Fish Ladders
Owen Sound Mill Dam Fish Ladder - located just off 2nd Ave West.
Fish cannot swim upstream to spawn if a river is damned. The fish ladder here at the Owen Sound Mill Dam allows fish to reach their spawning beds upstream on the Sydenham River. A project of the Sydenham Sportsmen's Association, this "fishway" was built in 1958, making it the first in Ontario, with the goal assist the local fish population with migrations & spawning upstream. Raindbow trout use the ladder in the spring, chinook salmon in the fall, to by-pass the dam on their way up the Sydenham river to spawn. There are interpretive signs on the bridge and plenty of parking spaces.
Thornbury Fish Ladder - Located on Hwy 26 just east of the lights in Thornbury.
The fish ladder runs under the bridge over the Beaver River. It was designed to provide fish passage from Georgian Bay to spawning beds on the Beaver River, south of the Thornbury dam.
It can best be seen from an attractive stairway and platforms which are accessible from the public parking lot next to Town Hall. There are interpretive story boards sponsored by the Thornbury Clarksburg Rotary Club along the walk known as Riverwalk which follows the shore of the Beaver River. The best times to visit the fishway are spring and fall. Rainbow Trout swim up the river in spring and salmon in fall.
