Fish Passage 2015 Abstracts Overview
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FISH PASSAGE 2015 ABSTRACTS OVERVIEW June 20-25, 2015 Groningen, The Netherlands http://fishpassageconference.com Plenary Speakers DR. ZEB HOGAN, UNIVERSITY OF framework for management of transboundary migratory freshwater fish – a NEVADA-RENO, USA neglected biota in urgent need of study and Assistant Research Professor, University of protection. Nevada-Reno Fish passage in an era of broken rivers: Dr. Zeb Hogan is an new approaches a reason for hope? assistant research professor at the In an era of decline of large-bodied, University of migratory fishes, river connectivity has been Nevada-Reno, the shown to be increasingly important for the United Nations conservation of native biodiversity. From Convention on North America to Asia, Europe to South Migratory Species Councilor for Fish, and a America, issues with river connectivity influence – for better or worse - the life National Geographic Society Fellow. Zeb also cycle, and population status, of migratory hosts the National Geographic Television fishes. In the Mekong River Basin, the series “Monster Fish”. Zeb received his Ph.D. world’s largest fishes, including the Critically in Ecology from the University of California, Endangered Mekong giant catfish Davis in 2004. His research interests include Pangasianodon gigas and giant pangasius freshwater fish ecology, fisheries Pangasius sanitwongsei, face extinction management, and endangered species issues. because of mainstream dams on the lower Since 2006, Zeb has worked with the Mekong. In China, populations of the University of Nevada and the National Chinese sturgeon, Acipenser sinensis, and Chinese paddlefish, Psephurus gladius, Geographic Society to merge conservation have declined significantly since the science with education and action. Project construction of the Gezhouba and Three outputs to date have included contributions Gorges Dams. In North America, to understanding the migratory patterns and connectivity is increasingly recognized as a population structures of focal fish species, determining factor in the health of sturgeon designation of the Mekong giant catfish and and salmon populations in the Columbia and other species as Critically Endangered on the Fraser Rivers; similarly, American IUCN Red List, and awareness-raising through paddlefish, Polyodon spathula, and pallid international and local media. Zeb’s recent sturgeon, Scaphirhynchus albus, are impacted by dams and habitat articles include “Engaging Recreational Fishers fragmentation. The situation is similar in in Management and Conservation: Global New Zealand, where a combination of Case Studies”, “Endangered River Fish: Factors factors – from dams to habitat degradation Hindering Conservation and Restoration”, and to overfishing – is resulting in “Size-biased extinction risk of the world's unprecedented population decline of species freshwater and marine fishes”. Zeb’s research like the longfin eel Anguilla dieffenbachii. has also been featured in Science (2007), Identifying novel fish passage solutions that Bioscience (2005), and American Scientist maximize environmental benefit and (2004). A web series on Zeb’s research won minimize cost is the only way to provide for needs of a rapidly growing human the Science Journalism Award (online population while also protecting imperiled category) from the American Association of aquatic fauna. Fish passage broadly the Advancement of Science (AAAS) in 2008. interpreted includes a wide range of solutions to increase connectivity and restore fish migrations and populations. New methods of study, technologies, decisions about dam placement and dam removal all offer potential for restoring threatened fish. On a policy level, the Convention on Migratory Species provides a 2 DR. MARTIN MALLEN-COOPER, FISHWAY assemblage, making fish passage an CONSULTING SERVICES, AUSTRALIA integral part of dam or weir design, being transparent about risk, letting function determine design, prioritising entrance Principal Consultant, Fishway Consulting attraction, collaboration with engineers, Services biologists and managers at all stages of the project, targeting knowledge gaps with well- focused research and monitoring, and Universal lessons from fish passage embedding fish passage priorities and research, design and application in needs in the bigger picture of environmental Australia flows, river health and social values. Australia is characterised by rivers with highly variable hydrology and freshwater fish Dr. Mallen-Cooper has that have a wide range of migration been a specialist strategies. The size range of migrating fish fishway biologist for 30 is wide (20-1400 mm) and they migrate on 3 years and has designed flows from as low as 0.05 m /s to higher over 200 