Julian Sauterleute

Modelling the effects of stranding on the Atlantic salmon population in the Dale River, Norway

Rapid dewatering in rivers as a consequence of hydropower operations may cause stranding of juvenile fish and have a negative impact on fish populations. We implemented stranding into an Atlantic salmon population model in order to evaluate long-term effects on the population in the Dale River, Western Norway. Furthermore, we assessed the sensitivity of the stranding model to dewatered area in comparison to biological parameters, and compared different methods for calculating wetted area, the main abiotic input parameter to the population model. Five scenarios were simulated dependent on fish life-stage, season and light level. Our simulation results showed largest negative effect on the population abundance for hydropeaking during winter daylight. Salmon smolt production had highest sensitivity to the stranding mortality of older juvenile fish, suggesting that stranding of fish at these life-stages is likely to have greater population impacts than that of earlier life-stages. Downstream retention effects on the ramping velocity were found to be negligible in the stranding model, but are suggested to be important in the context of mitigation measure design.

Effects of water level regulation in alpine hydropower reservoirs: an ecosystem perspective with a special emphasis on fish

Sustainable development of hydropower demands a holistic view of potential impacts of water level regulation (WLR) on reservoir ecosystems. Most environmental studies of hydropower have focused on rivers, whereas environmental effects of hydropower operations on reservoirs are less well understood. Here, we synthesize knowledge on how WLR from hydropower affects alpine lake ecosystems and highlight the fundamental factors that shape the environmental impacts of WLR. Our analysis of these impacts ranges from abiotic conditions to lower trophic levels and ultimately to fish. We conclude that the environmental effects are complex and case-specific and thus considering the operational regime of WLR (i.e. amplitude, timing, frequency, and rate of change) as well as the reservoir’s morphometry, geology and biotic community are prerequisites for any reliable predictions. Finally, we indicate promising avenues for future research and argue that recording and sharing of data, views and demands among different stakeholders, including operators, researchers and the public, is necessary for the sustainable development of hydropower in alpine lakes.

Modelling climate change effects on Atlantic salmon: Implications for mitigation in regulated rivers

Climate change is expected to alter future temperature and discharge regimes of rivers. These regimes have a strong influence on the life history of most aquatic river species, and are key variables controlling the growth and survival of Atlantic salmon. This study explores how the future abundance of Atlantic salmon may be influenced by climate-induced changes in water temperature and discharge in a regulated river, and investigates how negative impacts in the future can be mitigated by applying different regulated discharge regimes during critical periods for salmon survival. A spatially explicit individual-based model was used to predict juvenile Atlantic salmon population abundance in a regulated river under a range of future water temperature and discharge scenarios (derived from climate data predicted by the Hadley Centres Global Climate Model (GCM) HadAm3H and the Max Plank Institutes GCM ECHAM4), which were then compared with populations predicted under control scenarios representing past conditions. Parr abundance decreased in all future scenarios compared to the control scenarios due to reduced wetted areas (with the effect depending on climate scenario, GCM, and GCM spatial domain). To examine the potential for mitigation of climate change-induced reductions in wetted area, simulations were run with specific minimum discharge regimes. An increase in abundance of both parr and smolt occurred with an increase in the limit of minimum permitted discharge for three of the four GCM/GCM spatial domains examined. This study shows that, in regulated rivers with upstream storage capacity, negative effects of climate change on Atlantic salmon populations can potentially be mitigated by release of water from reservoirs during critical periods for juvenile salmon.

Modelling the effect of hydropeaking-induced stranding mortality on Atlantic salmon population abundance: Effect of hydropeaking stranding mortality on Atlantic salmon population abundance

Norwegian Institute for Nature Research, Trondheim NO‐7485, Norway Sweco Norway, Trondheim NO‐7030, Norway SINTEF, Trondheim NO‐7465, Norway Correspondence Richard D. Hedger, Norwegian Institute for Nature Research, Trondheim NO‐7485, Norway. Email: richard.hedger@nina Present Address Julian Sauterleute, Dr. Blasy ‐ Dr. Øverland, Beratende Ingenieure GmbH & Co. KG, Moosstraße 3, 82279 Eching am Ammersee, Germany

Behaviour of spawning Atlantic salmon and brown trout during ramping events

Under-water video was used to observe the behaviour of adult Atlantic salmon (Salmo salar) and brown trout (Salmo trutta) on a spawning ground during ramping events in a hydro-peaked river. The water depth in the reach was continuously recorded at a stream gauge and water depths in front of the cameras were reconstructed by means of a hydrodynamic model. Fish species, size, spawning-related activity, chasing behaviour and a swimming-speed-related activity level were recorded for each camera in 10-min intervals. Decreases in flow occurring during down-ramping led to higher activity levels and spawning interruptions. Trout were observed in the reach down to 0.13 m and salmon down to 0.17 m. The salmon was observed preparing nests at a water level of 0.30 m. Salmon used on average 122 min after the beginning of an up-ramping event to return to the spawning site and start digging again.