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Introduction
Millions of
culverts, dikes, water diversions, dams, and other artificial barriers
were constructed to impound and redirect water for irrigation, flood
control, electricity, drinking water, and transportation--all changing
natural features of rivers and streams. more than two centuries
of building dams and other barriers on rivers and streams, many
Americans are increasingly concerned about their effects on fish
and other aquatic species. Many dams are obsolete and no longer
serve their original purpose. Culverts that funnel water beneath
roads and train tracks often pose insurmountable barriers to fish.
It is a fundamental fact: fish need to move. All river fish migrate
between feeding and spawning areas and make other seasonal movements
to important habitats. Barriers prevent natural fish migrations,
keeping them from important habitats. As a result, some populations
of native fish are gone and others are on the brink of disappearing.
National Fish Passage Program
In 1999, the
U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service initiated the National Fish Passage
Program to work with others to address this problem. The National
Fish Passage Program uses a voluntary, non-regulatory approach to
remove and bypass barriers. The Program addresses the problem of
fish barriers on a national level, working with local communities
and partner agencies to restore natural flows and fish migration.
The Program is administered by National and Regional Coordinators,
and delivered by Fish and Wildlife Management Assistance Offices,
with their 300 biologists located across the Nation. Appropriations
for the Program support the Coordinators, in-the-water fish passage
projects, and the Fish Passage Decision Support System (described
below).
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PROGRAM GOAL
To restore native fish and other aquatic species to self-sustaining levels by reconnecting habitat that has been fragmented by barriers, where such re-connection would not result in a net negative ecological effect such as providing increased habitat to exotic species.
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The Program provides assistance through Service staff and cooperative partnerships. Types of assistance include providing information on fish and habitat needs and methods for fish to bypass barriers.
Fish Passage Decision Support System
The Fish Passage Decision Support System will assist the service and its partners in planning and prioritizing fish passage projects. The system is a geographically-referenced database of barriers preventing fish movement, including barrier location, type, size, owner and passage capabilities, associated fish species, and habitat information. By early 2003 the system will provide an on-line data entry and mapping utility program, with analytical Geographic Information System (GIS) capabilities. Integration with GIS software increases the capabilities of fisheries scientists to make better management decisions, prioritize fish passage projects, identify critical areas, and implement projects.
Program Accomplishments
Since 1999, the Fish Passage Program has:
- Supported 76 fish passage projects with over 141 different partners,
- Restored access to over 3,443 miles of river habitat and 65,088 acres of wetlands for fish spawning and growth, and
- Leveraged partner contributions totaling $6.2 million, compared to the Program investment of $2.3 million.
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Dam removal / Reconstruction of road culvert |
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Restoring fish passage benefits people, fish and other animals. Fish passage projects increase habitat available for fish spawning and growth. Anglers, and commercial and subsistence fishers benefit from larger fish populations, which are distributed across more available habitats. Natural flows and temperature have been restored for salmon, trout, sturgeon, striped bass, herring and shad, paddlefish, and many more native and declining forage and game species. Fish-eating birds such as
eagles, ospreys and kingfishers have more forage, and bears, otters and mink benefit from larger fish populations. |
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