Search Menu
DOE PAGES title logo U.S. Department of Energy
Office of Scientific and Technical Information
Search Scholarly Publications

Title: Injury and mortality of two Mekong River species exposed to turbulent shear forces

Journal Article · · Marine and Freshwater Research
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1071/MF18126 · OSTI ID:1482215
 [1];  [1];  [1];  [1];  [2];  [3];  [2];  [4];  [1];  [1];  [5]
  1. Pacific Northwest National Lab. (PNNL), Richland, WA (United States)
  2. National Univ. of Laos, Vientiane (Laos)
  3. Living Aquatic Resources Research Center, Vientiane (Laos)
  4. Charles Sturt Univ., Albury, NSW (Australia)
  5. Pacific Northwest National Lab. (PNNL), Richland, WA (United States); Virginia Polytechnic Inst. and State Univ. (Virginia Tech), Blacksburg, VA (United States)
+ Show Author Affiliations

Global hydropower development is one solution proposed to address the increase in energy needs. However, hydropower-related impacts on riverine ecological systems are not well understood. The Mekong River Basin (MRB) is one of the world’s largest waterways and is presently experiencing significant hydropower expansion. It is also one of the most biodiverse rivers; serving as home to many species that are blocked or hindered by the development of dams. One source of injury and mortality for downstream moving fishes is passage through the turbine environment where fishes may be exposed to several physical stressors (e.g. shear forces, rapid decompression, blade strike and turbulence). The current study sought to understand the susceptibility of blue gourami (Trichopodus trichopterus) and iridescent shark (Pangasianodon hypophthalmus) to shear forces. Fishes were exposed to an underwater jet with velocities up to 21.3 m s–1 (equating to strain rates of up to 1185 s–1) and were assessed for behavioural effects, injuries and mortality. Overall, it was determined that both species were susceptible to the shear forces applied in this study and the effects were more pronounced at higher strain rates. Gouramis were more susceptible than sharks. Furthermore to minimise impacts on these species, shear forces within turbines should not exceed critical limits.

Research Organization:
Pacific Northwest National Laboratory (PNNL), Richland, WA (United States)
Sponsoring Organization:
USDOE
Grant/Contract Number:
AC05-76RL01830
OSTI ID:
1482215
Report Number(s):
PNNL-SA--132777; PII: MF18126
Journal Information:
Marine and Freshwater Research, Journal Name: Marine and Freshwater Research Journal Issue: 12 Vol. 69; ISSN 1323-1650
Country of Publication:
United States
Language:
English

References (15)

A global boom in hydropower dam construction journal October 2014
Efforts to Reduce Mortality to Hydroelectric Turbine-Passed Fish: Locating and Quantifying Damaging Shear Stresses journal February 2006
Understanding the impact of hydropower developments in the context of upstream–downstream relations in the Mekong river basin journal November 2012
Assessing barotrauma in neutrally and negatively buoyant juvenile salmonids exposed to simulated hydro-turbine passage using a mobile aquatic barotrauma laboratory journal December 2010
Effects of a novel acoustic transmitter on swimming performance and predator avoidance of juvenile Chinook Salmon: Determination of a size threshold journal April 2016
Trading-off fish biodiversity, food security, and hydropower in the Mekong River Basin journal March 2012
Fish responses to flow velocity and turbulence in relation to size, sex and parasite load journal February 2014
High fluid shear strain causes injury in silver shark: Preliminary implications for Mekong hydropower turbine design journal February 2017
Fish stress and mortality can be predicted using reflex impairment journal March 2010
A comparison of metrics to evaluate the effects of hydro-facility passage stressors on fish journal March 2017
Evaluation of fish-injury mechanisms during exposure to turbulent shear flow
  • Deng, Zhiqun; Guensch, Gregory R.; McKinstry, Craig A.
  • Canadian Journal of Fisheries and Aquatic Sciences, Vol. 62, Issue 7, p. 1513-1522 https://doi.org/10.1139/f05-091
journal July 2005
Survival Estimates for Juvenile Fish Subjected to a Laboratory-Generated Shear Environment journal March 2004
The Development of Advanced Hydroelectric Turbines to Improve Fish Passage Survival journal September 2001
Injury and Mortality of Juvenile Salmon Entrained in a Submerged Jet Entering Still Water journal June 2010
A traits-based approach for prioritizing species for monitoring and surrogacy selection journal November 2016

Cited By (1)

Challenges balancing fisheries resource management and river development in Indonesia journal January 2019

Similar Records

Related Subjects

60 APPLIED LIFE SCIENCES
blue gourami
hydropower
iridescent shark
strain rate