Author(s): Stefan Felder; William L. Peirson; John H. Harris; Maryam Farzadkhoo; Iain M. Suthers; Richard T. Kingsford

Linked Author(s): Stefan Felder

Keywords: Fish passage; Unsteady pipe flows; Fish attraction; Australian native fish; Hydrodynamics

Abstract: To transfer fish across barriers, fishways are commonly used. A multidisciplinary research team from UNSW Sydney, has made important progress on the operation of a new type of fishway, the Tube Fishway, under controlled conditions in the laboratory. Research has shown that fish can be successfully attracted into the Tube Fishway’s transfer chamber, while an innovative lifting mechanism based upon an unsteady surge, has been introduced to avoid the use of a mechanical pump. Using this lifting mechanism, tests with juvenile Australian bass (Percalates novemaculeata) and silver perch (Bidyanus bidyanus) have shown that fish can be safely lifted in Tube Fishways with heights of 4 and 8 m. Replacing live fish with a neutrally buoyant sensor packet, has provided important guidance on the pressures and accelerations that fish would experience during operation of the Tube Fishway. Trials with an automated Tube Fishway have demonstrated the fully automated operation of the Tube Fishway paving the way for upcoming field installations of Tube Fishways. Important lessons from the laboratory experiments are discussed and future research needs addressed.

DOI: https://doi.org/10.3850/IAHR-39WC2521711920221161

Year: 2022