Semi-natural fishway efficiency for goliath catfish (Brachyplatystoma spp.) in a large dam in the Amazon Basin

The recent large-scale hydropower development in the Amazon basin has raised concerns about the impacts on the movements of migratory fishes such as goliath catfish ( Brachyplatystoma spp.). In the Madeira River, the efficiency of a 1400-m long fishway in the Santo Antônio hydropower plant (SAE HPP)...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:Hydrobiologia 2022, Vol.849 (2), p.323-338
Main Authors: Hahn, Lisiane, Martins, Eduardo G., Nunes, Leonardo D., Machado, Leonardo S., Lopes, Taise M., da Câmara, Luís Fernando
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Biomedical and Life Sciences
Brachyplatystoma
Catfish
Dams
Downstream
Ecology
Entrances
Fish
Fish ladders
Fishes
Fishways
Freshwater & Marine Ecology
Freshwater fishes
Hydroelectric plants
Hydroelectric power
Hydroelectric power plants
Life Sciences
Perspectives on Sustainable Hydro-Power
Radio stations
Reservoirs
River basins
Telemetry
Upstream
Water-power
Zoology
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Summary:The recent large-scale hydropower development in the Amazon basin has raised concerns about the impacts on the movements of migratory fishes such as goliath catfish ( Brachyplatystoma spp.). In the Madeira River, the efficiency of a 1400-m long fishway in the Santo Antônio hydropower plant (SAE HPP) was evaluated between 2012 and 2016 using telemetry techniques. Tagged fish ( N  = 388) were released 2000 m downstream of the dam and near the entrance or inside the fishway ( N  = 149). Fixed radio stations monitored fish movements and residence near 14 different structures of the SAE HPP; four acoustic receivers in the reservoir and one downstream the dam monitored whether fish moved away or past the dam. The findings revealed that 15% of the fish released downstream were detected near the dam but none were detected in the reservoir upstream. For the group of fish released in the fishway, no B. rousseauxii ( N  = 64) was detected moving upstream and into the reservoir and 5 individuals of B. vaillantii ( N  = 41) exited the fishway to the reservoir. This was the first long-term telemetry monitoring of fish movements near a dam in the Amazon and the results provided evidence of inefficiency of the fishway for the target species, which led the hydropower company to reconstruct the fishway.
ISSN:0018-8158
1573-5117
DOI:10.1007/s10750-020-04438-0