Officials launch massive project to remove six dams to solve longstanding issue: 'Each year's passing, we come closer to that dream'

In the 1840s, fishermen along the East Coast caught 80 million pounds of shad each year. By 1980, that number dropped to 3.8 million. Today, a single commercial fishery operates in New Jersey.

The stark decline in shad populations was due to several factors, all of them human-driven. First, the construction of mill dams interrupted their migration, which affected their spawning and reproduction. Then, chemical plants in the 20th century began dumping hazardous waste directly into the water, contaminating the environment and killing many of the fish that remained.

Now, the Raritan River Fish Passage Initiative is gradually restoring shad populations by removing the dams that have been hindering their movements for centuries.

The project is headed by National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration Marine Habitat Restoration Specialist Carl Alderson. He began brainstorming about removing dams in 2004 after he kayaked down the Raritan River and saw the debris, algae, and invasive species that were interfering with shad populations.

Since then, NOAA Fisheries and its partners have removed six dams and plan to remove dams and improve fish passage at nine other sites, NOAA reported. They are already seeing signs of success, with shad spawning and migrating in parts of the Raritan watershed where they hadn't been found for over 170 years.

In addition to shad, the project will benefit other migratory fish species, which in turn will support the health and functionality of the broader ecosystem. Every native species is crucial to the balance of its environment, which supports a thriving food web.

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Alderson emphasized this fact, explaining how this work will benefit every being that lives near the watershed. "When all of the Raritan River Fish Passage Initiative's objectives are achieved, we will have opened more than 100 miles, enhancing water quality, and benefiting not only fish but freshwater mussels, benthic organisms, birds, insects, and outdoor recreationists," he said. "Each year's passing, we come closer to that dream."

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