Protocol for the assessment of mortality and injuries in fish larvae associated with their downstream passage through hydropower dams

Alves, Diego Corrêa; Vasconcelos, Lilian Paula; Câmara, Luís Fernando da; Hahn, Lisiane; Agostinho, Ângelo Antônio

doi:10.1007/s11160-019-09564-0

Cited by 8 publications

(4 citation statements)

References 57 publications

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“…Notably, fish deformities have been utilized as valuable biomarkers to evaluate environmental conditions [8,9], encompassing water quality parameters and the deposition of heavy metals [6,9]. In this context, the adverse consequences of mining activities and the construction of hydroelectric dams warrant careful consideration due to their detrimental effects on aquatic ecosystems [10,11]. A notable example is the Xingu River Basin, one of the largest drainage systems in the Amazon, which has experienced the construction of the highly controversial Belo Monte Dam, considered the most contentious hydropower project in South America [11].…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…In this context, the adverse consequences of mining activities and the construction of hydroelectric dams warrant careful consideration due to their detrimental effects on aquatic ecosystems [10,11]. A notable example is the Xingu River Basin, one of the largest drainage systems in the Amazon, which has experienced the construction of the highly controversial Belo Monte Dam, considered the most contentious hydropower project in South America [11]. Furthermore, the basin is also affected by illegal gold extraction [12].…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

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First Record of Spinal Deformity in the South American Silver Croaker Plagioscion squamosissimus (Eupercaria: Sciaenidae) in the Xingu River, Brazil

Montag

Peixoto

Seabra

et al. 2023

Fishes

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Observations of skeletal malformations in fish in the wild are poorly documented and need to be investigated. Here we report the occurrence of body shortening in specimens of Plagioscion squamosissimus collected in the Volta Grande do Xingu, middle Xingu River region (Pará, Brazil), during a 12-month monitoring program (2021–2022). We observed morphological anomalies in nine individuals, of which two underwent radiographic analysis, recording the fusion and compression of vertebrae in different portions of the spine. The average percentage decrease in body length resulting from the deformity was 23.8%. This is the first record of malformation in this species.

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Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

First Record of Spinal Deformity in the South American Silver Croaker Plagioscion squamosissimus (Eupercaria: Sciaenidae) in the Xingu River, Brazil

Montag

Peixoto

Seabra

et al. 2023

Fishes

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“…Welfare issues not only apply to farmed fish, ornamental/pet fish, commercial-or recreational-fishing, but also to wild fish affected by anthropogenic changes to the environment (Huntingford et al, 2006), for example, including fish passage at hydropower plants or pumping stations. The threat to fish welfare, arising from an increasing use of hydropower turbines worldwide, is currently intensively discussed and studied (Baumgartner et al, 2017;Botelho et al, 2017;Amaral et al, 2018;Havn et al, 2018;Alves et al, 2019;Renardy et al, 2020).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Assessing turbine passage effects on internal fish injury and delayed mortality using X-ray imaging

Mueller

Sternecker

Milz

et al. 2020

PeerJ

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Knowledge on the extent and mechanisms of fish damage caused by hydropower facilities is important for the conservation of fish populations. Herein, we assessed the effects of hydropower turbine passage on internal fish injuries using X-ray technology. A total of 902 specimens from seven native European fish species were screened for 36 types of internal injuries and 86 external injuries evaluated with a previously published protocol. The applied systematic visual evaluation of X-ray images successfully detected skeletal injuries, swim bladder anomalies, emphysema, free intraperitoneal gas and hemorrhages. Injuries related to handling and to impacts of different parts of the hydropower structure could be clearly distinguished applying multivariate statistics and the data often explained delayed mortality within 96 h after turbine passage. The internal injuries could clearly be assigned to specific physical impacts resulting from turbine passage such as swim bladder rupture due to abrupt pressure change or fractures of skeletal parts due to blade-strike, fluid shear or severe turbulence. Generally, internal injuries were rarely depicted by external evaluation. For example, 29% of individuals with vertebral fractures did not present externally visible signs of severe injury. A combination of the external and internal injury evaluation allows quantifying and comparing fish injuries across sites, and can help to identify the technologies and operational procedures which minimize harm to fish in the context of assessing hydropower-related fish injuries as well as in assessing fish welfare.

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“…Moreover, owing to the unique equipment and setup at each facility, results can be site-specific and make results extrapolation difficult. Rather than looking for consistency among field and lab studies, hydropower researchers could develop standardized methods of injury and mortality assessment that are able to identify the mechanism(s) responsible (i.e., turbine blade strike) for different injuries that would be applicable across sites (e.g., Mueller et al 2017;Alves et al 2019).…”

Section: Chapter 2 Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Conservation behaviour in action: using fish behaviour to understand and mitigate the impacts of hydropower development

Algera¹

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Protocol for the assessment of mortality and injuries in fish larvae associated with their downstream passage through hydropower dams

Cited by 8 publications

References 57 publications

First Record of Spinal Deformity in the South American Silver Croaker Plagioscion squamosissimus (Eupercaria: Sciaenidae) in the Xingu River, Brazil

First Record of Spinal Deformity in the South American Silver Croaker Plagioscion squamosissimus (Eupercaria: Sciaenidae) in the Xingu River, Brazil

Assessing turbine passage effects on internal fish injury and delayed mortality using X-ray imaging

Conservation behaviour in action: using fish behaviour to understand and mitigate the impacts of hydropower development

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