Two New Normandeau Hydropower Publications Acoustic Fish Deterrence Evaluated

hydroelectric dam

Bedford, NH — For many hydropower operators, the safe passage of migratory fish species at hydroelectric dams is not just an important conservation and fishery management goal, but is also a challenging regulatory requirement. The avoidance response of some fish to certain sounds offers an opportunity for operators to use sound as a tool for either guiding fish towards a downstream bypass or deterring them from passing the project through hydroelectric turbines. Ultrasound has shown promise for deterring juvenile blueback herring (Alosa aestivalis), a species that migrates through many of our rivers impounded by hydroelectric dams and a candidate species for protection under the Endangered Species Act. In a 2012 publication in the North American Journal of Fisheries Management titled "Downriver Passage of Juvenile Blueback Herring near an Ultrasonic Field in the Mohawk River," Dennis J. Dunning and Normandeau senior scientist, Christopher W.D. Gurshin, describe the results from a 2008 study conducted by Normandeau under contract with the New York Power Authority, which demonstrated the potential of ultrasound to deter juvenile blueback herring from entering the turbine channel at the Crescent Hydroelectric Project on the Mohawk River, New York. The study also estimated the target strength, a measure of acoustic reflectivity, for this species from fixed-location, side-looking hydroacoustics, which has become an important method for continuously monitoring fish in shallow rivers. These results are presented by Gurshin in the paper "Target Strength Measurements of Juvenile Blueback Herring from the Mohawk River, New York" also appearing in the same journal issue. After severe flood and hurricane conditions curtailed efforts to repeat the study in 2010 and 2011, Normandeau was awarded a contract to repeat the study during fall 2012. The study's objective is to evaluate the ability of the ultrasonic deterrent system to divert fish after re-aiming the sound projectors to extend further upriver. These case studies highlight the available expertise and services that Normandeau offers in fisheries acoustics and acoustic Doppler current profiling (ADCP).

Christopher W.D. Gurshin

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