Abstract
Summary The spawning run of adult Acipenser sinensis was blocked by the Gezhouba Dam in 1982 and the flow line was altered again in October and November, when during the spawning period the Three Gorges Project (TGP) started to fill the reservoir with water. This alteration of river flow may affect spawning of A. sinensis. By comparing historical river flow records at spawning dates and outflow at the design year from TGP, we found that A. sinensis spawning in the Yangtze river took mostly place below the Gezhouba Dam on the flood receding period, and discharge volumes of about 7110 m3 s−1 were at the minimum for the spawning of A. sinensis. The Three Gorges reservoir operation as designed would satisfy the spawning flows for A. sinensis except in low-flow years. Once low flow years occur, an adaptive operational procedure should be taken to meet the A. sinensis spawning requirements for hydrodynamics. This can be achieved by impounding water early on and taking rapid responses to meet the flow at the spawning time of A. sinensis.
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