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Southeast Fish and Aquatic Species Barrier Assessment Workshop
Workshop Recommended Resources
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Sponsors: Equinox Enviornmental Conservation & Design,
Inc. |
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Southewestern
NC Resource Conservation & Development Council, Inc. |
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Pilot View
Resource Conservation & Development, Inc. |
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Carolina Land & Lakes
Resource Conservation & Development, Inc. |
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Mountain
Valleys Resource Conservation and Development, Inc.  |
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Blue Ridge
Resource Conservation and Development, Inc. |
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Over
100 people attended this workshop, which was hosted by U.S. Fish and Wildlife
Service, to learn about and discuss options for Aquatic
Organism Passage (AOP) at road crossings in Southeastern streams. Engineers and biologists
from state and federal agencies, departments of transportation, conservation
groups, consulting firms, and universities were on hand to represent the
states of NC, SC, GA, AL, TN, AR, VA, and FL. Day one of the workshop began
with a welcome and opening remarks from Leslie Hartsell, the US Fish and
Wildlife Service’s National Fish Passage Coordinator. Experts in
the field of AOP then presented research on the swimming capabilities of
small-bodied fish; assessment and inventory work that is under way in the
SE; design standards for assuring AOP at road crossings; and developing
policy to ensure the passage of weak-swimming organisms. During day two
of the workshop, participants were placed in small groups to discuss issues
concerning the challenges they face by having limited data on Southeastern
small-bodied fish and other aquatic organisms; sort out how to begin to
inventory, assess, and prioritize the restoration of existing AOP barriers;
address whether adopting a stream simulation model in crossing design is
prudent; and mull over ways to influence policy and regulations in order
to ensure that road crossings are adequate for the passage of all aquatic
organisms.
