Latest progress update on FishPass. FishPass will replace the deteriorating Union Street Dam with a new, complete barrier to all fish that will have the ability to sort and selectively pass desirable fishes while blocking harmful invaders like sea lamprey.
While fully automated selective passage is the long-term goal of the project, passage of any fish during the initial yrs will be coordinated with fishery management agencies, limited in number, and restricted to fishes native to the upper Great Lakes. Figure 1. Animated illustration of the condition of the Boardman River and the Union Street Dam before left and after right construction of FishPass. Use the arrows to scroll between the figures.
Note that the "after" condition is an artist rendering and is for illustrative purposes only. Figure 2. Click the icons to see descriptions of the features or use the arrows at the bottom to scroll through them. The computer model, generated from engineering design plans and landscape details, is intended for illustrative purposes only.
The Boardman River Restoration project always envisioned a modification of Union Street Dam that would re-connect the river to Lake Michigan to re-establish hydrological and ecological connectivity without allowing passage of invasive species, like sea lamprey. FishPass provides a unique solution that will also permit desirable fish passage up- and down-stream thereby completing the restoration process. FishPass is supported by a group of local, tribal, federal, and state agencies, local non-government organizations NGOs , and The City of Traverse City.
The governance of FishPass is described in the figure below. Figure 3. Description of the governance of FishPass as well as decision-making and implementation processes and roles and responsibilities of each of the project partners. The FishPass Advisory Board provides direction and leadership surrounding research, measurement of project success, funding, community involvement, general operation, decision-making, and regulation over the year span of the project and beyond see Figure 3. Local authorities own, operate, and maintain the dam and community park and city property upon which FishPass resides.
