their smoked flesh was commonly eaten in the river valley since 1779, and it was sometimes known as "Albany beef". The city of Albany was called "Sturgeondom" or "Sturgeontown" in the 1850s and 1860s, with its residents known as "Sturgeonites". The "Sturgeondom" name lost popularity around 1900 . </P> <P> Marine life is known to exist in the estuary, with seals, crabs, and some whales reported . On March 29, 1647, a white whale swam up the river to the Rensselaerswyck (near Albany). Herman Melville, author of Moby - Dick, lived in and near Albany from 1830 to 1847, and was known to have ancestry from New Netherland, leading some to believe stories of the whale sighting inspired his novel . </P>

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