Abstract
Downstream of small-scale hydropower plants (SHPs), the intensity, frequency and persistence of hydropeaking events often cause an intolerable stress on fish of all life stages. Rapid increases in flow velocity result in fish avoiding unstable habitats and seeking refuge to reduce energy expenditure. To understand fish movements and the habitat use of native Iberian cyprinids in a high-gradient peaking river, 77 individuals were PIT tagged downstream of Bragado SHP in the North of Portugal. Tagged fish species included Pseudochondrostoma duriense and Squalius carolitertii. Fish positions were recorded manually on two different occasions: during hydropeaking events (HP) and without hydropeaking events (NHP). From the 77 tagged fish, we were able to record habitat use for 33 individuals (20 P. duriense and 13 S. carolitertii) in a total of 125 relocations. Fish species were distributed along the river reach with high density in the upstream area in the vicinity of the SHP tailrace, in particular during HP. Fish locations were associated with velocity for P. duriense and S. carolitertii. The latter tended to use faster flowing waters than P. duriense. Our findings on the habitat use in peaking rivers are a valuable tool to help in the selection and design of mitigation measures.
Highlights
The recent boost of clean energy sources, such as wind and solar, and their foreseeable increase in the near future, relies on the possibility of being replaced when needed
The present study investigates the effect of peak flows from a scale hydropower plants (SHPs) with short-term river regulation on the habitat of Iberian native small-sized cyprinids—Iberian straight-mouth nase
During the hydropeaking (HP), one P. duriense was found dead, eaten by a snake and was left out of the analysis
Summary
The recent boost of clean energy sources, such as wind and solar, and their foreseeable increase in the near future, relies on the possibility of being replaced when needed. Hydropower maintains a prominent position amongst renewables [1] while being able to quickly replace solar and wind and respond to electricity demand, contributing to reduce CO2 emissions and help cope with climate change. The interest in hydropower generation has regained general attention [2,3]. There is a large dominance of small-scale hydropower projects (SHP) (
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