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Advances in the aquatic sciences
RESEARCH ARTICLE

Effectiveness of a fish ladder for two Neotropical migratory species in the Paraná River

Carola Gutfreund https://orcid.org/0000-0003-4975-9045 A , Sergio Makrakis https://orcid.org/0000-0002-7868-9034 B E , Theodore Castro-Santos https://orcid.org/0000-0003-2575-9120 C , Leandro Fernandes Celestino https://orcid.org/0000-0001-9718-1730 B , João Henrique Pinheiro Dias https://orcid.org/0000-0003-3429-3617 D and Maristela Cavicchioli Makrakis https://orcid.org/0000-0001-7539-9659 B
+ Author Affiliations
- Author Affiliations

A Universidade Estadual do Oeste do Paraná, Programa de Pós-Graduação em Conservação e Manejo de Recursos Naturais, Rua Universitária 2069, Jardim Universitário, Cascavel, PR 85819-110, Brazil.

B Universidade Estadual do Oeste do Paraná, Grupo de Pesquisa em Tecnologia em Ecohidráulica e Conservação de Recursos Pesqueiros e Hídricos (GETECH), Programa de Pós-Graduação em Recursos Pesqueiros e Engenharia de Pesca, Rua da Faculdade, 645, Jardim Santa Maria, Toledo, PR 85903-000, Brazil.

C US Geological Survey–Leetown Science Center, S.O. Conte Anadromous Fish Research Center, Turners Falls, MA 01376, USA.

D Universidade Estadual Paulista – UNESP, Engineering College of Ilha Solteira, Department of Biology and Zootechny, Fish Ecology Laboratory, Ilha Solteira, SP 15385-000, Brazil.

E Corresponding author. Email: sergio.makrakis@unioeste.br

Marine and Freshwater Research 69(12) 1848-1856 https://doi.org/10.1071/MF18129
Submitted: 25 March 2018  Accepted: 20 July 2018   Published: 9 October 2018

Abstract

We evaluated the effectiveness of the fish ladder at Porto Primavera Dam in the severely regulated Upper Paraná River, for two Neotropical migratory fish species. Overall, 564 fish (448 Megaleporinus obtusidens and 116 M. piavussu) were PIT-tagged, released in upstream and downstream areas (on the left and right banks), and monitored continuously for 4 years. The fish performed two-way movements through the fish ladder, ascending from the tailrace and descending from the forebay. We registered entry into the fishway of 46 M. obtusidens (10.3%) individuals and only three M. piavussu (2.6%) individuals; therefore, all analyses were focussed on M. obstusidens. Entry proportion ranged from 0 to 48.1%, depending on the release site, and was greatest for fish released downstream near the fishway entrance. Entry times ranged from 3.0 to 384.0 days, and median times were 32.9 and 25.8 days for downstream and upstream respectively. Of fish that entered the fishway, passage percentages were 80% for fish released downstream and 100% for fish released upstream, and median transit times were 0.7 and 0.9 h respectively. Results suggest that if guidance and entry conditions can be improved, this fishway design holds promise as an effective solution for providing passage in both directions.A

Additional keywords: attraction, efficiency, fishway, migration, PIT-tag.


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