The Batsto Dam provided power to a once-prospering village, but it blocked the natural migration of spawning fish. The Batsto River Fishway Project creates a pathway over the dam, improving the aquatic ecosystem and increasing recreational opportunities by allowing migratory fish to reach historic spawning and foraging habitat. The Batsto River historically included migratory routes for alewife, blueback herring, and American eel. Alewife and blueback herring are anadromous species that migrate in the spring from the ocean and bays into freshwater rivers and lakes to spawn, while American eel is catadromous, migrating from the river to the sea to spawn. The fishway opens approximately 8 miles of habitat for these important prey species, and enabling them to complete their historic spawning runs helps restore the natural food web and benefits many predatory species.