Assessing the opportunities for upstream migration of non-salmonid fishes in the weir-regulated River Vecht

The degree of obstruction posed by weirs to potential upstream movements of non-salmonid fish (predominantly cyprinids) in the River Vecht, the Netherlands, was assessed. This rain-fed river showed high variability in discharge, providing opportunities for passage at high discharge when weirs were free flowing. Daily recorded discharge and water levels between 1960 and 1984, and an analysis of swimming capacities and migratory behaviour, were used to assess whether hydraulic conditions each day and for each species were suitable for ascent. The assessment demonstrated that migratory opportunities along the six weirs were extremely limited. Only 10 of 32 species were able to ascend all weirs in 5–30% of the years. Opportunities were the greatest for large-sized species during November–March at the downstream-situated weirs, whereas small-sized species had no opportunities year-round. The approach used is widely applicable for barrier assessment in other rivers, because it requires only basic hydraulic measurements that are often available.     

Non‐salmonids in a salmonid fishway: what do 50 years of data tell us about past and future fish passage?

Abstract  Salmonid fishways have been used in many countries for non-salmonid fishes, including Australia, but generally with poor results. Trapping the entrance and exit of a 1:9 gradient salmonid fishway on the Murray River confirmed very poor passage of native fish, with <1% of the most abundant species ascending. Fifty years of fish passage monitoring showed the numbers of three native species declining by 95–100% and non-native fish becoming dominant. Fishways are now being designed for native fish and being quantitatively assessed, but daily flow management also needs to be addressed. The ecological model for passage of potamodromous fishes has changed from passing adults of a few species to one that incorporates the whole fish community, specifically: immature fish of large-bodied species that dominate numbers migrating upstream; a diverse range of movement strategies; and small-bodied species, crustaceans and low numbers of less-mobile species.     

Use of a vertical-slot fishway by galaxiids in Western Australia

Abstract –  The Goodga River Fishway is the first vertical-slot fishway in Western Australia and was opened in April 2003 with the aim of increasing the habitat available to two galaxiids; the trout minnow ( Galaxias truttaceus ), a highly restricted freshwater fish species in Western Australia, and the widespread common jollytail ( Galaxias maculatus ). The fishway was designed to function during low flows to coincide with the upstream spawning migration of G. truttaceus . Prior to the opening of the fishway, no fish were found above the Goodga River gauging station (weir), which is approximately 2 km upstream of the river's entrance to Moates Lake. Fish migrations were monitored in each season between April 2003 and February 2005. Galaxias truttaceus utilised the fishway in all sampling periods. Adult fish migrated up the fishway prior to spawning, while large numbers of new recruits (small juveniles) negotiated the fishway during November 2003 and 2004. More G. truttaceus and G. maculatus were captured on the fishway during daylight hours compared with the night; however, larger G. truttaceus were more commonly captured at night whereas G. maculatus on the fishway were larger during the day. The fact that fishway utilisation by G. maculatus was consistent during all samples and new recruits migrated during periods of low flow demonstrates the importance of understanding the migration patterns of the target species when designing fishways.     

Seasonal and diel patterns in the migrations of fishes between a river and a floodplain tributary

Nunn AD, Copp GH, Vilizzi L, Carter MG. Seasonal and diel patterns in the migrations of fishes between a river and a floodplain tributary. Ecology of Freshwater Fish 2010: 19: 153–162. © 2009 John Wiley & Sons A/S
Abstract –  The population behaviours associated with the migrations of fishes in lowland river ecosystems are amongst the most poorly-understood dispersal mechanisms of temperate freshwater organisms. This study evaluated the influence of four environmental variables (light levels, river discharge, water temperature and water velocity) on the timing, intensity and direction of fish movements between the River Avon (Hampshire, England) and a small floodplain tributary, Ibsley Brook, over a 12-month period. Using canonical correspondence analysis (CCA) to identify patterns of movement (by groups of species) and the relative strengths of explanatory variables in the data, the probability of fishes migrating between the river and tributary was determined using Bayesian modelling. The intensity and direction of fish movements between the river and tributary varied temporally, both on a diel and seasonal basis, and there were species- and age-specific patterns in behaviour. Diel movements appeared to be triggered by changes in light intensity and brook water velocity, whereas seasonal movements were mostly driven by changes in river discharge and water temperature, particularly those associated with floods. This study emphasises the importance of connectivity in river systems, as fishes migrated in all conditions, but especially during rapidly-rising discharge.     

EMG telemetry studies on upstream migration of chum salmon in the Toyohira river,Hokkaido, Japan

The movements of 28 adult chum salmon, Oncorhynchus keta (Walbaum) tagged with electromyogram (EMG) transmitters were tracked along the Toyohira river, Hokkaido, Japan, in October of 2007 and 2008 to investigate and evaluate the upstream migratory behavior through the protection bed and fishway of ground sills. The approach time of fish that ascended successfully through the protection bed and fishway was shorter than that of unsuccessful fish. The unsuccessful fish were observed to swim in currents with high water velocity and shallow water depth at swimming speeds that exceeded their critical swimming speed (U _crit) during the approach to these structures. In consequence, unsuccessful fish frequently alternated between burst and maximum sustained speeds without ever ascending the fishway, and eventually became exhausted. It is important that fishway are constructed to enable chum salmon to find a passage way easily, so that they can migrate upstream rapidly without wasting excessive energy.     

