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fish ladder
noun
: a series of pools arranged like steps by which fish can pass over a dam in going upstream
Examples of fish ladder in a Sentence
Recent Examples on the Web
There are now thousands of dams throughout the Mississippi River Basin, most of which lack fish ladders or other structures allowing for fish passage.
—Dac Collins, Outdoor Life, 24 Apr. 2024
Reports from earlier this month say that some 7,700 steelhead climbed a fish ladder at the Willamette Falls near Oregon City this year, and that number has likely grown since then.
—Travis Hall, Field & Stream, 18 Apr. 2024
Rather than pay to retrofit their dams with fish ladders, the utility opted for removal.
—Christian Thorsberg, Smithsonian Magazine, 22 Jan. 2024
This includes not just salmon but also creatures like lampreys—primitive, jawless fish with toothy mouths that suction to their hosts.
Solutions for migratory fish exist, like fish ladders or fishways, which provide a detour in the form of ascending pools.
—Alka Tripathy-Lang, Ars Technica, 11 Jan. 2024
The money pays for fish ladders around dams, habitat restoration projects, monitoring by scientists and other needs.
—Matthew Brown, Fortune, 3 Jan. 2024
Despite the inclusion of fish ladders within major dams, there are white sturgeon in rivers like the Columbia year-round these days.
—Joe Cermele, Field & Stream, 19 Oct. 2023
To reach the location where it was found, the shark would have had to swim all that distance upriver while passing through eight major dams—all of which have fish ladders that are constantly being monitored by fisheries technicians.
—Dac Collins, Outdoor Life, 16 Aug. 2023
Three separate channels on the river provide an option for everyone: the fish ladder has mellow waves for tubers and kids, the whitewater channel is suited for experienced paddlers with four distinct waves, and the habitat channel is for migratory wildlife and is closed to the rest of us.
—Megan Michelson, Outside Online, 17 July 2021
These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'fish ladder.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.
Word History
First Known Use
1864, in the meaning defined above
Dictionary Entries Near fish ladder
Cite this Entry
“Fish ladder.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/fish%20ladder. Accessed 10 Jun. 2024.
Kids Definition
fish ladder
noun
: an arrangement of pools by which fish can pass around a dam
More from Merriam-Webster on fish ladder
Britannica.com: Encyclopedia article about fish ladder
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