Addressing the tension between improving aquatic connectivity for fishery restoration versus using dams and barriers for invasive species management (the connectivity conundrum) is one of the greatest issues facing fishery managers. Selective passage solutions for a mixed assemblage of fish requires an approach that accounts for variability of sortable attributes among assemblage members. Solutions must build on insights gained from past successes and failures from both traditional fish passage science and invasive species management techniques. Efforts to improve passage of desirable fishes and blockage of undesirable fishes must also be tied to broader conservation and restoration goals. Long-term impacts of increased connectivity take years to be realized; therefore, it is critical to identify passage priorities and monitoring strategies early on. Herein, we provide an overview of the science and innovative solutions developed for selective fish passage at the Great Lakes Fishery Commission’s FishPass project and other fish passage projects beyond.
Supported by:
- Great Lakes Fishery Commission
Organizers:
- Daniel Zielinski, Great Lakes Fishery Commission, [email protected]
- Andrew Muir, Great Lakes Fishery Commission