Multispecies Fish Passage Behaviour in a Vertical Slot Fishway on the Richelieu River, Quebec, Canada

Thiem, Jason D.; Binder, Thomas R.; Dumont, Pierre; Hatin, Daniel; Hatry, Charles; Katopodis, C; Stamplecoskie, Keith M.; Cooke, Steven J.

doi:10.1002/rra.2553

Cited by 65 publications

(53 citation statements)

References 46 publications

Supporting

Mentioning

Contrasting

Unclassified

Order By: Relevance

“…As a result of the body shape and timing of their respective spawning migrations, we assumed that the gill net had no effect on the silver and shorthead redhorse passage results. Results from Thiem et al (2013) show river redhorse ascending the fishway mostly during the hours of 11 a.m. to 7 p.m., and therefore, the presence of the gill net may have deterred many fish attempting to reascend the fishway. For comparison, passage success in 2010 at the same fishway was 48.7% for longnose sucker and 75.8% for white sucker (Thiem et al 2013), further demonstrating the rather divergent values in fishway success observed among confamilial species.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…The three redhorse species were tagged (silver, ; river, ; shorthead, ) with n p 120 n p 70 n p 120 uniquely coded passive integrated transponder (PIT) tags (23 # 3.85-mm Half Duplex; Texas Instruments, Dallas, TX) inserted into their peritoneal cavity (for more details on the tagging procedure, see Thiem et al 2013). TL of each fish was measured, along with a determination of sex accomplished through visual identification (abdominal pressure and gamete extrusion as well as the presence of tubercles on the caudal fin and snout).…”

Section: Passage Success and Durationmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Following tagging, fish were released approximately 200 m downstream of the fishway in equal numbers on both river banks. The average approximate time between capture and release for tagged fish was 2 h. Passage success, described as a fish successfully moving past the most upstream antenna, was then determined using the PIT antenna array described by Thiem et al (2013). Fish detected on the most downstream antenna (antenna 15) were considered to be inside the fishway (see fig.…”

Section: Passage Success and Durationmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…1) and were therefore included in the calculation of passage efficiency. Passage duration was determined by calculating the time taken from a fish's first detection on the most downstream antenna to the first detection on the most upstream antenna (Thiem et al 2011(Thiem et al , 2013. Fish were tagged during the height of the migratory period respective for their species; silver and shorthead redhorse were tagged between May 5 and May 14, 2012, and river redhorse were tagged between May 24 and May 25, 2012.…”

Section: Passage Success and Durationmentioning

confidence: 99%

See 3 more Smart Citations

Comparative Physiology and Relative Swimming Performance of Three Redhorse (Moxostomaspp.) Species: Associations with Fishway Passage Success

Hatry¹,

Thiem²,

Binder³

et al. 2014

Physiological and Biochemical Zoology

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

Our understanding of biological criteria to inform fish passage design is limited, partially due to the lack of understanding of biological motivators, cues, and constraints, as well as a lack of biological performance evaluations of structures once they are built. The Vianney-Legendre vertical slot fishway on the Richelieu River, Quebec, Canada, passes large numbers of migrating redhorse (Moxostoma spp.) upriver to spawning grounds each year. We evaluated the physiological capacity and relative swimming ability of three redhorse species (Moxostoma anisurum, Moxostoma carinatum, Moxostoma macrolepidotum; silver, river, and shorthead redhorse, respectively) to determine how these biotic factors relate to variation in fishway passage success and duration. Shorthead redhorse had higher maximum metabolic rates and were faster swimmers than silver and river redhorse at their species-specific peak migration temperatures. Blood lactate and glucose concentrations recovered more quickly for river redhorse than for silver and shorthead redhorse, and river redhorse placed second in terms of metabolic recovery and swim speed. Interestingly, fish sampled from the top of the fishway had nearly identical lactate, glucose, and pH values compared to control fish. Using passive integrated transponders in 2010 and 2012, we observed that passage success and duration were highly variable among redhorse species and were not consistent among years, suggesting that other factors such as water temperature and river flows may modulate passage success. Clearly, additional research is needed to understand how organismal performance, environmental conditions, and other factors (including abundance of conspecifics and other comigrants) interact with fishway features to dictate which fish will be successful and to inform research of future fishways. Our research suggests that there may be an opportunity for a rapid assessment approach where fish chased to exhaustion to determine maximal values of physiological disturbance are compared to fish sampled from the top of the fishway, which could reveal which species (or sizes of fish) are approaching or exceeding their physiological capacity during passage.

show abstract

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Passage Success and Durationmentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Passage Success and Durationmentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Passage Success and Durationmentioning

confidence: 99%

See 2 more Smart Citations

Comparative Physiology and Relative Swimming Performance of Three Redhorse (Moxostomaspp.) Species: Associations with Fishway Passage Success

