Increasing downstream passage efficiency for re-spawners: adding telemetry

One of the main issues concerning downstream migration in regulated rivers is that fish tend to follow the bulk flow. Therefore, unless sufficient flow is assigned to the designated fishways, the fish end up in the water intake, where they are often harmed or killed. The project aims to affect fish behaviour and direct them towards a safe passage and away from the water intake area with the help of a pump that creates a guiding current.

This project will create test currents for the fish with the help of pumps to guide the fish away from the turbin intake. This is a novel method with little previous research carried out, but if found effective it would be easier to maintain and operate this kind of solution when compared to physical barriers, and it would result in lower energy head losses. Therefore, apart from environmental benefits, the research will directly benefit hydropower companies and help them implement the new legislation on fish passage solutions.