Session B8- Effectiveness of naturelike fishway designs for passage of an adaromous and riverine species
Location
UMass Amherst
Start Date
29-6-2011 1:35 PM
End Date
29-6-2011 1:55 PM
Description
Nature like fishway designs have been proposed as a solution for passing a broad range of species. A growing perception that technical fish ways fail to pass a diversity of species has fueled enthusiasm for the nature like approach. This enthusiasm, however, has little foundation in evaluated structures. We have conducted assessments of several designs of nature like fish ways with more than 4000 individual fish representing 23 riverine and diadromous species native to the Northeast. We performed these studies both in the field and in a large-scale laboratory setting. Results indicate that nature like designs are not intrinsically superior to technical fish ways: passage performance varied widely among species, designs, and hydraulic conditions. Some designs in widespread use may actually be worse for some species than existing technical fishway designs. However other designs show real promise, providing expeditious passage for nearly all species tested.
Session B8- Effectiveness of naturelike fishway designs for passage of an adaromous and riverine species
UMass Amherst
Nature like fishway designs have been proposed as a solution for passing a broad range of species. A growing perception that technical fish ways fail to pass a diversity of species has fueled enthusiasm for the nature like approach. This enthusiasm, however, has little foundation in evaluated structures. We have conducted assessments of several designs of nature like fish ways with more than 4000 individual fish representing 23 riverine and diadromous species native to the Northeast. We performed these studies both in the field and in a large-scale laboratory setting. Results indicate that nature like designs are not intrinsically superior to technical fish ways: passage performance varied widely among species, designs, and hydraulic conditions. Some designs in widespread use may actually be worse for some species than existing technical fishway designs. However other designs show real promise, providing expeditious passage for nearly all species tested.
Comments
Ted Castro-Santos works with the Fish Passage Engineering Section at the S.O. Conte Anadromous Fish Research Laboratory (USGS). His research interests center on improving the compatibility of darns, culverts, and other barriers with the life-history requirements of migratory fish. Specifically, he is interested in both the identification and quantification of biological factors that determine the viability of mitigation measures for these barriers. He uses an integrative approach, incorporating biomechanics, physiology, ecology, behavior, and engineering. Since diadromous species are often of major importance, both ecologically and economically, they have been the focus of these efforts. Ted holds a BA from Colgate University in biology and Spanish literature; an MS from Washington State University in wildlife biology; and a PhD from the University of Massachusetts Amherst in organismic and evolutionary biology.