Reconnecting Rivers

Restoring Fish Migration and Ecosystem Health

Jun 18, 2024

Natural Heritage in the U.S.

As a curious elementary school student, I delved into the world of vernal pools for my science fair project, discovering how various plant and animal species serve as indicators of ecosystem health and water quality. The revelation that these often-overlooked “mosquito breeding grounds” were teeming with life and played a significant role in our town’s larger ecosystems captivated both students and parents alike.

Water systems, the lifeblood of ecosystems, sustain diverse fish species, wildlife, and human communities. However, decades of human activity have disrupted their natural flow, obstructed fish migration, and degraded aquatic habitats. The Bipartisan Infrastructure Law (BIL) brings hope, with fish passage projects aimed at restoring these essential waterways and bolstering resilience for generations to come.

We’ll dive into the pivotal role of fish migration, highlighting species like the salmon and trout whose journeys are cornerstones of ecological balance and biodiversity. Migratory fish are crucial for nutrient cycling, food webs, and overall ecosystem health. We’ll also examine how the BIL fish passage projects, alongside broader infrastructure initiatives, can enhance community resilience against the effects of climate change and severe weather events, while also considering the challenges and trade-offs to optimize ecological restoration and essential human infrastructure. Success stories will illustrate the promising outcomes already achieved.

Barriers to Fish Passage & BIL Projects

Man-made barriers stand as formidable blockages to aquatic lifeforms across our waterways. Dams and culverts impact the delicate travel patterns of migratory fish, preventing access to ancestral breeding grounds. Other infrastructure, such as levees, storm drains, bridges, roads, and urban development can alter water flow and quality.

The Bipartisan Infrastructure Deal, passed by Congress in November 2021, aims to construct new infrastructure, refurbish deteriorating parts, enhance clean water access, further environmental objectives, and invest in communities. This legislation adopts a holistic approach, considering the interplay between infrastructure, the economy, the environment, and clean energy in American health and resilience against threats like climate change and cyber-attacks.

The BIL represents a $200 million investment in rivers, wildlife, and communities, supporting projects from dam removals to the engineering of fish ladders and innovative, community-driven solutions. The key to long-term success is finding innovative purpose-built solutions through collaboration with local communities and native tribal groups.

Ecological Benefits

Unhindered fish passages yield a domino effect – the revival of aquatic connectivity, improved water quality, increased habitat diversity, and strengthened links between our water systems and livelihoods. Free passage allows fish to reach critical spawning, nursery, and feeding grounds, facilitating nutrient distribution throughout food webs, bolstering native biodiversity, and ensuring superior water quality.

Effective fish passageways are vital for conserving species like salmon, pivotal to both freshwater and marine ecosystems. By enabling salmon to circumvent man-made barriers, we ensure their access to essential spawning and rearing habitats, crucial for their life cycle.

Community Resilience

Fish passage projects extend their benefits beyond riverbanks, enhancing community resilience. They offer a wide range of benefits that range from mitigating flood risks, boosting ecotourism, and enriching recreational fishing. The BIL projects balance ecological function improvements with community needs, such as reinforcing riverbanks to preserve key fish passages while reducing local road erosion, striving for the best long-term solutions.

Projects that improve fish passage can also lead to increased abundance of native fish species for local fisheries, enhancing food security. These projects can also support regional economies through fishing licenses and local job opportunities during construction.

Challenges & Trade-Offs

Acknowledging the complexity of these issues, we must consider the challenges and trade-offs inherent in balancing infrastructure development with ecological restoration. Concerns related to project implementation, stakeholder engagement, and funding allocation require careful consideration and deliberation.

Urban development can significantly impact aquatic ecosystems and fish passage. For example, levees, which are designed to prevent flooding, can also have adverse effects on aquatic ecosystems. By cutting off floodplains from their river channels, levees can prevent environmental flows from reaching and interacting with floodplains, which is harmful to both aquatic and riparian ecosystems. This alteration of natural water flow can impair or prevent the migration of aquatic species, including fish, which need to move freely to feed, migrate, and reproduce. These examples underscore the importance of considering ecological impacts in urban planning and infrastructure development to ensure the health and connectivity of aquatic ecosystems.

Success Stories

Stories of revitalized rivers abound, where collaborative efforts among agencies, NGOs, and communities forge routes for fish to return. In Colorado, transforming a culvert has reopened migration paths for native fish in the Cherry Creek ecosystem, with additional funding bolstering community support through infrastructure enhancements and erosion prevention.

Six culverts across four streams on the Anette Islands Reserve in Alaska are being replaced through the BIL fish passage funding. This project is working to allow for improved passage of a variety of native fish, including trout and salmon, allowing for stronger and healthier fish populations. Additionally, this project is improving local road infrastructure and supporting economic opportunities by improving commercial and subsistence fish harvesting. These examples are only a small sample of the many projects being supported by the BIL five-year commitment to improving American infrastructure.

Ways You Can Help

Advocate for continued investment in fish passage projects
Participate in local restoration efforts
Support policies that prioritize ecological restoration

Final Thoughts

The BIL fish passage projects represent a commitment to reconnecting rivers, revitalizing fish populations, and safeguarding our natural heritage. By sharing stories of success, challenges, and ongoing efforts, we can raise awareness and inspire collective action toward a more resilient and sustainable aquatic future.

The health of our rivers reflects the health of our planet, so we should continue to support legislation and projects that improve ecosystem health for many generations to come. 🌎🐟✨

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