Location

Agriculture Production Theater, Oregon State University

Start Date

26-6-2013 3:30 PM

End Date

26-6-2013 3:50 PM

Description

The construction of fish passes has been one of the main strategies adopted by Brazilian authorities and the energy sector to diminish the effects of dams on migratory fish populations. Despite the high investments and efforts involved, most facilities have been considered ineffective in preserving the populations of target species. We believe this failure can be related to inappropriate management strategies that have only focused on the barrier imposed by the dam. We propose that the reservoirs themselves should be considered as an independent barrier to Neotropical fish migration as well, especially to downstream movements. Because their ecological nature (e.g. absence of flow), instead of physical, reservoirs may represent a major obstacle to migratory movements, since management strategies to deal with this behavioral barrier are not available. As a consequence, alternative actions to conserve migratory fish must necessarily consider the location and environmental context of new Hydropower plants, basically because current management actions (e.g. fish passes) are ineffective. In this perspective, only the maintenance of long stretches of river without dams, where migratory fish complete their life cycles, could assure self-sustaining populations in the long term.

Comments

Paulo Pompeu is a Professor of Ecology at Federal University of Lavras, Brazil. His research focuses on rivers conservation, fish biology and studies of fish passage structures. He organized the first International Symposium on Fish Passage in South America, in 2007.

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Jun 26th, 3:30 PM Jun 26th, 3:50 PM

Concurrent Sessions B: Fish Passage in South America - Reservoirs as an Ecological Barrier to Neotropical Fish Migration

Agriculture Production Theater, Oregon State University

The construction of fish passes has been one of the main strategies adopted by Brazilian authorities and the energy sector to diminish the effects of dams on migratory fish populations. Despite the high investments and efforts involved, most facilities have been considered ineffective in preserving the populations of target species. We believe this failure can be related to inappropriate management strategies that have only focused on the barrier imposed by the dam. We propose that the reservoirs themselves should be considered as an independent barrier to Neotropical fish migration as well, especially to downstream movements. Because their ecological nature (e.g. absence of flow), instead of physical, reservoirs may represent a major obstacle to migratory movements, since management strategies to deal with this behavioral barrier are not available. As a consequence, alternative actions to conserve migratory fish must necessarily consider the location and environmental context of new Hydropower plants, basically because current management actions (e.g. fish passes) are ineffective. In this perspective, only the maintenance of long stretches of river without dams, where migratory fish complete their life cycles, could assure self-sustaining populations in the long term.