Thursday August 1, 2024
MSU Today —
Michigan State University researchers are tackling a problem no one has ever solved: How do you stop an invasive fish from entering a river without entirely blocking all fish?
A behavioral ecologist and two engineers are on a team commissioned by the Great Lakes Fishery Commission, or GLFC. Their objective? Over the next decade, they’re charged with creating a groundbreaking selective fish barrier in Traverse City that’s hailed as the “Holy Grail” of invasive species control. If successful, the barrier, called FishPass, will be the first ever barrier to sort and selectively pass desirable fish, such as lake sturgeon and walleye, into the river, while blocking the invasive and parasitic sea lamprey.
FishPass is the culmination of an effort to reconnect the Boardman/Ottaway River in Traverse City with Lake Michigan. Construction workers broke ground on the project in May, and the state of Michigan recently earmarked $1 million in its budget to support the GLFC efforts. Once FishPass is complete, the goal is to create replicable technology that can be used around the world as a model for invasive species control.