FishPass Project Unveiled, New River Barrier and Research Center
County and state officials unveiled the FishPass plan on November 19, 2025, to replace the failing Union Street Dam on the Boardman Ottaway River with a controlled passage system and research center. The project aims to restore native river functions while blocking invasive salmon and steelhead for at least ten years, a decision that will shape riverfront recreation, fisheries management, and tribal coordination in Grand Traverse County.
Local, state and tribal partners announced the FishPass project at the former Union Street Dam site on November 19, 2025, detailing a three part approach to river management that officials say balances ecological restoration with protection against invasive species. The central engineering element will be a 6.5 foot vertical barrier installed where the dam once stood. That barrier is designed to block all fish initially while an automated sorting system and a research center are built to test technologies that could selectively allow native species to move upstream.
Project leaders described three core components. The first is the physical redesign of the river corridor and replacement of the failing dam with the vertical barrier and associated hydraulic structures. The second is a dedicated research center that will test and evaluate fish sorting technologies under controlled conditions, using telemetry and other monitoring tools to assess species movements and the effectiveness of passage options. The third component is an education and outreach hub nested within a revitalized riverfront park, intended to provide public access, interpretive exhibits and programming around fisheries science and river stewardship.
FishPass is structured as a multi jurisdictional partnership. Funding sources named for the project include the Great Lakes Fishery Commission, DNR grants, the Great Lakes Restoration Initiative, tribal partners and local government contributions. Officials emphasized that the partnership spans tribal, state and local authorities, and that decision making about which native species may be allowed passage will proceed only after coordinated study and consultation.
A key operational constraint is a planned ten year period during which salmon and steelhead will not be permitted to pass upstream. During that period researchers will deploy telemetry and other monitoring tools to gather data on fish populations and the performance of sorting systems. That data will guide subsequent decisions about selective passage for native species, subject to continued tribal and state coordination and community input.
Community consultation has been built into the project timeline. Organizers say public input sessions and formal consultations with tribal governments will inform how the education hub is developed and which native species, if any, will be routed through automated sorting systems. The project aims to reconcile goals of river restoration, fishery recovery and invasive species control while enhancing recreational access along the riverfront.
For Grand Traverse County residents, FishPass carries both promise and trade offs. The riverfront park component is likely to expand year round public access and educational opportunities. At the same time the ten year restriction on popular sport species will affect angling opportunities and local fisheries management. As FishPass moves from design into implementation, community engagement and transparent reporting of monitoring results will determine how the project meets ecological objectives and local expectations.
