Effectiveness of New Rock-Ramp Fishway at Miyanaka Intake Dam Compared with Existing Large and Small Stair-Type Fishways

Abstract

The migration of fish is influenced by the unique environmental characteristics of the destination and migratory habitat preferences. There are three fishways in Miyanaka Intake Dam. The rock-ramp fishway was newly established in 2012, creating an environment with different flow velocities and water depths. The purpose of this study was to investigate the effectiveness of the new rock-ramp fishway for native fish through two surveys. In the first survey, traps were installed during the survey period in all three fishways and all fish were caught. The run-up environment was quantified by measuring the flow velocity. In the second survey, fish were caught by spectrum methods upstream and downstream from the dam. It was found that bottom-dwelling fish and swimming fish not bound to the bottom with low migration abilities used the rock-ramp fishway for migration and as a habitat. After the new rock-ramp fishway was built, catches increased upstream from the dam. Further, the rock-ramp fishway is a potential habitat for certain species, such as Cottus pollux. As this is the first study to demonstrate the effectiveness of rock-ramp fishways, the research results are expected to be valuable to fishery managers and those planning river engineering projects.