Evaluation of Juvenile salmon passage and survival through a fish weir and other routes at Foster Dam, Oregon, USA

Downstream passage for juvenile Chinook salmon Oncorhynchus tshawytscha (Walbaum) and steelhead Oncorhynchus mykiss (Walbaum) through the fish weir at Foster Dam, Oregon, was evaluated to assess the weir's efficacy as a long‐term passage solution. Radio telemetry was used to estimate survival,...

Full description

Saved in:
Bibliographic Details
Published in:Fisheries management and ecology 2021-06, Vol.28 (3), p.241-252
Main Authors: Hughes, James S., Khan, Fenton, Liss, Stephanie A., Harnish, Ryan A., Johnson, Gary E., Bellgraph, Brian B., Znotinas, Katherine R.
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Animal behavior
Downstream
downstream fish passage
Evaluation
Fish
fish weir
fisheries management
Freshwater fishes
hydroelectric dam
Juveniles
Oncorhynchus mykiss
Oncorhynchus tshawytscha
Radio telemetry
Salmon
Spillways
Survival
Telemetry
Turbine engines
Turbines
Weirs
Citations: Items that this one cites
Items that cite this one
Online Access:Get full text
Tags: Add Tag
No Tags, Be the first to tag this record!
Description
Summary:Downstream passage for juvenile Chinook salmon Oncorhynchus tshawytscha (Walbaum) and steelhead Oncorhynchus mykiss (Walbaum) through the fish weir at Foster Dam, Oregon, was evaluated to assess the weir's efficacy as a long‐term passage solution. Radio telemetry was used to estimate survival, passage and effectiveness for the fish weir, spillway and turbines. Survival of Chinook salmon through the fish weir varied by season and reservoir elevation (66%–87%), and passage proportions were low (8%–20%). Fish weir effectiveness was low to moderate (0.39–2.09). Steelhead survival was lower (57%–77%) but passed the fish weir in higher proportions (77%), and weir effectiveness was consistently high (2.96–5.49). The results indicate the existing fish weir will not be a suitable long‐term passage solution for all species. However, because of the high passage proportions and effectiveness observed for steelhead, further development of the surface‐flow concept appears to be promising for safely passing downstream‐migrating fishes.
ISSN:0969-997X
1365-2400
DOI:10.1111/fme.12481