Response of seaward migrating European eel (Anguilla anguilla) to manipulated flow fields
Response of seaward migrating European eel (Anguilla anguilla) to manipulated flow fields
Anthropogenic structures (e.g. weirs and dams) fragment river networks and restrict the movement of migratory fish. Poor understanding of behavioural response to hydrodynamic cues at structures currently limits the development of effective barrier mitigation measures. This study aimed to assess the effect of flow constriction and associated flow patterns on eel behaviour during downstream migration. In a field experiment, we tracked the movements of 40 tagged adult European eel (Anguilla anguilla) through the forebay of a redundant hydropower intake under two manipulated hydrodynamic treatments. Interrogation of fish trajectories in relation to measured and modelled water velocities provided new insights into behaviour, fundamental for developing passage technologies for this endangered species. Eels rarely followed direct routes through the site. Initially, fish aligned with streamlines near the channel banks, and approached the intake semi-passively. A switch to more energetically costly avoidance behaviours occurred on encountering constricted flow, prior to physical contact with structures. Under high water velocity gradients, fish then tended to escape rapidly back upstream, whereas exploratory ‘search’ behaviour was common when acceleration was low. This study highlights the importance of hydrodynamics in informing eel behaviour. This offers potential to develop behavioural guidance, improve fish passage solutions and enhance traditional physical screening.
1-9
Piper, A.T.
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Manes, C.
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Siniscalchi, F.
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Marion, A.
81212eb0-69ec-49b1-86f8-664ce7158787
Wright, R.M.
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Kemp, P.S.
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1 July 2015
Piper, A.T.
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Manes, C.
7d9d5123-4d1b-4760-beff-d82fe0bd0acf
Siniscalchi, F.
3debb95b-a5b3-4b00-89a2-8af3c8533736
Marion, A.
81212eb0-69ec-49b1-86f8-664ce7158787
Wright, R.M.
3a09b49d-87d1-4b85-9063-d1093de9a3b1
Kemp, P.S.
9e33fba6-cccf-4eb5-965b-b70e72b11cd7
Piper, A.T., Manes, C., Siniscalchi, F., Marion, A., Wright, R.M. and Kemp, P.S.
(2015)
Response of seaward migrating European eel (Anguilla anguilla) to manipulated flow fields.
Proceedings of the Royal Society B: Biological Sciences, 282 (1811), .
(doi:10.1098/rspb.2015.1098).
(PMID:26136454)
Abstract
Anthropogenic structures (e.g. weirs and dams) fragment river networks and restrict the movement of migratory fish. Poor understanding of behavioural response to hydrodynamic cues at structures currently limits the development of effective barrier mitigation measures. This study aimed to assess the effect of flow constriction and associated flow patterns on eel behaviour during downstream migration. In a field experiment, we tracked the movements of 40 tagged adult European eel (Anguilla anguilla) through the forebay of a redundant hydropower intake under two manipulated hydrodynamic treatments. Interrogation of fish trajectories in relation to measured and modelled water velocities provided new insights into behaviour, fundamental for developing passage technologies for this endangered species. Eels rarely followed direct routes through the site. Initially, fish aligned with streamlines near the channel banks, and approached the intake semi-passively. A switch to more energetically costly avoidance behaviours occurred on encountering constricted flow, prior to physical contact with structures. Under high water velocity gradients, fish then tended to escape rapidly back upstream, whereas exploratory ‘search’ behaviour was common when acceleration was low. This study highlights the importance of hydrodynamics in informing eel behaviour. This offers potential to develop behavioural guidance, improve fish passage solutions and enhance traditional physical screening.
Text
HTI_ms_REVISE_v6_non_endnote_with_figs.docx
- Accepted Manuscript
More information
Accepted/In Press date: 2 June 2015
e-pub ahead of print date: 1 July 2015
Published date: 1 July 2015
Organisations:
Water & Environmental Engineering Group
Identifiers
Local EPrints ID: 377730
URI: http://eprints.soton.ac.uk/id/eprint/377730
ISSN: 0962-8452
PURE UUID: 56c11279-4067-4250-a3f9-57c6cf084991
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Date deposited: 16 Jun 2015 13:41
Last modified: 15 Mar 2024 03:21
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Contributors
Author:
A.T. Piper
Author:
C. Manes
Author:
F. Siniscalchi
Author:
A. Marion
Author:
R.M. Wright
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