Deliverables Publications
Deliverables are all the documents that have been established by the project stakeholders. These deliverables result from the actions defined at the start of the project. There can be several deliverables for a single action.
A1 - Definitions and nomenclature
This action allows to define to define the basic elements of the project as the definition of the study area, the areas targeted, the common terms used, the objectives of the project, the scale of the study according to the river sections studied as well as the methods and devices to improve species migration.
A2 - Fishing Protocol
As a part of the preparatory Life4fish plan, the A2 workpackage aims to estimate the migratory fish stock to be used for the studies of downstream migration monitoring (see workpackage D), and to determine the biological condition and health status of the fish during migration. The specific goals of this workpackage are: (a) to estimate the relative stock of adult silvering eels and smolt Atlantic salmon collected in different stretches of the Belgian Meuse basin; (b) to describe the biological and health status of fish and their ability to migrate and facing the obstacles in their way.
A2 - Pilot Setup of a silver eels
This report focuses on the development of a methodology to catch migrating silver eels upstream HPP. This silver eel fishery has two goals: i) provide complementary data to the stock assessment ongoing in the LIFE4FISH; ii) Use these local silver eels to tag them with acoustic transmitters and follow their migration in the planned surveys in 2019 and 2021. On a pilot campaign conducted in autumn 2018 at Andenne HPP, the technique, inspired by a method used by fisherman in the German Mosel, proofed to be operational, and its potential success for a larger study period at 3 HPP is estimated at 69 silver eels. The real fisheries campaign is planned in 2019, 2020 and 2021.
A3 - Behavioral study on smolts
This report summarizes the results of experimental tests performed at 1:1 scale in a laboratory flume with real salmon smolts in order to assess the effect of specific geometric parameters of downstream pass (ramp slope, trash rack) on their attractiveness.
A3 - Modelling of the passages through the hydraulic works in order to design the solutions
This report presents all the modelling works performed by ULiege-HECE team within Action A3 of the Life for Fish project during the first year of the project, as well as additional work done during year 3 and further. Studies performed during year 2, related to the behavioural study on smolts, are detailed in Deliverable 2 of Action A3.
A4 - Adaptation of an existing model to the low river Meuse
EDF R&D has carried out studies in order to know the migratory behaviours of individuals to downstream and to know the peaks of migration based on field observations and literature.
C1 - On site installation electrical barrier
This report details the installation of a first pilot behavioural barrier on the Grands-Malades site near Namur. This electric barrier should help to guide the eels to the dam.
C1 - Construction of a fish pass on the pilot site of Grands-Malades
This report describes the installation of a first migration channel on the Grands-Malades site near Namur.
C1 - On site installation electrical barrier for smolts
This report details the installation of a first pilot behavioural barrier on the Grands-Malades site near Namur. This electric barrier should help to guide the smolts to the dam.
C1 - Operation report of the electrical barrier during 2019 migration period
This report describes the period of operation during eel migration in 2019 at the Grands-Malades pilot site.
C1 - Operation report of the electrical barrier and the exhaust path during 2021 migration period.
This report describes the period of operation during smolt migration in 2021 at the Grands-Malades pilot site.
C2 - On site installation bubble barrier
This report details the installation of a pilot behavioural barrier on Ivoz-Ramet site near Liège. This bubble barrier should help to guide the eels to the dam.
C2 - Operation report of the bubble barrier during 2019 migration period.
This report describes the period of operation of the bubble barrier in 2019 at the Ivoz-Ramet pilot site.
C3 - Report on the construction of the downstream migration model and the turbine rules
This report present the definition and implementation of turbine management rules defined based on the downstream migration models developed in action A4 both for salmon and eel. For salmon smolts, the management rules proposed to provide a minimal dam discharge within the migration period defined by the model. For eels, the rules are based on night shut down of the turbines function of the expected migration abundance given by the model. The operating model is take in place considering discharges data from Service Public de Wallonie as input and daily instructions (shutdown, dam opening) as output.
D1 - First assessment of indicators
As the monitoring of the solutions implemented within the Life 4 Fish is key, several indicators have been defined. The first assessment of these ones enables to define the initial state of the program as well as to clarify the calculation methods of the indicators. The mortality rate for silver eels and salmon smolts due to the sites influence are respectively of 13,5% (goal = 20 %) and 16,1% (goal = 10%). The yearly production varies from 176 GWh in 2017 to 208 GWh in 2018 (goal = 237 GWh). The number of days off for the 6 sites vary from 157 in 2017 to 320 in 2018 (goal = 37,5). Finally, at this stage, no solution is yet implemented on the 6 sites.
D1 - Methodology data processing
This report fix the methodology to process data issued from the various surveys planned within the Life 4 Fish program in order to implemented them in the final solutions as well as in the indicators calculations. That methodology is based on the nomenclature defined in A1 action and focused on stock repartition, downstream migration periods, sites and reaches impacts , and global modelling.
D1 - 1st study report on estimation and biological status of resident stocks
Based on surveys realized before the start of the Life 4 Fish program, as well as first fisheries results, this report applied the methodology data processing to define the initial status of downstream migration of eels and salmons along the Belgian Low Meuse River. At this stage of the study, the biological results seem poorly influenced by the turbines passages and the performed fisheries don’t enable to clarify the fish repartition in between the Meuse reaches. According to that, the results of the telemetric survey as well as the ones from the injection/catch survey on the turbines may directly be implemented in the multi-scale model. Based on the distribution of stocks and the successive influence of the different elements, the percentage of the stock ending its migration within each element is defined. For salmon smolts, 18% of the stock would end up upstream of the sites (turbines and non-crossing). 31% of the stock would end up in the Albert Canal. 51% of the stock would end up within the reaches. Finally, 0% of the stock would arrive downstream of Lixhe. Regarding eels, 13% of the stock would end up impacted by the turbines. 10% of the stock would end up in the Albert Canal. 24% of the stock would end up within the reaches. Finally, 53% of the stock would arrive downstream of Lixhe.
