Swimming behaviour and ascent paths of brook trout in a corrugated culvert

Abstract

Culverts may restrict fish movements under some hydraulic conditions such as shallow flow depths or high velocities. Although swimming capacity imposes limits to passage performance, behaviour also plays an important role in the ability of fish to overcome velocity barriers. Corrugated metal culverts are characterized by unsteady flow and existence of low‐velocity zones, which can improve passage success. Here, we describe swimming behaviour and ascent paths of 148 wild brook trout in a 1.5‐m section of a corrugated metal culvert located in Raquette Stream, Québec, Canada. Five passage trials were conducted in mid‐August, corresponding to specific mean cross‐sectional flow velocities ranging from 0.30 to 0.63 m/s. Fish were individually introduced to the culvert and their movements recorded with a camera located above the water. Lateral and longitudinal positions were recorded at a rate of 3 Hz in order to identify ascent paths. These positions were related to the distribution of flow depths and velocities in the culvert. Brook trout selected flow velocities from 0.2 to 0.5 m/s during their ascents, which corresponded to the available flow velocities in the culvert at the low‐flow conditions. This however resulted in the use of low‐velocity zones at higher flows, mainly located along the walls of the culvert. Some fish also used the corrugations for sheltering, although the behaviour was marginal and did not occur at the highest flow condition. This study improves knowledge on fish behaviour during culvert ascents, which is an important aspect for developing reliable and accurate estimates of fish passage ability.

Body shape is related to the attempt rate and passage success of brook trout at in‐stream barriers

“…These fish shared traits typical of a strong ability to accelerate and reach high swimming speeds, such as a streamlined body and a short caudal peduncle (Webb, ). However, four of the six studied culverts were made of corrugated metal, which creates low‐velocity areas inside the pipes and allows fish to rest during ascents (Goerig, Bergeron, & Castro‐Santos, ; Goerig et al, ). This factor may have partially offset the negative effect of water velocity on passage success and may explain why morphological traits associated with higher swimming ability did not have even greater impact on passage success.…”

Swimming behavior of crucian carp in an open channel with sudden expansion

“…Developing low‐velocity regions to improve fish passage and provide habitat for fish in energetically taxing environments has gradually become a predominant restoration strategy (Ead et al, ; Goerig et al, ; Newbold & Kemp, ; Watson, Goodrich, Cramp, Gordos, & Franklin, ). The occupation of low‐velocity regions by fish is well supported here and consistent with the literature (Goodrich, Watson, Cramp, Gordos, & Franklin, ; Johnson, Pearson, Southard, & Mueller, ; Rodgers et al, ; Watson et al, ), which has verified that exploiting low‐velocity regions in the upstream passage can provide resting areas for fish when they experience fatigue, so as to accumulate energy to complete the passage.…”

“…Large woody debris, which can increase flow depth and decrease flow velocity, was adopted as a modification to restore fish habitat (Bocchiola, ; Zika & Peter, ). Corrugated culverts are regarded as effective and ubiquitous structures for improving upstream fish passage (Ead, Rajaratnam, Katopodis, & Ade, ; Goerig, Bergeron, & Castro‐Santos, ; Newbold & Kemp, ) because the corrugations can create large low‐velocity areas that shield fish. Furthermore, when placed in a heterogeneous flow field created by hemispherical boulders, guppies ( Poecilia reticulata ) quickly respond to velocity and turbulence characteristics and exhibit variation in swimming behavior (Hockley, Wilson, Brew, & Cable, ).…”

Physical modelling of pipe culverts to assist upstream fish passage

“…Several physical studies indicated that large roughness elements, corrugations and baffles may effectively assist the upstream passage of fish (Gigleux & de Billy, 2013; Macdonald & Davies, 2007; Olsen & Tullis, 2013; Santos et al, 2021). A few biological studies under controlled conditions at full‐scale showed that small to medium‐size fish tended to follow paths along low‐velocity zones (LVZs) (Goerig, Bergeron, & Castro‐Santos, 2017; Pearson et al, 2005), as previously reported in box culverts (Blank, 2008; Cabonce, Fernando, Wang, & Chanson, 2019; Cabonce, Wang, & Chanson, 2018; Jensen, 2014; Wang, Chanson, Kern, & Franklin, 2016).…”