Location
Groningen, The Netherlands
Event Website
http://fishpassage.umass.edu/
Start Date
23-6-2015 3:15 PM
End Date
23-6-2015 3:40 PM
Description
Abstract:
The Mekong Basin features 103 long distance migratory fish species contributing 800,000 tonnes per year to the regional inland fishery. At Khone Falls in southern Laos, the Mekong River splits into multiple channels and flows through numerous waterfalls that constitute a major obstacle to fish migrations across the basin. We present here the approach and methodology of a new research project using the Khone Falls bottleneck as a natural laboratory to inform the design of fish passes in the Mekong. This project is based on systematic gathering of local ecological knowledge, combined with hydrological measurements and river geomorphological characterization in multiple sites. The project will produce a matrix detailing, for the dominant Mekong migratory species, flow conditions and river conditions passable, preferred or not passable to fish. This information will help design fish ladders better adapted to native fish species, thus contributing to improved mitigation of the impact of hydropower dams on food security and fish biodiversity in the Mekong Basin.
Session D5: Using a Waterfall System as a Natural Laboratory to Inform the Design of Fish Passes in the Mekong
Groningen, The Netherlands
Abstract:
The Mekong Basin features 103 long distance migratory fish species contributing 800,000 tonnes per year to the regional inland fishery. At Khone Falls in southern Laos, the Mekong River splits into multiple channels and flows through numerous waterfalls that constitute a major obstacle to fish migrations across the basin. We present here the approach and methodology of a new research project using the Khone Falls bottleneck as a natural laboratory to inform the design of fish passes in the Mekong. This project is based on systematic gathering of local ecological knowledge, combined with hydrological measurements and river geomorphological characterization in multiple sites. The project will produce a matrix detailing, for the dominant Mekong migratory species, flow conditions and river conditions passable, preferred or not passable to fish. This information will help design fish ladders better adapted to native fish species, thus contributing to improved mitigation of the impact of hydropower dams on food security and fish biodiversity in the Mekong Basin.
https://scholarworks.umass.edu/fishpassage_conference/2015/June23/28
Comments
Presenting Author Bio: Dr. Eric Baran is a tropical fisheries specialist and a Senior Scientist at WorldFish, an international research center focused on fisheries and aquaculture. Eric holds a Ph.D. in Biological Oceanography and has worked in twelve countries in Africa, South America and Asia; he is originally from France. For the past 15 years he has been working in the Mekong region, with a focus on fish ecology, impact of dams, river basin management and environmental valuation. His 50 publications on fish and Mekong fisheries are accessible at: www.worldfishcenter.org .