Ohio dam removal doubles free-flowing habitat, 15 new fish species found

A restored 25-acre coastal wetland on the southern shore of western Lake Erie was used continuously by millions of aquatic animals after it was reconnected to nearby waterways, according to a four-year acoustic monitoring study led by researchers at the United States Geological Survey (USGS). The scientific assessment, published in the journal Aquatic Ecosystem Health & Management, tracked aquatic movement across 2,022 hours of high-resolution sonar monitoring between 2011 and 2014. During the study, imaging equipment recorded 3,436,118 individual fish detections entering and leaving the newly reopened wetland pool. The data provides clear evidence of how aquatic species use restored coastal habitats in the Great Lakes region.