Fish passage | Advertorial feaature


A vast majority of fish passages are suitable only for a limited number of species and are far from energy efficient. As the fish transfer is done by reversing the direction of the water flow, the Fishheart fishway suits also weakly swimming species like whitefish and lamprey.


Great test results help going international The first field tests with a hydraulic Fishheart fishway took place during


the summers of 2017 and 2018 below the Merikoski Power Station in river Oulujoki, and below Isohaara Power Station in river Kemijoki, both in Northern Finland. After two summers of testing, the first hydraulic Fishheart fishway, which closely resembles the current design, was assembled in the spring of 2019, and launched the same summer in river Kemijoki below Taivalkoski Hydropower Station, also in Northern Finland. The testing made clear that the Fishheart fishway helped solve problems facing traditional fish passage systems. The success was attributed to Fishheart’s low space requirements, adjustability, suitability for all fish species, and notable water efficiency. Another Fishheart fishway was employed below Leppikoski Hydropower Station in river Kiehimänjoki, Central Finland, in summer 2021. Last summer, the device helped 13 400 fish over the dam. “The results are tremendous. The range of fish species has been wide, and we’re delighted that among them were 15 endangered lake trout, a very promising number,” states Environmental Manager Katri Hämäläinen at Fortum, Finland’s leading energy company. In June 2023, Fishheart starts testing below Raasakka Hydropower Station in river Iijoki, Northern Finland. This is the first time the hydraulic fishway is installed at the first power plant the fish encounter when starting their migration from the sea. “There are significantly more salmon in Raasakka than in our previous


test environments, and we’re thrilled to be able to show everyone how effective a fishway Fishheart really is,” Sohlberg enthuses. In 2023, Fishheart is operational at three hydropower plants in


Finland: Taivalkoski, Leppikoski and Raasakka. At Taivalkoski, Fishheart starts testing the new Satelliteheart. The company is also entering the international market as testing commences in the United States and Australia.


The bigger picture: Smoltheart, Satelliteheart,


egg box and river restorations Fishheart recognizes their hydraulic fishway is only part of a greater solution to reviving migratory fish stocks. In 2021, the company began testing Smoltheart, a new downstream solution for smolts, kelts and other fish to find their way down the river to the sea. Next summer, the enterprise introduced Satelliteheart, an additional


entry to the Fishheart fishway designed for wide rivers where one Fishheart unit may not suffice. Satelliteheart can also be combined with a fish passage that’s not up to par by providing help to the Achilles’ heel of many traditional fishways, the entry. Fishheart also implements wide river restoration actions in upstream tributaries of hydropower stations. These actions include restoring


The floating Fishheart unit. Photo by Mikko Törmänen


A bird’s eye view of the floating Fishheart unit. Photo by Mikko Törmänen


spawning and living habitats for the returning fish, parr and young fish, as well as egg stockings to achieve a strong biological continuum. Fishheart’s latest completed restorative work was the restoration of river Runkausjoki in Tervola, Northern Finland, a river that was cleared for log driving in the 1950’s. During the summer of 2020, a large inventory of the state of the river was made and, in 2021, Fishheart restored 17 kilometers of the riverbed back to its natural state.


In the spring of 2022, the work continued with salmon egg stockings, utilizing Fishheart’s own innovation, the Eco Egg Box. Approximately 100,000 salmon eggs were placed in the river to hatch. Electro fishing in the river was done in late summer 2022, and the findings were extremely promising with an average of 20 parr per are (100 m2


). Additionally, the original trout stock of the river had spread to new


areas thanks to the restorative actions, and the river’s minnow stocks had increased. Though the work with the riverbed is done for now, Fishheart will continue planting eggs for another two years. Monitoring fish stock in the restored area in the coming years is part of Fishheart’s contract with Kemijoki Oy, a local hydropower company. The future of hydropower just might be fishier than we imagined.


Interested in learning more about Fishheart? fishheart.com or contact Sales Director Mika Sohlberg mika@fishheart.com


32 | July 2023 | www.waterpowermagazine.com


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