Fish passage | Innovative solutions
New research and field trials are driving innovation in fish passage technology, with systems in the US, China, and Europe offering low-cost, adaptable alternatives to traditional fishways. Recent developments include a large-scale Fishheart installation in Connecticut, novel tubular fishways in China, and experimental eel tiles designed to aid migration through high-velocity barriers
EFFORTS TO IMPROVE UPSTREAM fish migration are taking new forms around the world. In the US, Finland-based Fishheart Ltd. is piloting a hydraulic fishway system at a Connecticut hydropower plant to support the recovery of migratory species like American Shad and river herring. In China, researchers have tested a prototype tubular fishway that uses a siphon-based design to help native fish pass low dams. Meanwhile in Europe, eel tiles made from durable polymers are showing promise as a solution for helping eels and potentially other species navigate high-velocity channels. Each of these approaches aim to improve fish passage while reducing infrastructure costs and environmental disruption. Finland based Fishheart Ltd. has launched a three-
Below: Fishheart Ltd. has launched a three-year project at the Tunnel Hydropower Plant owned by FirstLight Power in Preston, Connecticut, US
year project at the Tunnel Hydropower Plant owned by FirstLight Power in Preston, Connecticut, marking Fishheart Ltd.’s first large-scale installation site in North America. The project follows spring 2024 tests conducted at the Santee Cooper Hydroelectric Project on the Santee River in South Carolina. Both projects are for the benefit of migratory fish species with state and federal restoration goals, including American Shad and river herring. For the first two to three years, the
system will be installed at the Tunnel Hydropower Plant. If successful, it is intended to be relocated to the Stevenson Hydropower Plant in Monroe, Connecticut as a permanent fish passage solution there. The objective of the project at the Tunnel
Hydropower Plant is to demonstrate the system’s ability to attract and safely guide targeted fish species past the power plant. The Fishheart fishway is a hydraulic fish passage system that includes a floating fishway unit below the dam and a pipeline running over the dam. By requiring less permanent infrastructure construction, it is intended to be a more cost effective and adaptable system than traditional fishways. The fishway operates based on the siphon principle, guiding fish to swim into the system using attraction water flowing from upstream. Fishheart Fishways has been successfully operating at four river sites in Finland for several years. In addition to the Tunnel Hydropower Plant project, the company is currently running a test project in Menindee, Australia. The project will serve as an important demonstration for fish management authorities, including NOAA’s National Marine Fisheries Service, the
US.Fish and Wildlife Service (FWS), and Connecticut’s Department of Energy and
38 | June 2025 |
www.waterpowermagazine.com
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