Session A7 - Estimation of Total Project Survival for Atlantic Salmon Passing Downstream at Penobscot River Hydro Projects
Location
UMass Amherst
Event Website
http://fishpassage.ecs.umass.edu/Conference2012/
Start Date
7-6-2012 11:10 AM
End Date
7-6-2012 11:30 AM
Description
The National Marine Fisheries Service (NMFS) is in the process of developing a population model for endangered Atlantic salmon to assist with the determination of acceptable levels of incidental "take" at hydro projects on the Penobscot River in Maine. A major component of the population model will be estimated losses of smolts and kelts at each project during their downstream migration. Atlantic salmon smolts and kelts migrating downstream may be subject to mortality due to injuries sustained during passage through turbines and fish bypasses, or over spillways. In addition to direct mortality associated with these passage routes, indirect mortality may result from increased predation rates or reduced fitness associated with the stress of downstream passage and migration delays. Cumulative effects from passage at multiple projects may also lead to increased mortality during the in-river migration and after fish reach the estuary and marine environment. Consequently, we developed estimates of downstream passage survival of smolts and kelts at 15 hydroelectric projects on the Penobscot River and its tributaries. To accomplish this, we estimated entrainment rates of smolts and kelts of various lengths and calculated turbine survival for entrained fish using an established turbine blade strike probability and mortality model. Survival rates for fish passing downstream over spillways or through fish bypass facilities were also estimated for each project based on existing site-specific data or using information from other projects with similar design features. Spillway passage was assumed to be proportional to flow. Bypass efficiencies were based on bar rack spacing, available literature, and field studies conducted at two of the projects. Fish not assigned to spillway or bypass passage were assumed to be entrained through a project's turbines. Using the proportion of fish passing through each route and applying route-specific survival rates, total project downstream passage survival was calculated for each project over a range of river discharges.
Session A7 - Estimation of Total Project Survival for Atlantic Salmon Passing Downstream at Penobscot River Hydro Projects
UMass Amherst
The National Marine Fisheries Service (NMFS) is in the process of developing a population model for endangered Atlantic salmon to assist with the determination of acceptable levels of incidental "take" at hydro projects on the Penobscot River in Maine. A major component of the population model will be estimated losses of smolts and kelts at each project during their downstream migration. Atlantic salmon smolts and kelts migrating downstream may be subject to mortality due to injuries sustained during passage through turbines and fish bypasses, or over spillways. In addition to direct mortality associated with these passage routes, indirect mortality may result from increased predation rates or reduced fitness associated with the stress of downstream passage and migration delays. Cumulative effects from passage at multiple projects may also lead to increased mortality during the in-river migration and after fish reach the estuary and marine environment. Consequently, we developed estimates of downstream passage survival of smolts and kelts at 15 hydroelectric projects on the Penobscot River and its tributaries. To accomplish this, we estimated entrainment rates of smolts and kelts of various lengths and calculated turbine survival for entrained fish using an established turbine blade strike probability and mortality model. Survival rates for fish passing downstream over spillways or through fish bypass facilities were also estimated for each project based on existing site-specific data or using information from other projects with similar design features. Spillway passage was assumed to be proportional to flow. Bypass efficiencies were based on bar rack spacing, available literature, and field studies conducted at two of the projects. Fish not assigned to spillway or bypass passage were assumed to be entrained through a project's turbines. Using the proportion of fish passing through each route and applying route-specific survival rates, total project downstream passage survival was calculated for each project over a range of river discharges.
https://scholarworks.umass.edu/fishpassage_conference/2012/June7/6
Comments
Steve Amaral is a Principal Fisheries Biologist with Alden Research Laboratory, Inc., and has more than 20 years of professional experience in the development and evaluation of fish passage and protection technologies. He has been a lead investigator in several studies examining injury and morality of fish passing through conventional and hydrokinetic turbines. Steve has a B.S. and M.S. in fisheries biology, both from the University of Massachusetts.