Cooperative Fish and Wildlife Research Units Program: West Virginia
Education, Research and Technical Assistance for Managing Our Natural Resources

West Virginia Project

MIgration of silver phase and yellow phase American eels in relation to hydroelectric dams on the Shenandoah River

August 2006 - December 2009

Personnel

Participating Agencies

  • WVDNR

The American eel has experienced population decline, and one possible cause of this is the impact of dams on upstream and downstream migration. This study examines the upstream migration of eels in relation to eel specific fishways on dams of the Shenandoah River, and downstream migration of adult eels in relation to mortality caused by hydroelectric turbines.