1,670 American shad trucked past Maryland dam to Pennsylvania in spring

A 94-foot hydroelectric dam in Maryland, the Conowingo Dam on the Susquehanna River, blocks American shad from swimming upstream to their historic spawning grounds, ecoportal.net reported.

To bypass the dam, crews collect shad in mechanical lifts and load them into tanks of cool water on trucks, which then transport the fish upstream to release points in Pennsylvania.

In a single spring, about 1,670 American shad were transported this way, far below the restoration goal of two million fish passing the dam each year.

The dam's passage operations have been modified to prevent invasive species such as northern snakehead and blue catfish from spreading upriver, requiring sorting of fish before transport.

This process reflects ongoing efforts to restore American shad populations in the Chesapeake Bay watershed, with Maryland playing a key role due to the dam's location.