Recent European Electric Fish Barrier Feasibility Studies and Installations

There is widespread concern throughout Europe about the range expansion of aquatic invasive and nuisance fish species. There is also widespread concern which relates to the management of native migratory fish species in catchments fuelling hydroelectric installations. In this presentation, we report on feasibility studies carried out in Norway to deploy electric fish barriers on rivers where Atlantic salmon juveniles have been infected by the salmon fluke Gyrodactylus salaris. We also report on a Norwegian electric fish barrier installation designed to prevent the upstream range extension of Northern pike in a catchment containing pristine brown trout lakes. We also review feasibility studies carried out in Sweden, Norway, UK and Ireland which relate to the deployment of electric fish barriers in hydropower tailrace environments for the management of adult Atlantic salmon and other migratory fish species.  Finally, we describe the performance of hydropower tailrace electric fish barriers in Norway and Switzerland which were installed with the objective of excluding adult Atlantic salmon / brown trout from tailraces and confining them to natural watercourses.