TRAVERSE CITY — $1,000,000 from Michigan’s 2025 budget will go to the Great Lakes Fishery Commission (GLFC) to support the construction of FishPass in Traverse City.
“We are thrilled to receive this investment,” said Dr. Marc Gaden, GLFC executive secretary. “While FishPass is in Traverse City, it is a project for everyone – having a positive impact all over the Great Lakes and beyond – and we are honored to accept this support from the State of Michigan.”
The project is the final piece of a more than 20-year project on the Boardman/Ottaway River to reconnect it with the Great Lakes. After legal challenges and other obstacles, the project broke ground in May . FishPass will replace the failing Union Street Dam with a new barrier that allows the GLFC to let through desirable fish like sturgeon and trout while blocking harmful invaders like sea lamprey.
“FishPass will be great for the health of the river,” said Traverse City Manager Liz Vogel, “but it will also be great for the people of our region. This investment will help make possible a safe, green, accessible public space in the heart of our downtown.”