Technologies for the study of hydropeaking impacts on fish populations: Applications, advantages, outcomes, and future developments

Abstract

Dam construction and streamflow regulation are increasing throughout the world, with impacts in impounded aquatic ecosystems. Hydropower dams, some of them causing a phenomenon called "hydropeaking" during their operation, are known for having a variety of impacts on downstream aquatic biota, particularly fish, and respective habitat. This can result in significant changes, from the community (e.g., fish assemblage structure) to the individual level (e.g., physiological and behavioural adjustments). Researchers and managers involved in the assessment of hydropeaking impacts must be resourceful and use methods that allow their precise evaluation, from large to fine-scale habitat and biological responses. In the last decades, technological advances allowed for the development of techniques and instrumentations that are increasingly being used in hydropeaking impact and mitigation assessments. This paper aims to provide a review, to researchers and managers interested in this field, of some of the most innovative methods and techniques, involving technology, that are available to study hydropeaking effects on downstream ecosystem, particularly from a fish perspective. We discuss the fundamentals behind such techniques, their advantages, and disadvantages, while also providing practical examples of their application and of the type of results that can be obtained. We finish by discussing some of the shortcomings of these methods and how related technology can evolve to solve current limitations.

Movement behaviour and fishway performance for endemic and exotic species in a large anthropized river

“…The use of radio frequency identification technology (RFID) was particularly adapted to increase the number of fishes tagged and to work continually at a long-term multiannual time scale. Pit-tags have an infinite lifespan, which is particularly interesting and increases detection rates for fish with long life expectancy (>15 years for some species studied), and that may sometimes alternate high and low individual mobility patterns between years (Benitez et al, 2018;Nzau Matondo and Ovidio, 2018;Alexandre et al, 2023). The likelihood that the tagging procedure or the presence of the transponder could have interfered with fish swimming performance and survival cannot be systematically excluded.…”

Innovations in hydropeaking research

“…The growing interest on the topic is manifested also by Alp et al (2023), which introduces a new international network on hydropeaking, underlining the importance of interdisciplinary collaboration to manage hydropeaking rivers. Overall, the contributions to the SI provide novelties at different levels, but also a valuable compendium on current methods and challenges in hydropeaking research (e.g., Alexandre et al, 2023; Bürgler et al, 2023). With a focus on the novelties on fundamental knowledge, we highlight the following contributions: while most studies focus on downstream impacts, Pander et al (2023) is among the first to investigate the ecological effects of hydropeaking upstream of the storing reservoir.…”

“…The assessment of hydropeaking impacts has been improved in recent years through innovative methods that allow a comprehensive evaluation, from large to fine‐scale habitat and biological responses. Alexandre et al (2023) provides a review of some of the most innovative methods and techniques, involving technological solutions, to study hydropeaking effects particularly from a fish perspective. Greimel et al (2023) demonstrates the usability of PeakTrace, a tool to analyse hydropeaking hydrology that incorporates critical flow thresholds to expedite mitigation design.…”

A Tightly Integrated Navigation Method of SINS, DVL, and PS Based on RIMM in the Complex Underwater Environment

“…Autonomous underwater vehicles (AUVs) have a wide range of applications, such as ocean pollutant monitoring [ 1 ], marine biology exploration [ 2 ], and pipeline inspection [ 3 ]. Such applications have an annual potential market of billions of dollars [ 4 ].…”