Abstract
A preliminary study on the application of radio-telemetry techniques to describe the movements of fish in a bypass channel at Itaipu Dam (Paraná River), known as "Canal da Piracema," was carried out between January and February of 2004. Fourteen individuals of six species (Prochilodus lineatus, Leporinus friderici, Schizodon borellii, Pseudoplatystoma fasciatum, Pterodoras granulosus and Cichla kelberi) were intragastrically and surgically radiotagged and monitored by three experimental fixed radio-telemetry stations installed in the upper portion of the Canal. The surgical implantation of transmitters and the anesthesia using clove oil proved to be more efficient and allowed easier handling in comparison to intragastric implantation and electronarcosis immobilization. The use of fixed stations to obtain data was found to be very suitable for tracking movements of several different fish species in the Itaipu lateral channel. Three species (P. granulosus, S. borellii and C. kelberi) moved downstream after release. Two individuals of P. fasciatum and two of P. lineatus migrated upstream, leaving the channel 7 and 10 days and 2 and 24 days after release, respectively. Leporinus friderici was the only species that did not leave the release site until the end of the study period.
Highlights
Since the construction of the first fish ladder in a tributary of the Upper Paraná River in 1911, changes in the Brazilian regulation on the mandatory construction of fish passages in dams have been discussed. Central to these discussions is the role of the passages for the conservation of the fish fauna (Agostinho et al, 2002), and of migratory species which are generally the most affected by dams
On the application of radio-telemetry techniques in fishes at Itaipu Dam, Brazil successive dams in the Paraná River was largely responsible for the disappearance of the large migrators in the upper stretches of the basin
Radio-telemetry, which may be the best approach to study fish passages, was first applied in Brazil only after 2002. This technique can be used to precisely evaluate the movements of fish by the Itaipu lateral channel, especially due to its features such as dimension and diversity of environments, which make the application of other techniques difficult. The purpose of this preliminary study was to test different tagging procedures, with regard to where to insert the tags, type of tags, tracking equipment and radio frequencies, in order to determine protocols to be applied in other studies to be conducted in Itaipu Dam lateral channel (Canal da Piracema) and in the upper Paraná River basin
Summary
Since the construction of the first fish ladder in a tributary of the Upper Paraná River in 1911, changes in the Brazilian regulation on the mandatory construction of fish passages in dams have been discussed. Radio-telemetry, which may be the best approach to study fish passages, was first applied in Brazil only after 2002 This technique can be used to precisely evaluate the movements of fish by the Itaipu lateral channel, especially due to its features such as dimension and diversity of environments, which make the application of other techniques difficult. The purpose of this preliminary study was to test different tagging procedures, with regard to where to insert the tags, type of tags, tracking equipment and radio frequencies, in order to determine protocols to be applied in other studies to be conducted in Itaipu Dam lateral channel (Canal da Piracema) and in the upper Paraná River basin. Five species with different migratory capacities (Prochilodus lineatus, Leporinus friderici, Schizodon borellii, Pseudoplatystoma fasciatum, and Pterodoras granulosus), and one sedentary species (Cichla kelberi ) were tagged
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