D2 - Monitoring of the effectiveness of the pilot solutions. Part 1 : Silver Eels
The results of the acoustic telemetry survey conducted in 2019-2020 on 140 tagged silver eels are presented in this report. The eel passages (turbines, spillways) are determined on the 6 successive sites and some behavioural variables, like migration speed or time of passage are also presented. These data constitute the base for the assessment of the efficiency of 3 protections measures performed during this survey at Grands-Malades, Andenne and Ramet HPP.
D2 - Telemetric monitoring report of silver eels during the pilot test phase of protective measures on the Luminus hydroelectric sites
This report presents the result of the efficiency assessment of the eel pilot protection measures deployed at 3 sites. At Grands-Malades HPP, an electrical fence succeeded to reduce the silver eel entrainment rate towards the turbine by 52% when the majority (>50%) of the river flow was passing through turbines. At Andenne HPP, the eel downstream migration prediction model developed in A4 action succeeded to predict 80% of the passages at the right date, and 50% within the 18h-06h timeframe. Finally, at Ramet HPP, a bubble barrier did not exhibit any influence on the eel behavior and passage and has been dramatically damaged by drifting debris in the river.
D2 - Silver Eel Fishery Report for the years 2019-2020
This report describes the result of silver eel fisheries near three hydroelectric power plants according to the protocol carried out in 2018 (A2 - Fishing protocol) in order to mark them with acoustic tags for the telemetry study underway in 2019. (Action D2) and contribute to the increase of the knowledge of the silver eel population in the Meuse River (link with Action A2 performed by UNAMUR).
D2 - Monitoring of the effectiveness of the pilot solutions Part II : salmon smolts
During the Life4Fish project different solutions were tested to reduce the impact of the Luminus facilities on smolt populations.
This report concerns the monitoring of salmon smolts during the pilot phase of 2021.
D2 - Milestone for salmon smolt telemetric monitoring during the 2021 test phase
This report describes the telemetric monitoring of salmon smolts during the test phase of the pilot solutions during the spring 2021 migration.
E1 - Definition and implementation of the dissemination and communication plan
Definition of the communication action plan according to the requirements of the European Commission. This deliverable defines the targets, the communication tools and the indicators.
E1 - Creation of a new website dedicated to the project
Publications Deliverables
Please find bellow scientific publications related to the Life4Fish project.
Passage through a hydropower plant affects the physiological and health status of Atlantic salmon smolts
Ben Ammar, I., Baeklandt, S., Cornet, V., Antipine, S., Sonny, D., Mandiki, S.N.M., Kestemont, P.,2020. Passage through a hydropower plant affects the physiological and health status of Atlantic salmon smolts. Comp. Biochem. Physiol. A. Mol. Integr. Physiol. 247, 110745
Presentations from the day of 06/09/2023
Find here to the materials presented at the closing event
Impact of downstream passage through hydropower plants on the physiological and health status of a critically endangered species: The European eel Anguilla anguilla
Ben Ammar, I., Cornet, V.,Houndji A., I., Baeklandt, S., , Antipine, S., Sonny, D., Mandiki, S.N.M., Kestemont P. 2021. Impact of downstream passage through hydropower plants on the physiological and health status of a critically endangered species: The European eel Anguilla anguilla. Comp. Biochem. Physiol. A. Mol. Integr. Physiol. 254, 110876
Development of an accurate model to predict the phenology of Atlantic salmon smolt spring migration
Auteurs: Nils Teichert, Jean-Philippe Benitez, Arnaud Dierckx, Stéphane Tétard, Eric de Oliveira, Thomas Trancart, Eric Feunteun, Michaël Ovidio
How to cite this article: Teichert N, Benitez J-P, Dierckx A, et al. Development of an accurate model to predict the phenology of Atlantic salmon smolt spring migration. Aquatic Conserv: Mar Freshw Ecosyst. 2020;1–14.
Resolving the trade-off between silver eel escapement and hydropower generation with simple decision rules for turbine shutdown
Auteurs: Nils Teichert, Stephane Tetard, Thomas Trancart, Eric Feunteun, Anthony Acou, Eric de Oliveira
Towards transferability in fish migration models: A generic operational tool for predicting silver eel migration in rivers
Auteurs: Nils Teichert, , Stéphane Tétard, Thomas Trancart, Eric de Oliveira, Anthony Acou , Alexandre Carpentier, Bastien Bourillon, Eric Feunteun
Eel and salmon downstream migration behavios along the Meuse river
This paper presents an integrative approach to define the migration status of Salmo Salar and Anguilla Anguilla in various scale according to the results of on-site studies led on the low Belgian Meuse river.
Design of a downstream migration fish pass for existing hydropower plants
This paper focuses on the research and development conducted in order to design downstream fish passages along 2 sites equipped with a gated dam, locks and a hydropower plant.
Experimental Assessment of the Influence of Fish Passage Geometry Parameters on Downstream Migrating Atlantic Salmon (Salmo salar) Smolts Behavior
Authors :Sebastien Erpicum , Vasileios Kitsikoudis, Pierre Archambeau, Benjamin Dewals, Michel Pirotton