DARLINGTON, Md. (AP) - It's fish lift time at Harford County's Conowingo Dam.
WJZ-TV reports spring means it's time for fish to migrate upstream to spawn. But the Conowingo Dam is a massive roadblock. That's why the dam's fish lift was built in 1991. It helps fish get up and over the dam.
Water released from the top of the dam creates an artificial current that lures fish into a narrow channel. They're then lifted over the dam in what is essentially an elevator for fish.
One particular fish is the target of all the effort: The American Shad.
The fish lift operates until the middle of June, when the American Shad migration typically ends.
Conowingo Dam general manager Kenneth Poletti says last year the fish lift moved over 1.1 million fish.
