Fish Passages

Removing Barriers for Salmon

KSWCD has worked in collaboration with the U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service, Alaska Dept. of Fish & Game, U.S. Coast Guard, Kodiak Island Borough, Road Service Areas, and other land owners on the Kodiak road system to remove barriers for salmon to upstream spawning and rearing habitat.

KSWCD replaces or removes culverts and cleared debris to restore access to salmon spawning and rearing habitat for coho, chum, pink, and sockeye salmon in many waterways on the Kodiak archipelago. We have brought millions of dollars in grant funding to Kodiak for fish passages.

Before
After
14
Culverts removed where not needed to allow for fish passage.
14
Culverts replaced where existing culverts prevented fish passage.
8
Sites cleared of debris that blocked fish passage.

Small Streams Matter to Baby Salmon

Learn more about the importance of habitat connectivity for baby salmon and how fish passages can help. Filmed at Lake Orbin in Kodiak.

Road Culvert Gets a Fish-friendly Makeover

Watch a time lapse of our fish passage project at Boy Scout Lake. Special guest appearance by a curious bear!

Beaver Dam Removal

While beavers may positively impact spawning habitat in some places, this particular dam was blocking the only access for spawning salmon heading to the lake. Beavers are not native to Kodiak Island, and this dam and low stream flow could cause a much larger impact this small salmon run than if it were in a larger system with more outflowing streams and creeks. Some small branches were intentionally left in the creek to give salmon rest areas in their shelter, but these branches are not blocking the entire stream.