Conowingo Dam, with close-up shot of the fish elevator, circa 2000.

Credit: Photographs courtesy of Exelon Corporation

Since the creation of the Susquehanna and Tidewater canal, dams along the Susquehanna River blocked the migration of shad to their spawning grounds upriver. Today, this fish elevator at the Conowingo Dam is part of a system of fish lifts and ladders at dams along the river, which allow the fish to complete their journey upstream.