Project Profile: Deploy Rapid Response to Glen Canyon Invasive Fish

Glen Canyon Dam.

NPS Photo

Bipartisan Infrastructure Law
Resilient Freshwater Systems | FY24-25 $120,000

The National Park Service will hire boat operators to sample nonnative fish populations, identify areas where nonnative fish may reside and spawn, and eradicate or significantly reduce the numbers of smallmouth bass and other invasives in Glen Canyon National Recreation Area. This project is being implemented in collaboration with the U.S. Geological Survey and U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service.

Why? Low water levels in Lake Powell have led to an increased number of predatory nonnative fish, such as smallmouth bass, in the Colorado River below Glen Canyon Dam. Hundreds of young smallmouth bass were documented below Glen Canyon Dam during the summer of 2022. Increasing numbers and reproduction of nonnative fish could affect the survival of endangered fish downstream through competition and predation.

What else? Maintaining native fish communities in the Colorado River is culturally important to the Native American Tribes in the region and an important part of a healthy river ecosystem. This project compliments other native fish restoration activities being conducted in the Colorado River such as monitoring, translocation, and nonnative fish removal.

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About the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law

The Bipartisan Infrastructure Law makes critical investments in the resilience and restoration of America’s lands, skies, and waters, and enhances conservation and recreation opportunities. Visitors will see tangible results such as repaired and upgraded trails and campgrounds, removal of invasive species, as well as healthy wetlands, grasslands, and forests.