TRAVERSE CITY — Work continues on FishPass, a project designed to complete a decades-long effort to restore the Boardman (Ottaway) River by reconnecting it with Lake Michigan while preventing invasive species from moving upstream.

FishPass will replace the deteriorating Union Street Dam with a new 6.5-foot vertical barrier across the river. The structure is designed to block all fish but will eventually use automated sorting technology to allow passage of select native species.

According to project details , any fish movement during the first 10 years will be limited, coordinated with fishery management agencies and restricted to species native to the upper Great Lakes.

The project includes three main components: a physical redesign of the river channel and dam area, a research center

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