Chesapeake Fish Passage Prioritization

The anthropogenic fragmentation of river habitats through dams and poorly designed culverts is one of the primary threats to aquatic species in the United States (Collier et al. 1997, Graf 1999). The impact of fragmentation on aquatic species generally involves loss of access to quality habitat for one or more life stages of a species. For example, dams and impassable culverts limit the ability of anadromous fish species to reach preferred spawning habitats and prevent brook trout populations from reaching thermal refuges.

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Welcome to the Chesapeake Fish Passage Prioritization Tool

This tool evaluates and prioritizes dams and other in-stream barriers to aquatic organism passage to help inform aquatic connectivity restoration projects in the Chesapeake Bay watershed.

Refer to the user guide for details on tool functionality or read the full project report.

This is version 3.4.0 of the tool, released Apr 25, 2025 (Change Log)

This tool is intended to provide screening-level information on barriers to help inform conservation planning actions. The Nature Conservancy (TNC) created this data set from the manipulation, analysis, and/or synthesis of publicly available data sources. It is not intended to replace the necessary due diligence required to gather pertinent site-specific information. Additional Terms of Use and data limitations when working with TNC data apply.

By entering the site, you agree to the terms outlined in the Legal Disclosures and Privacy Statements of The Nature Conservancy