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FISH PASSAGE BARRIER REMOVAL
In 2022, Alaska began replacing a fish-blocking culvert with a 100-foot bridge at Little Tonsina River with a $1.3 million budget. 1 year later, 70.4 miles of salmon habitat were reopened to fish safelyA flood-damaged culvert along Alaska’s Little Tonsina River long prevented salmon from swimming upstream. In July 2022, crews began replaci...
In 2003, scientists targeted invasive fish in the Grand Canyon. By 2006, Rainbow Trout fell from 90% to less than 10% of the catchFor four consecutive years, scientists actively removed invasive fish species from the Colorado River. This strategic initiative led to a n...
In 2012, Indiana farmers adopted cover crops that helped stop 5,695 tons of soil from reaching waterways each year. 9 years later, Prairie Creek scored 50 and was removedPrairie Creek in Indiana was once impaired for aquatic communities. A watershed management plan implemented in 2012 led to significant impr...
In 2024, four dams were removed from an American river. Over 400 miles of Salmon habitat reopened. Scientists are now watching an ecosystem rebuilding itselfFour hydroelectric dams on the Klamath River were removed in 2024. This project opened over 400 miles of historic salmon habitat. Indigenou...
In 1892, engineers began the Chicago Canal to divert sewage using 42 million cubic yards of earth; more than a century later, it may help Asian carp reach the Great LakesIn 1885, Chicago undertook the monumental task of reversing its river flow to safeguard drinking water by rerouting sewage from Lake Michig...
The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers spent $7 million on fish ladders in 1938 to move salmon past Bonneville Dam; decades later, the system carries 1 million a season in good yearsThe Bonneville Dam’s fish ladders, designed as part of a New Deal initiative, remain operational after decades of service. The construction...
Maryland spent $12 million on a fish lift in 1991 to move American shad past Conowingo Dam; decades later, annual runs remained far below the 2 million-fish targetMaryland invested $12 million in a fish lift to help migrating shad overcome the Conowingo Dam. This technological solution proved ineffect...
In 2012, Cleveland Metroparks surveyed Beecher’s Brook after Ohio listed the Chagrin River as impaired, then restored 350 feet. 8 years later, fish scores improved againBeecher's Brook restoration project removed a fish passage barrier and enhanced habitat. This work led to marked improvements in fish and m...
In 1918–1921, one dam built on California's Carmel River provided water storage but blocked fish runs; in 2015 it came down, reopening 25 miles of habitat for steelhead troutA century-old dam on California's Carmel River was removed, restoring fish spawning grounds. Crews rerouted the river and dismantled the st...
In 2014, Arizona used fish poison to clear an invasive fish from Virgin River after mechanical removal methods failed. Then the red shiner came backFor years, conservationists waged a relentless battle against the invasive red shiner in the Virgin River. Initial rotenone treatments show...
In 2009, Illinois treated a six-mile canal with more than 1,800 gallons of fish-killing poison — and found just one invasive carpTo address the menace of invasive Asian carp, Illinois officials deployed rotenone in a canal, leading to the recovery of numerous fish; ho...
Gujarat aims to catch US shrimp orders with turtle-safe netsGujarat will install turtle excluder devices in fishermen's nets. This initiative aims to boost seafood exports to the United States and gl...
In 2021, New York assessed Cannonsville Reservoir as impaired after a 7-foot culvert blocked fish passage. 2 years later, the new culvert scored 0.88 for aquatic passageA culvert replacement project in Delaware County, New York, addressed stream-flow, erosion, sediment, and fish-passage problems along an un...
In 2016, NYSDEC and partners removed Shapp Pond Dam after 50 years of blocking migratory fish. 4 years later, restored habitat showed significant gains in stream health and wildlifeThe removal of the Shapp Pond Dam in Dutchess County, New York, helped restore aquatic connectivity and improve stream habitat along the Ea...
In 2018, New York's Cortland County funded 3 culvert and stream projects. 5 years later, all 3 sites improved from severe barriers to insignificant barriers for better fish passageCortland County projects fit into a broader New York effort to identify and address barriers to aquatic organism passage. New York's Depart...
In 1992, Congress authorized the removal of 2 dams that had blocked salmon for a century. 24 years later, the Elwha River once again flowed freely from the Olympic Mountains to the seaElwha River Restoration changed one of America’s most remarkable river recovery stories. Two dams once blocked salmon from reaching upstrea...
Four dams built on the Klamath River between 1918 and 1966 made power, not water storage; in 2024, the last came down, reopening 420 miles of salmon habitatIn a groundbreaking initiative, four dams on the Klamath River spanning California and Oregon have been dismantled after a century of exist...
In 1970s, silver carp were brought to the US for aquaculture. Now the jumping fish threaten a $20 billion Great Lakes industryInvasive silver carp are rapidly approaching the Great Lakes, raising alarm over potential ecological and economic damage. The recent detec...
In 2014, Maine began developing a fish elevator to carry American shad past Milford Dam. 12 years later, the system could reopen 600 miles of river habitat to a fish whose migration has been blocked for decadesA Maine fish elevator could reopen 600 miles of river habitat for alewives, giving a small fish a much bigger chance to return upstream. Th...
In 1953, a concrete barrier blocked fish migration in Massachusetts. 70 years later, it’s finally being removed to bring the native trout backSoon, a concrete barrier currently obstructing fish migration in Fresh Brook will be dismantled. This ambitious restoration initiative seek...