Sometimes the best way to solve a problem might just be to take something away. That's what happened in Bishopville, Maryland. A 2015 news release from the Maryland Department of Natural Resources explained that a four-foot sheet metal dam was replaced by 635 linear feet of stable stream channel and wetland habitat. The project spanned a decade, and it was nearly complete when the release was issued. As of that release, seven miles of creek were accessible spawning and nursery habitat for key fish species, and alewives had already been spotted there.
What changed at Bishopville
The old dam was located on Bunting’s Branch, a small stream flowing into the St. Martin's River, along Maryland Route 367. The sheet-metal dam was replaced by a set of pools, runs, and weirs. They make the channel more natural, provide easier passage for fish, and reduce nutrient pollution. The total cost of the project was $1.5 million, and over 50 percent of the funds were provided by the Maryland DNR through the Chesapeake and Atlantic Coastal Bays Trust Fund. Catherine Shanks, who heads the department's Habitat Restoration and Conservation Division, says the new design meets the needs of both the community and environment.
Why one small dam matters
Four feet may not seem like much to you, but for a fish, a wall is a wall. Alewives are a type of river herring. They live mostly in the ocean and migrate into the freshwater streams to spawn. The work done in Bishopville opened up seven miles of creek that provides spawning and nursery habitat for alewives, blueback herring, and American eel.
The bigger picture is presented in a 2026 study published in Frontiers in Ecology and Evolution. Researchers Shawn Snyder, Daniel Stich, and Joseph Zydlewski estimate that about 52 percent of alewife habitat along the East Coast of North America is upstream of dams. Their model estimates alewives have lost about 880 million potential spawners to dams, coast-wide. These, however, are theoretical estimates. The study also found that the current fish passage structures add only small gains as compared to dam removal.
Early wins for water and wildlife
{{/usCountry}}The bigger picture is presented in a 2026 study published in Frontiers in Ecology and Evolution. Researchers Shawn Snyder, Daniel Stich, and Joseph Zydlewski estimate that about 52 percent of alewife habitat along the East Coast of North America is upstream of dams. Their model estimates alewives have lost about 880 million potential spawners to dams, coast-wide. These, however, are theoretical estimates. The study also found that the current fish passage structures add only small gains as compared to dam removal.
Early wins for water and wildlife
{{/usCountry}}Fish were not the only early good news. Maryland Coastal Bays Program and DNR kept an eye on the water quality while the construction went on. They had already observed a 20 percent increase in the level of dissolved oxygen in the waters downstream of the project site. This is the amount of oxygen dissolved in the water that fish and other aquatic animals need for respiration. The site also saw about 1,000 trees, mostly Atlantic white cedars, planted by volunteers, students from Salisbury University, and the Maryland Conservation Corps. The trees will both stabilize the ground and filter stormwater.
As the work was nearing completion, a lot of people came out for a ribbon-cutting ceremony. Among those present were representatives from the department, the Maryland Coastal Bays Program, and the Bishopville Saint Martin's Neck Community Association. State Senator James Mathias and Worcester County Commissioner Jim Bunting were also there.
What this does and doesn't prove
Kevin Smith, who leads aquatic restoration projects for the DNR, said this project would never have happened without local residents and the Maryland Coastal Bays Program. He hopes residents get to enjoy it and maybe even catch a fish or two. Roman Jesien, science coordinator for the program, said the work wasn't just dumping rocks and sand. He hopes the site can be a classroom showing the way restoration should be done.
While it's encouraging to see alewives, that doesn't mean the fish are back. The news release was issued in October 2015 when the project was almost finished and stated that more monitoring was to follow. The story shows that real habitat can be opened up by removing a barrier, then carefully rebuilding a stream. Sometimes progress starts with four feet of metal and the community that wants a creek to flow again.