Event Title

Session E5: Upstream Passage of Sturgeons at Dams: Behavior of Sturgeons at a Fish Lift and in a Prototype Ladder

Location

Groningen, The Netherlands

Event Website

http://fishpassage.umass.edu/

Start Date

23-6-2015 3:00 PM

End Date

23-6-2015 3:15 PM

Description

Abstract:

Attraction of sturgeons to fishway entrances is poorly studied but observations on adult Shortnose Sturgeon, Acipenser brevirostrum, entering one of two fish lifts at Holyoke Dam, Connecticut River, MA, USA, indicate the benthic sturgeons need a bottom entrance with a submerged orifice if the water is deep. Sturgeons can pass upstream in nature-like or ramp fishways, or in technical fishways, like fish lifts, but not so good in traditional fish ladders. Keys to passing sturgeons in fish lifts is 1) attracting fish to the entrance by induced currents, 2) operating the lift during the seasonal (and daily diel period) of migration, 3) cycling the crowder trap within the time period fish will remain at the barrier without departing, and 4) designing the appropriate lift hopper. Adults have a moderate swimming ability and can ascend fish ladders, but they ascend best when the fish ladder design enables them to continuously swim upstream. Unfortunately, most fish ladders (e.g., pool & weir, vertical slot) have cross walls that prevent sturgeons from continuously swimming upstream: an important aspect of their swimming style. Also, observations in an artificial ladder showed a series of ascents and descents before fish reached the top of the ladder. This suggests that any ladder for sturgeons should allow fish to descend without injury and loss of upstream ascent drive. Experiments with several species of sturgeons in a prototype sidebaffle ladder allowed fish to swim continuously during ascent and did not harm them during descent. Fish moved freely upand downstream like they might use a seminatural channel. Plans are to install the prototype at a dam in 2015 or 2016 to field test the design.

Comments

Presenting Author Bio: PhD - 1972, Fisheries Biology; College of Fisheries, Univ. of Washington, Seattle Coop Fish Res. Unit (FWS) @ UMass, Amherst for 12 yrs; Conte Anad. Fish. Res. Center (FWS & USGS), Turners Falls, MA for 18 yrs. 36 years of research on life history behaviour of diadromous and freshwater migratory fish, particularly sturgeons, and up- and downstream fish passage at dams in N. America, China, Romania, and Brazil.

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Jun 23rd, 3:00 PM Jun 23rd, 3:15 PM

Session E5: Upstream Passage of Sturgeons at Dams: Behavior of Sturgeons at a Fish Lift and in a Prototype Ladder

Groningen, The Netherlands

Abstract:

Attraction of sturgeons to fishway entrances is poorly studied but observations on adult Shortnose Sturgeon, Acipenser brevirostrum, entering one of two fish lifts at Holyoke Dam, Connecticut River, MA, USA, indicate the benthic sturgeons need a bottom entrance with a submerged orifice if the water is deep. Sturgeons can pass upstream in nature-like or ramp fishways, or in technical fishways, like fish lifts, but not so good in traditional fish ladders. Keys to passing sturgeons in fish lifts is 1) attracting fish to the entrance by induced currents, 2) operating the lift during the seasonal (and daily diel period) of migration, 3) cycling the crowder trap within the time period fish will remain at the barrier without departing, and 4) designing the appropriate lift hopper. Adults have a moderate swimming ability and can ascend fish ladders, but they ascend best when the fish ladder design enables them to continuously swim upstream. Unfortunately, most fish ladders (e.g., pool & weir, vertical slot) have cross walls that prevent sturgeons from continuously swimming upstream: an important aspect of their swimming style. Also, observations in an artificial ladder showed a series of ascents and descents before fish reached the top of the ladder. This suggests that any ladder for sturgeons should allow fish to descend without injury and loss of upstream ascent drive. Experiments with several species of sturgeons in a prototype sidebaffle ladder allowed fish to swim continuously during ascent and did not harm them during descent. Fish moved freely upand downstream like they might use a seminatural channel. Plans are to install the prototype at a dam in 2015 or 2016 to field test the design.

https://scholarworks.umass.edu/fishpassage_conference/2015/June23/58