Rodricks, D. (2021, April 2). Obama’s herring: REMOVING dams on the PATAPSCO brings back a silvery LITTLE Fish: Commentary. baltimoresun.com. Retrieved September 15, 2021, https://www.baltimoresun.com/opinion/columnists/dan-rodricks/bs-md-rodricks-0401-env-patapsco-river-herring-20210401-gdvlxvowtzakhbwr4vxstfkirq-story.html

April 1st, 2021, Jim Thompson and William Harbold found silver, a little fish that had not been seen in more than a century. The discovery was found just upstream of where the removed Bloede Dam used to be in Maryland. The discovery of the fish was important because it shows proof that habitats destroyed by man can be returned to their natural state. The silver disappeared after the construction of dams in the late 18th century. Many species of fish, such as the silver and herring, were blocked from being able to migrate upstream to their natural waters. Years later the factories closed and the dam was no longer needed. Despite recurring deaths, including nine drownings since the 1980’s, no one was inclined to spend the money to remove it, until Obama’s election in 2008. During his presidency, about 4 million of the 2009 stimulus went to dam removal projects to help the Patapsco. The removal of the Bloede dam opened water passages for migratory fish, such as the silver. 

Dan Rodricks, the author of this article, was very excited about the rediscovery of the silver, and I tend to share the same excitement. Not only does the rediscovery of the silver mean that there is hope for habitats destroyed by man, it also proves that that species found another place to reproduce and survive. This opens up the possibility that there are other species that have “disappeared” because of man-made complications, that are really just surviving in other settings. The discovery, and the whole project, is exciting to me because it gives me hope about the future of our planet and provides proof as to why dams have a negative impact on the environment and many natural habitats. The destruction of the Bloede Dam, and the rediscovery of the silver is related to environmental science because it shows the relationship between the health of an ecosystem and man-made infrastructure. When we removed the Bloede Dam, we gave back the natural habitat that many species of fish need to survive. Removing the dam freed up miles of water that migratory fish can now use to travel upstream into their natural waters.