Evaluating Fish Passage and Tailrace Space Use at a Low‐Use Low‐Head Lock and Dam (original) (raw)

Transactions of the American Fisheries Society, 2021

Abstract

Impacts of low‐head, run‐of‐the‐river dams on migratory fish movements depend on the structure of the dam, river hydrology, and the ability of fish to navigate the tailrace environment. Here, we present results from a 3‐year movement study in which telemetered Paddlefish Polyodon spathula and Smallmouth Buffalo Ictiobus bubalus were tracked as they approached and sometimes migrated past Claiborne Lock and Dam (CLD), a low‐use low‐head lock‐and‐dam structure on the Alabama River. A spillway portion of the dam is periodically inundated during early spring, dependent on precipitation and releases from the next upstream dam. Our goals were to (1) quantify dam passage rates for both species, (2) assess the importance of factors affecting passage success, and (3) quantify space use patterns in the tailrace. Both species exhibited annual upstream migrations during the study period. Correlation of daily average river position versus the CLD hydrograph showed that movements by both species a...

Russell Wright hasn't uploaded this paper.

Let Russell know you want this paper to be uploaded.

Ask for this paper to be uploaded.