Location

UMass Amherst

Event Website

http://fishpassage.ecs.umass.edu/Conference2012/

Start Date

6-6-2012 2:10 PM

End Date

6-6-2012 2:30 PM

Description

Under specific hydraulic conditions, culverts may constitute velocity barriers impeding fish upstream movements. The main objective of this project is to develop a predictive model of brook trout passage success as a function of fish size, culvert dimensions and hydraulic conditions, and water temperature. Fixed Passive Integrated Transponder (PIT-tag) antenna systems are used to determine the passage success of brook trout through culverts under natural variable field conditions and to compare these results with passage success predictions made from swimming capacity data obtained in laboratory studies. The experimental design allows the determination of passage attempts and success of individual fish marked with 23 mm PIT-tag as well as their swimming speed throughout the culvert. The experiments were conducted in circular culverts made of smooth concrete or corrugated metal. 950 brook trout (fork length 90 to 270 mm) were tested under variable water temperature (1.4 to 19 ˚C) and mean culvert flow velocity (0.39 to 1.99 m s-1) conditions. Fish swimming speeds, maximal ascent distances and passage success observed in the experiments are compared with predictions obtained using the theoretical approach of Castro-Santos (2005). The results indicate that most fish adopted a distance-maximising strategy by swimming at speeds very close to the predicted optimum. However, the results also indicate a tendency for the theoretical approach to underestimate the passage success of smaller fish (< 120 mm) and to overestimate the one of larger fish (> 150 mm). Potential explanations of these results are discussed and other components of the project are briefly presented.

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Jun 6th, 2:10 PM Jun 6th, 2:30 PM

Session B5 - Modeling brook trout (Salvelinus fontinalis) passage success through road culverts: from theory to reality

UMass Amherst

Under specific hydraulic conditions, culverts may constitute velocity barriers impeding fish upstream movements. The main objective of this project is to develop a predictive model of brook trout passage success as a function of fish size, culvert dimensions and hydraulic conditions, and water temperature. Fixed Passive Integrated Transponder (PIT-tag) antenna systems are used to determine the passage success of brook trout through culverts under natural variable field conditions and to compare these results with passage success predictions made from swimming capacity data obtained in laboratory studies. The experimental design allows the determination of passage attempts and success of individual fish marked with 23 mm PIT-tag as well as their swimming speed throughout the culvert. The experiments were conducted in circular culverts made of smooth concrete or corrugated metal. 950 brook trout (fork length 90 to 270 mm) were tested under variable water temperature (1.4 to 19 ˚C) and mean culvert flow velocity (0.39 to 1.99 m s-1) conditions. Fish swimming speeds, maximal ascent distances and passage success observed in the experiments are compared with predictions obtained using the theoretical approach of Castro-Santos (2005). The results indicate that most fish adopted a distance-maximising strategy by swimming at speeds very close to the predicted optimum. However, the results also indicate a tendency for the theoretical approach to underestimate the passage success of smaller fish (< 120 mm) and to overestimate the one of larger fish (> 150 mm). Potential explanations of these results are discussed and other components of the project are briefly presented.

https://scholarworks.umass.edu/fishpassage_conference/2012/June6/25