Fish-Friendly Operational Management

Abstract

The term “fish-friendly operational management” designates a mode of operation where operators of hydropower plants react to a high density of fish in the river, or to migration events. If the fish density in front of an intake structure is especially high, or if certain species are migrating, the power station enters a mode which is designed to cause minimum damage to fish, or none at all. This operating status is kept up until the fish density is reduced in the zones that pose a hazard, or until the migration activity has receded. At this point, the power station switches back to normal operation. However, this procedure assumes that high fish density, or a migration event, occurs within a limited window of time and can be implemented before significant impacts take place.