Types of fishways and overview of situation in Slovenia

Authors: Gregor KOLMAN, Matjaž MIKOŠ
Citation: Acta hydrotechnica, vol. 24, no. 41, pp. 1-26, 2006.
Abstract: The following article introduces different types of fishways enabling fish migration over impassable barriers in watercourses. The type of fishway is selected on the basis of biological data, site characteristics and hydrological and hydraulic characteristics of a watercourse. A fishway should be dimensioned in a way to ensure the transition of the smallest and weakest fish species. This enables the exchange of genetic material, which is of key importance for the development and preservation of various fish species. Special attention in designing fishways should be devoted to entrance and exit points of the passage. It is vital to ensure favourable conditions for attracting the fish to the entrance point, to enable uninterrupted transition through the pass and to provide an oriented exit that directs the fish upstream. However, the pass construction alone does not solve the problem of fish migration entirely, as this would require for each fishway to function perfectly, as well as a regular maintenance schedule. The control of fish migration through a pass can be monitored and controlled visually, by trapping techniques and video surveillance.
Keywords: hydrology, river engineering, hydraulic structures, fishways, ichthyology, fish migrations, migration barriers
Full text: a41gk.pdf