Engineering has an important role to play in the conservation of migratory fish species. As a result of anthropogenic development on river systems, full and partial barriers to fish movement commonly exist in watersheds worldwide. There is an estimated 2.5 million barriers to fish migration in the United States alone. These barriers typically consist of small to large size dams, culverts, and other structures. Despite substantial efforts, issues related to passage of fish both up and downstream of dams are not yet fully resolved. However, engineering solutions from technical fishways to dam removal have been shown to be effective at restoring our nation’s rivers. One of the goals of the LSC-Conte Laboratory is to utilize its flume facility (Photo 1) and well-instrumented hydraulics laboratory (Photo 2) to conduct fish passage engineering research. Ultimately, the laboratory hopes to provide research that will lead to enhancements in the health of our nation’s rivers.
Engineering has an important role to play in the conservation of migratory fish species. As a result of anthropogenic development on river systems, full and partial barriers to fish movement commonly exist in watersheds worldwide. There is an estimated 2.5 million barriers to fish migration in the United States alone. These barriers typically consist of small to large size dams, culverts, and other structures. Despite substantial efforts, issues related to passage of fish both up and downstream of dams are not yet fully resolved. However, engineering solutions from technical fishways to dam removal have been shown to be effective at restoring our nation’s rivers. One of the goals of the LSC-Conte Laboratory is to utilize its flume facility (Photo 1) and well-instrumented hydraulics laboratory (Photo 2) to conduct fish passage engineering research. Ultimately, the laboratory hopes to provide research that will lead to enhancements in the health of our nation’s rivers.