For over 50 years, flow modifications and culvert placement have blocked and/or dewatered larger portions of Deer Creek between the towns of Rolling Fork and Redwood, MS. This joint fish passage project of the Wadmalaw Island Fish And Wildlife Management Assistance Office, Jackson Ecological Services Field Office, U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, Yazoo Water Management District, and landowners in the basin restored aquatic species access to 2.5 miles of previously blocked the Deer Creek channel by installing three reinforced bridges to replace driveway fills blocking the channel. Many aquatic species such as shovelnose sturgeon and paddlefish will benefit from this access improvement.

This joint project of the Warm Springs Fish Technology Center, Fort Benning Ecological Services Field Office, and the GA Wildlife Resources Commission conduct surveys at 21 sites in the Sawhatchee and Kirkland Creek watersheds for a total of 75 river miles. Sawhatchee Creek contains one of the remaining three known populations of Shiny-rayed pocketbook, and one of two for the Gulf Moccasinshell, and one of one of the Oval Pigtoe mussels in the Chattahoochee River Basin. Culverts that do not allow passage of fish species that are intermediary hosts of the Shiny-rayed pocketbook, Gulf Moccasinshell, and Oval Pigtoe mussels reduce the opportunity for the successful continuation of the mussel species through host species movement. Three other rare mollusks (Delicate spike, Inflated spike, and Sculptured pigtoe) are similarly affected. Inventory information will be used to create a prioritized GIS data layer of barriers requiring removal or retrofitting. Benefit: Identification and prioritization will be the first step in restoring passage to over 35 miles of habitat.

At least 23 species of native fishes have lost access to over 20 miles of highly quality spawning and rearing habitat as a direct result of conditions created by a concrete ford.  The low-water concrete ford became undercut on its downstream side, thus creating a barrier to movement.  The ford also stopped the movement of bedload and large woody debris downstream.  The buildup of material above the ford was also negatively altering fish habitat.  This project removed the concrete ford and replaced it with a bottomless culvert, reestablished access to over 20 miles of high quality spawning and rearing habitat in the North Sylamore Creek watershed.  

From 2005 - 2007, Alabama shad were passed through the Jim Woodruff Lock on the Apalachicola River at rates between 25% to 41% using various modifications to the locking sequence.  Passage appeared to be optimized when an attraction flow was used in the lock chamber, when upstream gates were opened for an extended length of time, and when the lock was operated during afternoons.  In 2007, an estimated 3,500 Alabama shad were passed into 100 miles of former upstream habitat using the lock.

Jim Woodruff lock and dam, Apalachicola River, FL

The Lower Mississippi River extends 954 river-miles from the confluence of the Ohio & Mississippi Rivers at Cairo, Il - Gulf of Mexico. Its 2.7 million-acre leveed floodplain ecosystem supports the Nation's largest freshwater fishery and several trust species (pallid sturgeon, least tern, fat pocketbook mussel).

Secondary channels in the Lower Mississippi River have been blocked by dike fields constructed by the Army Corps of Engineers to direct water into the navigation channel during low flow. Accretion of bedload materials has converted aquatic habitat to terrestrial habitat or low water depth prevents aquatic species from inhabiting these areas.

This project opened the 5.47 mile-long Island 63 secondary channel located at Lower Mississippi River Mile 637 to restore off-channel aquatic habitat in secondary channels, increase recreational fishing opportunities, increase habitat for trust species, and, in some instances, increase the reproductive success of sandbar nesting species such as the least tern.  Spring sampling by the Waterways Experiment Station found hundreds of sturgeon larvae in the newly opened secondary channel where there had been none in previous years.

Headwater tributaries of the Little Tennessee River Basin have been documented as having exceptionally high water quality, yet they generally contain lower diversity than the main stem and downstream tributaries. Road crossings and other barriers, both natural and man-made, are suspected as factors influencing this situation.

Staff of the Warm Springs Fish Technology Center conducted surveys at 61 sites in the Little Tennessee River Basin for a total of 353 river miles.  The survey will provide quantitative data on the number and locations of potential barriers to movements by small stream fishes, with ranking of barriers for rehabilitation to enhance habitat connectivity based on landscape and population context of each barrier likely to impede fish passage.

Deep Creek has historically provided migration corridors, and/or spawning and rearing habitat for redband and bull trout from the Kootenai River.  Aquatic habitat in Deep Creek is currently degraded from overgrazing upstream of the Kootenai NWR, and as a result, the stream has high sediment levels, high water temperatures, and low habitat complexity. We worked with partners to prioritize the numerous sites along the creek in need of restoration. With staff and volunteers, we stabilized three meander bends of Deep Creek in 2008. Bank barbs were constructed with whole trees, root wads and boulders. Coir erosion control matting was staked in place on exposed banks, and willow and dogwood cuttings and rootstock were planted. High spring flows created scour pools off the tips of several bank barbs, resulting in deep water habitat with overhead cover. This type of habitat did not occur in this stream reach prior to this project.

This joint fish passage project of the Dale Hollow Fish & Wildlife Management Assistance Office and the U.S. Forest Service provided threatened blue shiners with access to over 4 miles of spawning and rearing habitat that was blocked by a slab and pipe stream crossing. Fish passage funds were used to purchase and install a bottomless arch culvert at the site. Installation of the culvert was accomplished by the Forest Service. 

Historically the Culebrinas River of Puerto Rico provided over 135 miles of riverine habitat to more than 21 species of native migratory shrimp and fish.  Some of these fish species included American eel, spiny-cheeked sleeper, big mouth sleeper, Sirajo goby, river goby, and mountain mullet.  After construction of the Margarita Dam for the Central Coloso Sugar Mill in the 1930s, access to all but the lower 5 miles of the river was blocked.   As a consequence, populations of these migratory species declined dramatically.  To help restore these populations of interjurisdictional fish and other aquatic species, a fishway was placed on the dam by the Puerto Rico Aqueducts and Sewer Authority and now allows passage by a multitude of aquatic species to over 130 miles of tropical stream habitat.