A quantitative assessment of fish passage efficiency

In an attempt to restore the connectivity of fragmented river habitats, a variety of passage facilities have been installed at river barriers. Despite the cost of building these structures, there has been no quantitative evaluation of their overall success at restoring fish passage. We reviewed articles from 1960 to 2011, extracted data from 65 papers on fish passage efficiency, size and species of fish, and fishway characteristics to determine the best predictors of fishway efficiency. Because data were scarce for fishes other than salmonids (order Salmoniformes), we combined data for all non‐salmonids for our analysis. On average, downstream passage efficiency was 68.5%, slightly higher than upstream passage efficiency of 41.7%, and neither differed across the geographical regions of study. Salmonids were more successful than non‐salmonids in passing upstream (61.7 vs. 21.1%) and downstream (74.6 vs. 39.6%) through fish passage facilities. Passage efficiency differed significantly between types of fishways; pool and weir, pool and slot and natural fishways had the highest efficiencies, whereas Denil and fish locks/elevators had the lowest. Upstream passage efficiency decreased significantly with fishway slope, but increased with fishway length, and water velocity. An information‐theoretic analysis indicated that the best predictors of fish passage efficiency were order of fish (i.e. salmonids > non‐salmonids), type of fishway and length of fishway. Overall, the low efficiency of passage facilities indicated that most need to be improved to sufficiently mitigate habitat fragmentation for the complete fish community across a range of environmental conditions.     

Effects of temperature on the fast-start swimming performance of an Australian freshwater fish

Abstract –  The fast-start swimming performance of juveniles of an Australian freshwater (warm-water) fish, golden perch, was examined in the laboratory at six water temperatures ranging between 10 and 25 °C. Fast-start swimming performance of fish was considerably reduced at temperatures less than 15.5 °C. Temperatures of less than 15 °C are typical of the thermal regime downstream of large dams in south-eastern Australia, where conditions are more suited to introduced cold-water fish species. We conclude that the swimming performance of native warm-water fish such as golden perch is likely to be negatively affected by cold-water releases from deep outlets in thermally stratified dams.     

Fishway entrance modifications enhance fish attraction

Two Denil fishways on the Grand River, Ontario, were monitored annually since 1994 for activity by several dozen fish species. Fishway entrances were enlarged and repositioned approximately 2 m closer to the weir face, in areas where fish were attracted by weir discharge. These simple modifications resulted in increased attraction efficiency for pumpkinseed, Lepomis gibbosus (L.). After modifications, annual relative rate of recapture was 39% (95% confidence interval [CI]=32–46%), representing a 2.6–3-fold increase in fishway use relative to pre-modification conditions. Median daily recapture rates also increased significantly from 0% at both fishways to approximately 2%. These results suggest that fishway entrances should be located as close to a dam or weir face as possible, but velocity barriers from spillway or tailrace discharge must not compromise access.     

Upstream passage of fish through a vertical-slot fishway in an Australian subtropical river

The effectiveness of a vertical-slot fishway on the Burnett River barrage for facilitating migration of fish was assessed. In 100 samples taken at the top and bottom of the fishway, over 52 000 fish representing 34 species were collected at a maximum rate of 4500 fish per day. In contrast, less than 2000 fish ascended the original pool-and-weir fishway in 128, 24 h samples at the top between 1984 and 1987. Juvenile size classes dominated the abundance of many species in the present study and fish between 24 and 930 mm in length ascended the vertical-slot fishway. However, passage of small fish was restricted and for new fishways on tidal barriers a further reduction in head loss between pools is recommended. Importantly, the width of the vertical-slots was too small for effective upstream passage of large Queensland lungfish, Neoceratodus forsteri (Krefft). The greatest diversity of fish species was found during low river flows. The findings suggest that vertical-slot fishways with wide pools and low turbulence pass a diverse range of fish fauna present in subtropical coastal rivers.     

流溪河水厂坝丹尼尔式鱼道运行效果初探

为检验流溪河水厂坝建立的丹尼尔式鱼道试点工程效果,在2015-2016年鱼道主要过鱼时段4-10月,利用张网法逐日监测。结果显示,鱼道取样共采集鱼类906尾,隶属于3目、8科、32属、34种,体长范围5～74cm,优势种为尼罗罗非鱼(Tilapia niloticus)(数量比51.10%)、歺又鱼(Hemiculter leucisculus)(16.23%)、唇鱼骨(Hemibarbus labeo)(8.17%)、银鮈(Squalidus argentatus)(6.73%)、东方墨头鱼(Garra orientalis)(1.55%),以定居型鱼类为主,未见河口洄游性鱼类。水温与上游水位是影响鱼类种类时间分布的主要环境因素。聚类分析表明,6月过鱼群体的种类和数量独成一类,与其他月份鱼类群体最不相似。虽然Shannon多样性指数在5月和6月分别为2.068和1.719,但总体偏低(1.451±0.535),而Margalef丰富度指数差别较小,表明不同鱼类对鱼道入口的感应存在种间差异,推测是由工程全段翻滚闸门下泄水流导致鱼道入口不易发现所致。研究表明,丹尼尔式鱼道试点工程效果较好,为该河段的绝大部分鱼类提供了上溯通道,对流溪河构建整体过鱼设施体系起到了良好的示范作用,有助于流溪河生态系统的健康与恢复。