fishways in than 1000 m3/s (e.g. 1-in-5 year ARI floods). Australia and overseas, In coastal rivers, both juvenile and adult fish from fish locks and fish migrate upstream while more inland rivers lifts on large dams to have migrations where adults migrate low-level pool-type and upstream to spawn and larvae drift nature-like fishways. downstream. His approach to The development of fish passage to meet projects is to clarify these challenging conditions has led to ecological function, refining “ecological windows of operation” to develop migration models and integrate fish optimise migration at key flows; separating behavior into all aspects of dam, weir and fishway ecological and hydrological functions in design. A key aspect of this is integrating biology, fishway design, leading to dual function and twin fishways; and increased use of physical hydrology and hydraulics, which has led to new modelling for low-level weirs to meet the approaches and applications in fishway design and diverse attraction conditions. improved ecological function. These developments have been In the last 10 years Dr. Mallen-Cooper has had underpinned by research on migration, a significant focus on broader linkages for fish fishway design, and some are supported by passage and fish migration within catchments long term monitoring. One key finding was and between rivers and floodplains, and that turbulence was having a greater influence on passage of small fish at low maximizing benefits for fish from water velocities; this has led to a wide range environmental flows. Southern Hemisphere of baffle shapes in the vertical-slot design so fish passage is different although the that turbulence and fishway attraction flow underlying principles are the same. Coping vary with river flow and the migratory fish with small and large fish, upstream, assemblage at the site. downstream and lateral migrations, highly New designs of nature-like fishways, variable and often very low seasonal flows technical/rock hybrid designs and present challenges that all need to be trapezoidal weirs have also developed that addressed. Lessons from his experience would not only have low turbulence but also have lower maintenance and improved hydraulic assist a more holistic approach to fish passage consistency. Downstream passage has in the tropics and Northern Hemisphere. influenced gate and spillway design but diversion of fish (adults and larvae) into irrigation areas remains a challenge. From this diverse experience universal lessons for fish passage are discussed. These include the need to deeply understand the river’s hydrology and its fish 3 LAURA WILDMAN, PRINCETON HYDRO, and a deep understanding of river science into USA her restoration work. Her expertise and passion centers on the restoration of rivers Director, New England Regional Office, and through the re-establishment of natural Fisheries Engineer for Princeton Hydro, LLC functions and aquatic connectivity. She is considered one of the foremost experts on The Evolution of Dam Removal in the barrier removal and alternative fish passage United States: A Perspective over the techniques and regularly lectures instructs Last Quarter Century and publishes on these topics, including assisting with the instruction of courses for Ms. Wildman’s talk will focus on the the University of Wisconsin and Yale evolution of pro-active dam removal efforts University. Ms. Wildman is President for the to restore rivers in the United States over the last quarter of a century. Tracing the Bioengineering Section (BES) of the American origins of the movement from the initial Fisheries Society (AFS), is extremely active in discussions in the mid 1980’s by tribes in the her field and has a very impressive CV. Northwest to restore the Elwha River by removing the two large dams that blocked PROF. DMITRII S. PAVLOV, A.N. their historic salmon runs, through numerous SEVERTSOV INSTITUTE OF ECOLOGY & long and controversial dam removal campaigns on larger rivers, paralleled by EVOLUTION, RUSSIA hundreds of small dam removals elsewhere in the country. These efforts culminated in Director of the Institute and Head of the eventual removal of the Elwha and Laboratory of Fish Behavior, Russian Academy Glines Canyon Dams on the Elwha River Of Sciences completed this year. In addition, Ms. Wildman will discuss the changing Down-stream migration of young fish in community and regulatory views regarding regulated rivers: patterns and the removal of dams, as well as key mechanisms outreach efforts that kept the momentum of this environmental movement building. She Down-stream migration (DSM), the first will discuss how, in only three decades, the phase of life in many fish species, occurs concept of removing dams went from not only in natural, but also in regulated ludicrous to a generally