Login | Request Account (DAF staff only)

Using an experimental in situ fishway to provide key design criteria for lateral fish passage in tropical rivers: a case study from the Mekong River, Central Lao PDR

Share this record

Add to FacebookAdd to LinkedinAdd to XAdd to WechatAdd to Microsoft_teamsAdd to WhatsappAdd to Any

Export this record

View Altmetrics

Baumgartner, L.J., Marsden, T., Singhanouvong, D., Phonekhampheng, O., Stuart, I.G. and Thorncraft, G. (2012) Using an experimental in situ fishway to provide key design criteria for lateral fish passage in tropical rivers: a case study from the Mekong River, Central Lao PDR. River Research and Applications, 28 (8). pp. 1217-1229. ISSN 1535-1467

Full text not currently attached. Access may be available via the Publisher's website or OpenAccess link.

Article Link: https://doi.org/10.1002/rra.1513

Abstract

Fish passage through an experimental vertical-slot fishway was assessed at a floodplain regulator on the Mekong River in Central Laos between April and July 2009. Experiments were conducted to investigate the influence of fishway floor slope (1v:15h or 1v:7.5h) on fish passage success with a view to developing a series of optimal design criteria for the construction of vertical-slot fishways at other barriers to fish passage in the Lower Mekong Basin. A total of 14 661 fish from 73 species were captured during the experiments. Catches were dominated by riverine (white) (n = 51; 69% of total) and floodplain (black) species (n = 15; 20%) which represented 19 families in total. The work demonstrated that fish were actively attempting upstream passage from the Mekong River to an adjacent floodplain and displayed strong migratory behaviour during river level rises. Migratory activity was greatest during sharp rises in water level but reduced substantially when river level fell. Fish community composition varied greatly among the two fishway floor slopes and the control group. More fish species were collected from control samples, but the most fish and species were collected when the fishway was configured on a moderate hydraulic slope (1v:15h). A range of size classes were also collected from control and moderate-slope groups, but steeper-gradient catches were dominated by larger fish. This study demonstrated that vertical-slot fishways could provide passage for a biodiverse fish community where fish move laterally onto floodplains. The construction of fishways which consider the local fish ecology and hydrology may therefore represent a valuable management tool to help restore important movement pathways for tropical freshwater fish.

Item Type:Article
Subjects:Aquaculture and Fisheries > Fisheries > Fishery management. Fishery policy
Aquaculture and Fisheries > Fisheries > Fishery research
Live Archive:15 Apr 2024 02:15
Last Modified:15 Apr 2024 02:15

Repository Staff Only: item control page