National Fish Passage Program

National Fish Passage Program is sponsored by U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service. This opportunity supports mission-aligned projects and measurable outcomes.

National Fish Passage Program | U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service National Fish Passage Program Across the country, millions of barriers are fragmenting rivers, blocking fish migration, and putting communities at higher risk to flooding. Removing those barriers is one of the most effective ways to help conserve vulnerable species while building safer infrastructure for people.

The National Fish Passage Program restores rivers, protects wildlife, and rebuilds economies. Latest Stories and Topics Teaming up for brook trout: Restoring streams to help brook trout in the Lake Champlain Basin Brook trout need to move.

While they don’t undertake the thousand-mile migrations of some other types of fish, they do need to travel within stream systems to reach feeding and spawning habitats and to find refuge in cold headwaters in the warm months. The US Fish and Wildlife Service (Service) and...

Giving lake sturgeon a strong start With the arrival of spring, we're working with our partners to prepare for our annual lake sturgeon egg takes, one facet of a 40-year-old restoration program that relies on reintroducing fish as its cornerstone. Our efforts in the Great Lakes and Upper Mississippi River basins are at the heart of a...

Restoring Michigan’s Flint River Kids swimming on a hot day, kayaks paddling downstream and dog-walkers strolling along the river trail – an active community is a healthy community. We believe that nothing gets active communities in the flow of recreation like a river. Take the community around the University of Michigan-Flint...

Dam removal restores aquatic connectivity on the Mohawk River A century old dam in New Hampshire was disrupting habitat and flooding a community. Thanks to funding from the National Fish Passage Program backed by the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law, the Service and our partners removed the dam and restored connectivity to 39 miles of extremely high-quality...

Fish Passage: Not Just for Fish For 25 years the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service’s National Fish Passage Program has worked with partners across the country to remove 3,500 barriers to fish passage and reopen 64,000 miles of previously inaccessible streams for fish and other wildlife. These projects reopen waterways for fish,...

Alaska's Largest Culvert Frees Tyonek Creek A whale of a culvert now spans lower Tyonek Creek just south of the Native Village of Tyonek, Alaska. The 45-foot wide, 22 foot tall, and 120-foot-long culvert is the biggest fish passage culvert in Alaska. We provide financial and technical assistance to support projects that improve fish passage - the ability of fish and other aquatic wildlife to move freely throughout their life .

Across the country, millions of aging, obsolete, or poorly designed dams, roads, and levees are causing widespread ecological damage and putting communities at risk. These barriers trap fish, preventing them from finding food, shelter, and habitat to spawn. Outdated and aging infrastructure affects people as well as wildlife: it degrades water quality, can heighten flood risk, and creates dangers for recreational users.

Fortunately, restoring aquatic connectivity offers a win-win solution for both people and nature.

Since 1999, the National Fish Passage Program has: Worked with more than 2,000 local communities, Tribes, and private landowners across the country Removed or bypassed more than 3,500 barriers to fish passage Reopened access to more than 64,000 miles of upstream habitat for fish and other wildlife 118 barriers removed or bypassed 2,200 miles of stream habitat reopened 24,812 acres restored for fish and other wildlife Fish Passage Technical and Planning Assistance The National Fish Passage Program provides financial and technical assistance for projects that improve the ability of fish or other aquatic species to migrate by reconnecting habitat that has been fragmented by a barrier such as a dam or culvert.

U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service biologists... Fish passage is the ability of fish or other aquatic species to move freely throughout their life to find food, reproduce, and complete their natural migration cycles. Millions of barriers to fish passage across the country are fragmenting habitat and leading to species declines.

The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service's National Fish Passage Program is working to reconnect watersheds to benefit both wildlife and people. Learn more about fish passage resources, stories, and projects.