Denil Fish Ladder
Closed
ELLICOTT CITY –The Maryland Department of Natural Resources
(DNR) Fisheries Service today confirmed that the Denil fish ladder at
Bloede Dam will not be repaired and opened this year because of damage
done to the fishway during the winter months. The fishway has suffered
chronic winter damage each year and the dam is slated for removal to allow
fish a clear pathway through this area. The fishway has passed only a few
anadromous fish since its construction in 1993.
“DNR's Fish Passage program is now focusing on removal of fish blockages,”
said Gina Hunt, Assistant Director of Policy and Regulatory Programs for
the Fisheries Service. “In addition to dam removals we can remove
blockages that create a water drop of one foot or more and free up more
miles for less money”.
The Fish Passage Program's purpose is to restore migratory species to at
or near historic levels of the 1950s. There are four major elements:
remove or bypass blockages, reintroduce target species, bio-monitor and
educate.
Since its inception, this program has opened 340.4 miles of waterway,
allowing for the passage of targeted species such as hickory shad, river
herring, white perch, yellow perch, and eels to historic spawning habitat
