Application of Tube Fishways to Weirs

Hydraulic barriers such as weirs and dams impede the natural connectivity of riverine systems and severely disrupt the migratory behaviours of fish. Even small weirs can prevent upstream fish migration. The consequent reduction in freshwater fishes' habitat access have caused a global decline in fish populations. Fishways aim to enable migratory fish passage, however relatively few hydraulic barriers in Australia are fitted with a fishway. A review of common fish barriers and an evaluation of current fishway designs on weirs is presented. A novel fishway system, the Tube Fishway, which aims to address existing fishway shortcomings is described. This contribution discusses the diversity of weir types in Australia and potential approaches to the installation and operation of Tube Fishways on these structures. Field experiments to evaluate the effectiveness of Tube Fishway design, installation and operation are described