Evaluation of a naturalised rock ramp fish passage for cool‐ and warm‐water fish in a tributary of Saginaw Bay, Lake Huron

Dams across the Great Lakes basin are nearing or beyond their original design life, posing both challenges and opportunities to natural resource managers. Ageing dams can be repaired to preserve function and maintain safety, removed to promote full connectivity or retrofitted with a fish passage str...

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Published inFisheries management and ecology Vol. 27; no. 1; pp. 77 - 91
Main Authors Murry, Brent A., Ania, Andrea, Boase, James, Briggs, Andrew S., Chiotti, Justin, Fullard, Clarence, Galarowicz, Tracy, Hayes, Daniel, Leonardi, Joseph, Madel, Gabriel, Stoller, Jacob
Format Journal Article
LanguageEnglish
Published Oxford Wiley Subscription Services, Inc 01.02.2020
Subjects
Ageing
Aging
Aging (natural)
Connectivity
Dam safety
Dams
early life history
Eggs
Fish
Fish eggs
Fish ladders
Fish migration
Fishways
Lake basins
Lakes
Larvae
Migrations
Natural resource management
Natural resources
Retrofitting
Rivers
Rocks
spring migration
stream connectivity
Tributaries
Upstream
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Summary:Dams across the Great Lakes basin are nearing or beyond their original design life, posing both challenges and opportunities to natural resource managers. Ageing dams can be repaired to preserve function and maintain safety, removed to promote full connectivity or retrofitted with a fish passage structure to increase connectivity without reservoir loss. The success of rock ramp structures is not well documented, especially for cool‐ and warm‐water fishes in the Great Lakes basin. The success of a recently built (2009) rock ramp for increasing upstream fish passage on the Shiawassee River in Michigan, USA, was evaluated. While there was evidence of limited fish passage during the study period (2011–2016), catches of spring migratory fishes, fish eggs and larvae were significantly higher below the rock ramp than above, indicating the dam with rock ramp fish pass continues to limit upstream migration. Overall connectivity appears improved relative to a reference, dammed river, but falls short of full connectivity.
ISSN:0969-997X
1365-2400
DOI:10.1111/fme.12392