John Noreika

Effect of Water Acceleration on Downstream Migratory Behavior and Passage of Atlantic Salmon Smolts and Juvenile American Shad at Surface Bypasses

Abstract Behavior and passage rate of smolts of Atlantic salmon Salmo salar and juvenile American shad Alosa sapidissima were compared between a standard (sharp-crested) and a modified surface bypass weir that employs uniform flow velocity increase (1 m·s−1·m−1 of linear distance). Within the first 30 min after release, significantly more smolts passed the modified weir than the standard weir, but no differences in passage rate between weir types were noted for juvenile American shad. More Atlantic salmon smolts and juvenile American shad were passed by the modified weir in groups of two or more than were passed by the standard weir. Mean lengths of passed and nonpassed smolts were not significantly different between weir types, but American shad passed by the sharp-crested weir were significantly smaller than nonpassed fish. Most individuals of both species that passed the modified weir maintained positive rheotaxis and strong swimming throughout the length of the weir. In addition to acceleration, visua...

Effect of Slope and Headpond on Passage of American Shad and Blueback Herring through Simple Denil and Deepened Alaska Steeppass Fishways

Abstract Passage and transit time of adult upstream-migrant American shad Alosa sapidissima and blueback herring A. aestivalis were investigated in standard Denil and Alaska steeppass fishways with variable slope and headpond under semicontrolled conditions. Percent of American shad passed per unit time (percent passage) increased with temperature, while time required to ascend from the fishway entrance to the exit (transit time) decreased with increasing temperature for both species. Increasing fishway slope decreased percent passage of American shad, regardless of fishway type. Higher fishway slope decreased percent passage of blueback herring in the steeppass fishway only. Low headpond enhanced percent passage of American shad in the Denil fishway, but decreased percent passage of American shad in the steeppass fishway. Headpond level had no effect on percent passage of blueback herring in either fishway. Because headpond level in the steeppass fishway affected percent passage of American shad but not ...

Evaluation of Nature-Like and Technical Fishways for the Passage of Alewives at Two Coastal Streams in New England

Abstract Nature-like fishways have been designed with the intent to reconnect river corridors and provide passage for all species occurring in a system. The approach is gaining popularity both in Europe and North America, but performance of these designs has not been quantitatively evaluated in a field setting for any North American species. Two nature-like fishways and three technical fishways in New England were evaluated for passage of anadromous adult alewives Alosa pseudoharengus by using passive integrated transponder (PIT) telemetry. A perturbation boulder rock ramp (32 m long; 4.2% slope) constructed in Town Brook (Plymouth, Massachusetts) passed 94% of the fish that made passage attempts, with most fish ascending the ramp in less than 22 min. In the East River (Guilford, Connecticut), a step-pool bypass design (48 m long; 7.1% slope) passed only 40% of attempting fish, with a median transit time of 75 min. In Town Brook, a technical pool-and-weir fishway (14 m long; 14.3% slope) exhibited poor en...

An Efficient Smolt Trap for Sandy and Debris-Laden Streams

Abstract Tripod weir and box traps are traditionally used to capture and enumerate out-migrating salmonid smolts in short-term studies and in streams where temporary or portable traps are the only practical option. Although traditional traps can be effective when conditions are ideal, they are often unable to withstand high-discharge events in streams containing a large amount of debris or sandy substrates. We created a rotary-screw trap and resistance board weir hybrid design that we evaluated along with a tripod weir and box trap, both in a 6.1-m-wide flume and in the field. The new design outperformed the tripod weir in both situations. The tripod weir failed in 10 min in the flume trial, whereas the new design was still operating at the conclusion of an 8-h trial under the same conditions. The new design operated continuously in the field during a high-discharge event that caused the tripod weir to fail. The new design also required less frequent cleaning than the tripod weir. The trap efficiency of t...