Session A8: An Evaluation of Fishway Passage for Alewife (Alosa pseudoharengus)

Location

Groningen, The Netherlands

Event Website

http://fishpassage.umass.edu/

Start Date

24-6-2015 2:45 PM

End Date

24-6-2015 3:00 PM

Description

Abstract:

Alewives (Alosa pseudoharengus) are anadromous fish that often encounter fishways when migrating upstream to their spawning habitat. In partnership with Ducks Unlimited Canada, we are quantifying attraction efficiency, passage efficiency and time of movement of alewife through fishways. To do this we tagged 790 fish with Passive Integrated Transponders (PIT) and tracked their movement through two Denil style fishways. Overall attraction efficiency to fishways was 44%, but passage efficiency was ≥74%.

Tagged fish were most active at dawn and dusk. Tagged alewife detected at the base of the fishway were significantly longer than undetected individuals, and may have been experienced migrants. Our data suggest that quantification of the number of migrants that are motivated to attempt passage of fishways has implications for measures of true fishway attraction and passage efficiency for defining “effective fishways”.

Comments

Presenting Author Bio: MJWS is a Tier II Canada Research Chair in the Ecology of Coastal Environments, and an Associate Professor in the Biology Department at Acadia University.

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Jun 24th, 2:45 PM Jun 24th, 3:00 PM

Session A8: An Evaluation of Fishway Passage for Alewife (Alosa pseudoharengus)

Groningen, The Netherlands

Abstract:

Alewives (Alosa pseudoharengus) are anadromous fish that often encounter fishways when migrating upstream to their spawning habitat. In partnership with Ducks Unlimited Canada, we are quantifying attraction efficiency, passage efficiency and time of movement of alewife through fishways. To do this we tagged 790 fish with Passive Integrated Transponders (PIT) and tracked their movement through two Denil style fishways. Overall attraction efficiency to fishways was 44%, but passage efficiency was ≥74%.

Tagged fish were most active at dawn and dusk. Tagged alewife detected at the base of the fishway were significantly longer than undetected individuals, and may have been experienced migrants. Our data suggest that quantification of the number of migrants that are motivated to attempt passage of fishways has implications for measures of true fishway attraction and passage efficiency for defining “effective fishways”.

https://scholarworks.umass.edu/fishpassage_conference/2015/June24/61