WAYNESBORO, Va. (AP) — The removal of a large dam in Virginia has meant good news for the American eel population, according to a new study by the U.S. Geological Survey, U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service and National Park Service.

The research, published this month in Transactions of the American Fisheries Society, shows that the removal of Embrey Dam on the Rappahannock River increased American eel numbers in headwater streams nearly 100 miles away.