Fish stranding due to morphological microstructures and hydropeaking
characteristics
Abstract
Fish stranding in rivers, due to rapid shoreline dewatering, often
occurs during the down-ramping phases of hydropeaks enabling peak energy
production. Multiple hydrological characteristics of hydropeaking and
river morphology influence stranding, but little is known about their
relative effects. The goal of our study is to identify how the
combination of hydropeaking characteristics and the occurrence of
morphological microstructure (e.g., puddles, scour pools) influence fish
stranding. For this purpose, we used an extensive dataset of fish
stranding observations collected over 3 years in spring at 48 stations
along a 50 km-long river reach. We aimed (1) to characterize stranding
events and their associated fish assemblages, and (2) to identify the
spatial and temporal determinants of stranding. We found that the
occurrence of morphological microstructures of the riverbed was the main
factor explaining fish stranding. Scour pools are the most impacting
microstructures, followed by scour puddles, humid zones, and alluvial
puddles. Then, hydropeaking characteristics interact with morphology and
modulate the intensity of stranding. Low flow ranges (low peak flow, low
base flow) occurring after periods without hydropeaks induce particular
“salmonid” and “super-stranding” events and other flow ranges induce
regular stranding events. Salmonids are particularly subject to
stranding at the beginning of the sampling period. Recommendations that
emerged are (1) to act in priority on stations where stranding is most
likely, by morphological operations or by installing attractive
structures in the perennial area, and (2) to maintain attractive,
perennial habitats in the low flow range of hydropeaks.