Hatry¹,

Thiem²,

Binder³

et al. 2014

Physiological and Biochemical Zoology

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

show abstract

“…Importantly, because slots extend the full height of the WCS and permit flow throughout the water column (when open), they may facilitate passage of the entire nekton assemblage rather than only some species. In riverine systems, vertical slots incorporated into dam fishways were found to improve passage (Stuart and Mallen-Cooper 1999;Stuart and Berghuis 2002) and provided access for a large portion of the riverine nekton community (Baumgartner et al 2010(Baumgartner et al , 2012Thiem et al 2013).…”

mentioning

confidence: 99%

Effects of Slotted Water Control Structures on Nekton Movement within Salt Marshes

et al. 2015

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

Water control structures (WCSs) restrict hydrological connectivity in salt marshes and thereby impede nekton movement within the greater habitat mosaic. Transient fishery species, which spawn outside salt marshes and must get past these barriers to reach spawning areas or salt‐marsh nurseries, are especially vulnerable to these structures. Water control structures incorporating slots (narrow vertical openings spanning most of the water column) are thought to improve nekton passage; however, few studies have directly examined nekton passage through WCS slots. Dual‐frequency identification sonar (DIDSON) acoustic imaging was used monthly (April–September 2010) on diurnal flood tides to examine nekton movement through 15‐cm‐wide slots at two identical WCSs located in Louisiana tidal marsh channels. Nekton behavior was compared between these WCSs and a nearby natural salt‐marsh creek. Examination of 12 h of subsampled acoustic data revealed large concentrations of salt‐marsh nekton at the WCSs (n = 2,970 individuals total), but passage rates through the slots were low (≤10% of total observed individuals migrated via the slots). Most migrating fish were observed leaving the managed area and swimming against a flood tide. The mean size of migrating individuals (∼25 cm TL) did not differ in relation to swimming direction (going into versus exiting the managed marsh) and was similar to that reported from other studies examining similar slot widths. Nekton formed congregations in the WCS channel, but no congregations were observed in the natural salt‐marsh creek, even though nekton species composition and sizes were similar among sites. The WCSs in our study appear to function as ecological hot spots, where large individuals may encounter enhanced foraging opportunities but also fishing mortality and where smaller individuals may experience greater predation rates. Received July 22, 2014; accepted February 13, 2015

show abstract

Selective fragmentation and the management of fish movement across anthropogenic barriers

Rahel

McLaughlin

2018

Ecological Applications

112

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

Disruption of movement patterns due to alterations in habitat connectivity is a pervasive effect of humans on animal populations. In many terrestrial and aquatic systems, there is increasing tension between the need to simultaneously allow passage of some species while blocking the passage of other species. We explore the ecological basis for selective fragmentation of riverine systems where the need to restrict movements of invasive species conflicts with the need to allow passage of species of commercial, recreational, or conservation concern. We develop a trait-based framework for selective fish passage based on understanding the types of movements displayed by fishes and the role of ecological filters in determining the spatial distributions of fishes. We then synthesize information on trait-based mechanisms involved with these filters to create a multidimensional niche space based on attributes such as physical capabilities, body morphology, sensory capabilities, behavior, and movement phenology. Following this, we review how these mechanisms have been applied to achieve selective fish passage across anthropogenic barriers. To date, trap-and-sort or capture-translocation efforts provide the best options for movement filters that are completely species selective, but these methods are hampered by the continual, high cost of manual sorting. Other less effective methods of selective passage risk collateral damage in the form of lower or higher than desired levels of passage. Fruitful areas for future work include using combinations of ecological and behavioral traits to passively segregate species; using taxon-specific chemical or auditory cues to direct unwanted species away from passageways and into physical or ecological traps while attracting desirable species to passageways; and developing automated sorting mechanisms based on fish recognition systems. The trait-based approach proposed for fish could serve as a template for selective fragmentation in other ecological systems.

show abstract

Multispecies Fish Passage Behaviour in a Vertical Slot Fishway on the Richelieu River, Quebec, Canada

Cited by 65 publications

References 46 publications

Comparative Physiology and Relative Swimming Performance of Three Redhorse (Moxostomaspp.) Species: Associations with Fishway Passage Success

Comparative Physiology and Relative Swimming Performance of Three Redhorse (Moxostomaspp.) Species: Associations with Fishway Passage Success

Effects of Slotted Water Control Structures on Nekton Movement within Salt Marshes

Selective fragmentation and the management of fish movement across anthropogenic barriers

Contact Info

Product

Resources

About