Document of dataset 5876

Dataset record

Type

Dataset

title in English

Acoustic receiver network in an important shipping canal, connecting the river Meuse with the Port of Antwerp (Scheldt river) to asses downstream migration of eel and salmon in an artificial environment with a hydropower station and shipping locks.

Description in English

Navigation locks play an important role for ship navigation on canals and other regulated waterways worldwide. Unfortunately, these structures may severely impact the aquatic ecosystem and freshwater fish in particular. In Belgium (Europe), the Albert Canal connecting the river Meuse to the river Scheldt, is an important migration route for European eel (Anguilla anguilla, critically endangered) and Atlantic salmon (Salmo salar, vulnerable). During their downstream migration (respectively silver eel and salmon smolt phases) these fish are hampered by six subsequent navigation lock complexes present in the canal. In the coming years, Archimedes screws are to be installed next to these complexes. These can function both as pumping stations and hydropower generators. A first installation is already present at the navigation lock complex of Kwaadmechelen

Abstract in English

This network enables to study how fish migrate downstream from the river Meuse and which route (Meuse river or Albert canal to the river Scheldt) they take and how they are affected by the shipping locks, the hydropower station and the specific, anthropogenic, complex hydrodynamics that the shipping locks create. In several years, from 2013 onwards, silver eel and hatched salmon smolts were tagged with acoustic tags and released in the river Meuse and the Albert canal to investigate this. The tagged fish are tracked by the acoustic receivers that are installed (one dimensional) in the river Meuse, the Albert canal and the river Scheldt, as well as by 2 dimensional positioning direct upstream of one of the six shipping lock complexes, in Kwaadmechelen. The study is as well enabled by the installation of receivers in the Meuse river in the Netherlands in cooperation with Sportvisserij Nederland (see Maas Nederland network project).

License

https://spdx.org/licenses/CC-BY-4.0.html