Development and Evaluation of the Novel East Coast Fish Ladder
USGS is working to establish a new East Coast fish ladder design that would help a multitude of aquatic species move easier in our waterways.
What is the issue?
Fish ladder designs have, for the most part, not been updated in many decades. Current ladders keep the same standard design that isn’t ideal for multiple species including shad and river herring, native species which have significant cultural, commercial, recreational and ecological roles across the East Coast.
What is at stake?
If we continue to use the same fishway types that we have for decades, migratory species may not have an effective passageway. On the East Coast, the recent trend has been to use fish traps, similar to elevators, to increase fish passage. Although some fish traps are effective, they require staff to operate on a schedule which can be costly, not effective for nocturnal species and can cause injury to migratory species.
What is our approach?
At the Eastern Ecological Science Center’s S.O Conte Research Laboratory, we use the hydraulics laboratory to test physical hydraulic models, and the large-scale flume facility for testing performance with live, migrating fish species.
The fish ladder design should be:
- Volitional – migrating fish use the ladder at their discretion.
- Modular – pre-cast or fabricated materials that are easy to assemble and reduce construction cost.
- Effective for a multitude of species.
- Scalable – modification of design elements for run size, fish size, and fish behavior without sacrificing efficacy.
- Based on a contemporary understanding of fish kinematics and behavior.
What are the benefits?
The new fish ladder design USGS develops will incorporate contemporary knowledge of fish swimming performance and behavior to improve passage, potentially providing access to spawning habitats for millions more shad and river herring.
USGS is working to establish a new East Coast fish ladder design that would help a multitude of aquatic species move easier in our waterways.
What is the issue?
Fish ladder designs have, for the most part, not been updated in many decades. Current ladders keep the same standard design that isn’t ideal for multiple species including shad and river herring, native species which have significant cultural, commercial, recreational and ecological roles across the East Coast.
What is at stake?
If we continue to use the same fishway types that we have for decades, migratory species may not have an effective passageway. On the East Coast, the recent trend has been to use fish traps, similar to elevators, to increase fish passage. Although some fish traps are effective, they require staff to operate on a schedule which can be costly, not effective for nocturnal species and can cause injury to migratory species.
What is our approach?
At the Eastern Ecological Science Center’s S.O Conte Research Laboratory, we use the hydraulics laboratory to test physical hydraulic models, and the large-scale flume facility for testing performance with live, migrating fish species.
The fish ladder design should be:
- Volitional – migrating fish use the ladder at their discretion.
- Modular – pre-cast or fabricated materials that are easy to assemble and reduce construction cost.
- Effective for a multitude of species.
- Scalable – modification of design elements for run size, fish size, and fish behavior without sacrificing efficacy.
- Based on a contemporary understanding of fish kinematics and behavior.
What are the benefits?
The new fish ladder design USGS develops will incorporate contemporary knowledge of fish swimming performance and behavior to improve passage, potentially providing access to spawning habitats for millions more shad and river herring.