Title
Use of Filtered Mercury Vapour Lights in Association with a Modified Fish Handling Pump at Nanticoke TGS
Date
1982
Keywords
alewife, attraction, fish handling, fish passage, handling, mercury lights, pumps, smelt, strobe light
Summary
The applicability of mercury vapour lights as an attractant of fish to the modified fish handling pump (Tempering pump No 8) in the Nanticoke TGS forebay was assessed. Acoustic fish census equipment was used to assess attraction of fish to the lights while a trawl net was used to collect fish passing through the pump. The mercury vapour lights successfully attracted fish in the forebay to the area of the bar racks. Although it appeared that many fish escaped capture in the trawl net due to mesh size and flow characteristics, catches were higher when mercury vapour lights were used to illuminate the outside and inside of the bar racks for 5 minutes. Although further tests should be conducted, it appears that in the absence of tempering, a combination of mercury vapour and strobe lights will increase the quantity of fish passing through Tempering Pump No 8.