Importance of Behavior in Fish Passage (and Bycatch Reduction?)

The talk provides a brief outline of the status, trends, and future directions of incorporating fish behavior in fish passage and protection, with an eye to lessons learned that have potential utility for bycatch reduction. Fish behavior has been found to be especially important for fish passage and protection at dams, power plants and water withdrawals. Physical structures can be designed to work with, not against, the inherent behavior of fish species. Behavioral reactions to flow, light, sound, and electricity have been used to guide fish toward safe passage routes and away from risky ones. The problems and solutions faced by fostering fish passage and reducing bycatch seem sufficiently similar that lessons learned in each field may hold valuable information for the other.