Evaluation of swimming performance for fish passage of longnose dace Rhinichthys cataractae using an experimental flume

Abstract

The swimming performance of longnose dace Rhinichthys cataractae, the most widely distributed minnow (Cyprinidae) in North America, was assessed in relation to potential passage barriers. The study estimated passage success, maximum ascent distances and maximum sprint speed in an open-channel flume over a range of water velocities and temperatures (10·7, 15·3 and 19·3° C). Rhinichthys cataractae had high passage success (95%) in a 9·2 m flume section at mean test velocities of 39 and 64 cm s , but success rate dropped to 66% at 78 cm s . Only 20% of fish were able to ascend a 2·7 m section with a mean velocity of 122 cm s . Rhinichthys cataractae actively selected low-velocity pathways located along the bottom and corners of the flume at all test velocities and adopted position-holding behaviour at higher water velocities. Mean volitional sprint speed was 174 cm s when fish volitionally sprinted in areas of high water velocities. Swimming performance generally increased with water temperature and fish length. Based on these results, fishways with mean velocities <64 cm s should allow passage of most R. cataractae. Water velocities >100 cm s within structures should be limited to short distance (<1 m) and structures with velocities ≥158 cm s would probably represent movement barriers. Study results highlighted the advantages of evaluating a multitude of swimming performance metrics in an open-channel flume, which can simulate the hydraulic features of fishways and allow for behavioural observations that can facilitate the design of effective passage structures.

Swimming performance of 12 Schizothoracinae species from five rivers

“…In addition, Schizothorax davidi (Sauvage 1880), Schizothorax prenanti (Tchang 1930), Schizothorax taliensis (Reqan 1907) have been listed as national class‐two protected animals and Schizothorax grahami (Reqan 1904) have been listed as Critically Endangered species in the IUCN Red List of Threatened Species (Chen & Yang, ). Fish passageways can help fishes pass dams and swimming performance of target species is important for designing passageways, whether upstream or downstream passage (Castro‐Santos, ; Katopodis & Williams, ; Dockery et al, ).…”

Distribution of migratory fish in the stream (depth, velocity, body size, predators)

“…In this regard, some researchers have suggested that for small-sized fish, one of the main criteria for migration is the presence of low-velocity areas in the flow (Clark et al, 2014). The preference of fish for these areas is characteristic of both non-predators (Dockery et al, 2017) and predatory species (Crisp & Hurley, 1991). By the example of cyprinids, it is shown (Dockery et al, 2017) that when migrating, individuals of this family actively choose low-speed sections located along the bottom, while adhering to the station retention behaviour at higher water velocities.…”

“…The preference of fish for these areas is characteristic of both non-predators (Dockery et al, 2017) and predatory species (Crisp & Hurley, 1991). By the example of cyprinids, it is shown (Dockery et al, 2017) that when migrating, individuals of this family actively choose low-speed sections located along the bottom, while adhering to the station retention behaviour at higher water velocities. For juvenile trout, in turn, preference is given to lower flow rates compared with older individuals (Crisp & Hurley, 1991).…”

“…Thus, differences in the behaviour and selection of the flow area are manifested not only within the same family of fish, but also within species. The increase in the share of larger fish in the core part of the river is explained (Pavlov, 1979;Crisp & Hurley, 1991;Dockery et al, 2017) by an increase in the indicators of threshold and critical flow rates for fish during ontogenesis, i.e. with increasing body length, the swimming efficiency of fish increases.…”

Multispecies Fish Passage Evaluation at a Rock‐Ramp Fishway in a Colorado Transition Zone Stream

“…Prolonged speeds can be maintained for minutes to hours and use energy from both anaerobic and aerobic metabolism (Beamish 1978; Peake et al 1997). Swimming speeds vary by species and length, with larger fish typically exhibiting higher swimming speeds than smaller fish (Peake et al 1997; Aedo et al 2009; Dockery et al 2016). Vertical barriers represent an obstacle that requires a fish to jump, and they occur when the height of the structure exceeds the jumping ability of a particular fish (Kondratieff and Myrick 2006).…”