The U.S. Bureau of Reclamation finalized its plan for dealing with nonnative smallmouth bass in the Colorado River below Glen Canyon Dam.
The agency can now use experimental water releases from the dam to cool the river’s temperature in an effort to disrupt the bass from spawning.
Smallmouth bass are predatory fish that have been slipping through the dam in greater numbers over the past two years due to drought shrinking Lake Powell’s levels. Scientists say they pose a significant threat to native fish like the threatened humpback chub.