The impact of small physical obstacles on upstream movements of six species of fish

In the course of the `Meuse Salmon 2000' programme, most weirs and dams (3–8 m in height) in the regulated River Meuse have been progressively equipped with new fishways in order to restore the free circulation of all amphibiotic fish species. Nevertheless, fish entering into major spawning tributaries are still confronted with various kinds of physical obstacles of which the overall impact on fish migration has never been investigated. In order to test their ability to negotiate physical obstacles, 128 individuals of fish (Salmo trutta, Thymallus thymallus, Salmo salar, Chondrostoma nasus, Barbus barbus and Esox lucius) were captured several weeks before their spawning migrations and tagged with radio-transmitters. They were tracked from 30 to 466 days in the River Ourthe and six spawning tributaries over the period October 1995 to June 2001. All obstacles recorded in this study have been classified according to their type and main characteristics (i.e. slope, length and height). Results indicated that most fish migrate during or outside the spawning period and that some small obstacles are not as insignificant as initially thought and can significantly disrupt and/or obstruct their upstream movements. There is a need to harmonize interests in the sustainable conservation of fish populations and the development of small-scale hydropower generation and tourism.

[1]  E. Baras,et al.  Methodological bias in home range and mobility estimates when locating radio-tagged trout, Salmo trutta, at different time intervals , 2001 .

[2]  M Larinier,et al.  Upstream and Downstream Fish Passage Experience in France , 1998 .

[3]  Charles H. Clay,et al.  Design of Fishways and Other Fish Facilities , 1995 .

[4]  M. Lucas,et al.  Effects of a flow‐gauging weir on the migratory behaviour of adult barbel, a riverine cyprinid , 1997 .

[5]  N. Jonsson.  Influence of water flow, water temperature and light on fish migration in rivers , 1991 .

[6]  A. Breukelaar,et al.  Inland migration study of sea trout (Salmo trutta) into the rivers Rhine and Meuse (The Netherlands), based on inductive coupling radio telemetry , 1998, Hydrobiologia.

[7]  M. Jungwirth,et al.  BYPASS CHANNELS AT WEIRS AS APPROPRIATE AIDS FOR FISH MIGRATION IN RHITHRAL RIVERS , 1996 .

[8]  M. Ovidio.  Cycle annuel d'activité de la truite commune (Salmo trutta L.) adulte : Étude par radio-pistage dans un cours d'eau de l'Ardenne belge , 1999 .

[9]  M. Jungwirth.  River Continuum and Fish Migration - Going Beyond the Longitudinal River Corridor in Understanding Ecological Integrity , 1998 .

[10]  Larry J. Lajeone,et al.  316(b) and Quad Cities Station, Commonwealth Edison Company , 2000 .

[11]  A. Laine.  Fish Swimming Behaviour in Finnish Fishways , 1995 .

[12]  C. W. Long.  Diel Movement and Vertical Distribution of Juvenile Anadromous Fish in Turbine Intakes , 1968 .

[13]  C. S. Wardle.  Effects of Temperature on the Maximum Swimming Speed of Fishes , 1980 .

[14]  Radio telemetry as a tool to study habitat use of nase (Chondrostoma nasus L.) in medium-sized rivers , 1998 .

[15]  Michael K. Young,et al.  Restricted movement in resident stream salmonids : a paradigm lost ? , 1994 .

[16]  E. Baras,et al.  A preliminary investigation of spawning migrations of grayling in a small stream as determined by radio‐tracking , 1999 .

[17]  Environmental unpredictability rules the autumn migration of brown trout (Salmo trutta L.) in the Belgian Ardennes , 1998 .

[18]  E. Baras,et al.  Environmental unpredictability rules the autumn migration of brown trout (Salmo trutta L.) in the Belgian Ardennes , 1998, Hydrobiologia.

[19]  A. Kirchhofer,et al.  Radio telemetry as a tool to study habitat use of nase (Chondrostoma nasus L.) in medium-sized rivers , 1998, Hydrobiologia.

[20]  T. A. Stuart.  The leaping behavior of salmon and trout at falls and obstructions , 1962 .

[21]  Charles C. Coutant,et al.  Fish Behavior in Relation to Passage through Hydropower Turbines: A Review , 2000 .

[22]  G. Rimbaud,et al.  Rehabilitation efforts for Atlantic salmon in the Meuse basin area: Synthesis 1983–1998 , 1999, Hydrobiologia.

[23]  M. Huet,et al.  Aperçu des relations entre la pente et les populations piscicoles des eaux courantes , 1949, Schweizerische Zeitschrift für Hydrologie.

[24]  E. Baras.  Seasonal activities of Barbus barbus : effect of temperature on time-budgeting , 1995 .

[25]  M. Lucas,et al.  Seasonal movements and behaviour of adult barbel (Barbus barbus), a riverine cyprinid fish: Implications for river management , 1996 .

[26]  O. Croze,et al.  Impact des aménagements sur la migration anadrome du saumon atlantique (Salmo salar L.) sur le gave de Pau (France) , 1999 .

[27]  M. Beach.  Fish pass design - criteria for the design and approval of fish passes and other structures to facilitate the passage of migratory fish in rivers , 1984 .

[28]  S. Schmutz,et al.  Fish Migration and Fish Bypasses , 1998 .

[29]  Selection of optimal positioning intervals in fish tracking: an experimental study on Barbus barbus , 1998, Hydrobiologia.

[30]  T. Northcote,et al.  Migratory Behaviour of Fish and its Significance to Movement through Riverine Fish Passage Facilities , 1998 .

[31]  K. Aarestrup,et al.  Annual movement and migration of adult pikeperch in a lowland river , 2000 .

[32]  A. Zale,et al.  Turbine Passage of Juvenile and Adult Fish at a Warmwater Hydroelectric Facility in Northeastern Oklahoma: Monitoring Associated with Relicensing , 1998 .

[33]  E. Baras,et al.  The Belgian Project “Meuse Salmon 2000”. First Results, Problems and Future Prospects , 1994 .