Oshkosh, Wisconsin – Senator Johnson sent a bipartisan bicameral letter to the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (USFWS) encouraging the federal agency to thoroughly consider alternatives to the currently required fish passage at the Prairie du Sac Hydroelectric Dam.

USFWS is accepting comments while it is putting together an environmental assessment to evaluate the environmental impacts of providing a way to move native species of fish through the dam. It is vital that the agency also consider the risk of passing invasive species, such as Asian Carp and Viral Hemorrhagic Septicemia (VHS), upstream through the fish passage.

Senator Johnson commented, “A thorough examination of all alternatives is imperative to ensure this fish passage does not result in unintended consequences that harm the environment, native fish populations and the tourism industry.”