Whooshh Transport System: Physical, Physiological, and Reproductive Effects of a Novel Approach to Moving Live Fish

Standard methods for moving live fish around in-river barriers often involve extensive handling, which can be stressful and result in injury and/or mortality for the fish.  Whooshh Innovations LLC has adapted a flexible transport conduit, used in the agriculture and food processing industry, for moving live fish in hatcheries and around in-river barriers, such as hydroelectric dams.  We evaluated the efficacy of this technology with adult fall Chinook Salmon Oncorhynchus tshawytscha by comparing the physical, physiological, and reproductive effects of passage through two different lengths (40 feet and 250 feet) of the Whooshh Fish Transport System (WFTS) to trap and haul, a standard method used to move fish around in-river barriers.  No mortalities or obvious signs of injury to the fish due to the WFTS were observed.  Immune responses and egg survival were similar among the WFTS-40 foot, WFTS-250 foot, and trap and haul treatments.  Our results indicate that for adult fall Chinook Salmon the effects of the WFTS, regardless of transport distance, were comparable to that of a trap and haul method.