A review of the environmental impacts of proposed pumped storage hydropower projects in Loch Ness: implications for migrating Atlantic salmon
Simmons, O.M, Foldvik, A., Sundt-Hansen L., & Aronsen, T. 2023. A review of the environmental impacts of proposed pumped storage hydropower projects in Loch Ness: implications for migrating Atlantic salmon. NINA Report 2318. Norwegian Institute for Nature Research. The demand for hydropower prod...
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ftninstnf:oai:brage.nina.no:11250/3085192 2023-10-01T03:54:42+02:00 A review of the environmental impacts of proposed pumped storage hydropower projects in Loch Ness: implications for migrating Atlantic salmon Simmons, Olivia M. Foldvik, Anders Sundt-Hansen, Line Aronsen, Tonje Loch Ness 2023 application/pdf https://hdl.handle.net/11250/3085192 nob nob Norwegian Institute for Nature Research (NINA) NINA Report;2318 urn:isbn:978-82-426-5516-7 urn:issn:1504-3312 https://hdl.handle.net/11250/3085192 © Norwegian Institute for Nature Research. The publication may be freely cited where the source is acknowledged 34 pumped storage hydropower ecological impacts fish Salmo salar flow thermocline Research report 2023 ftninstnf 2023-09-06T22:48:57Z Simmons, O.M, Foldvik, A., Sundt-Hansen L., & Aronsen, T. 2023. A review of the environmental impacts of proposed pumped storage hydropower projects in Loch Ness: implications for migrating Atlantic salmon. NINA Report 2318. Norwegian Institute for Nature Research. The demand for hydropower production is rising as the world transitions towards renewable energies. As such, many new hydropower projects are being planned. In Loch Ness, Scotland, plans for two new pumped storage hydropower (PSH) schemes are under development, which both intend to use the loch as their lower reservoirs. The Ness District Salmon Fishery Board has expressed concern over the potential impacts these new PSH projects may have on the Atlantic salmon population in the Loch Ness Catchment and the broader ecology of the loch. The Atlantic salmon population in this system is already under pressure from several factors, including other already developed hydropower schemes, barriers to their migration such as dams and weirs, exploitation from fisheries, aquaculture, and more. Thus, the objective of this report is to provide a review of the ways PSH schemes can affect the environment, followed by a discussion of how the proposed projects in Loch Ness might affect the salmon population (including some of the knowledge gaps about these effects). Then we provide suggestions for studies to address the identified knowledge gaps and propose some mitigation and offsetting measures to help the Atlantic salmon in Loch Ness. Overall, we found a lack of knowledge about how Atlantic salmon migrate through the loch, which is imperative for understanding how closely they will encounter the proposed projects. We also found a lack of knowledge about how the new PSH schemes might impact the flow patterns and temperature regimes in Loch Ness, which will have implications for migrating salmonids and the broader aquatic community in the loch. We recommend that further research is required to better understand these critical matters. Report Atlantic salmon Salmo salar Norwegian Institute for Nature Research: Brage NINA |
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Open Polar |
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Norwegian Institute for Nature Research: Brage NINA |
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ftninstnf |
language |
Norwegian Bokmål |
topic |
pumped storage hydropower ecological impacts fish Salmo salar flow thermocline |
spellingShingle |
pumped storage hydropower ecological impacts fish Salmo salar flow thermocline Simmons, Olivia M. Foldvik, Anders Sundt-Hansen, Line Aronsen, Tonje A review of the environmental impacts of proposed pumped storage hydropower projects in Loch Ness: implications for migrating Atlantic salmon |
topic_facet |
pumped storage hydropower ecological impacts fish Salmo salar flow thermocline |
description |
Simmons, O.M, Foldvik, A., Sundt-Hansen L., & Aronsen, T. 2023. A review of the environmental impacts of proposed pumped storage hydropower projects in Loch Ness: implications for migrating Atlantic salmon. NINA Report 2318. Norwegian Institute for Nature Research. The demand for hydropower production is rising as the world transitions towards renewable energies. As such, many new hydropower projects are being planned. In Loch Ness, Scotland, plans for two new pumped storage hydropower (PSH) schemes are under development, which both intend to use the loch as their lower reservoirs. The Ness District Salmon Fishery Board has expressed concern over the potential impacts these new PSH projects may have on the Atlantic salmon population in the Loch Ness Catchment and the broader ecology of the loch. The Atlantic salmon population in this system is already under pressure from several factors, including other already developed hydropower schemes, barriers to their migration such as dams and weirs, exploitation from fisheries, aquaculture, and more. Thus, the objective of this report is to provide a review of the ways PSH schemes can affect the environment, followed by a discussion of how the proposed projects in Loch Ness might affect the salmon population (including some of the knowledge gaps about these effects). Then we provide suggestions for studies to address the identified knowledge gaps and propose some mitigation and offsetting measures to help the Atlantic salmon in Loch Ness. Overall, we found a lack of knowledge about how Atlantic salmon migrate through the loch, which is imperative for understanding how closely they will encounter the proposed projects. We also found a lack of knowledge about how the new PSH schemes might impact the flow patterns and temperature regimes in Loch Ness, which will have implications for migrating salmonids and the broader aquatic community in the loch. We recommend that further research is required to better understand these critical matters. |
format |
Report |
author |
Simmons, Olivia M. Foldvik, Anders Sundt-Hansen, Line Aronsen, Tonje |
author_facet |
Simmons, Olivia M. Foldvik, Anders Sundt-Hansen, Line Aronsen, Tonje |
author_sort |
Simmons, Olivia M. |
title |
A review of the environmental impacts of proposed pumped storage hydropower projects in Loch Ness: implications for migrating Atlantic salmon |
title_short |
A review of the environmental impacts of proposed pumped storage hydropower projects in Loch Ness: implications for migrating Atlantic salmon |
title_full |
A review of the environmental impacts of proposed pumped storage hydropower projects in Loch Ness: implications for migrating Atlantic salmon |
title_fullStr |
A review of the environmental impacts of proposed pumped storage hydropower projects in Loch Ness: implications for migrating Atlantic salmon |
title_full_unstemmed |
A review of the environmental impacts of proposed pumped storage hydropower projects in Loch Ness: implications for migrating Atlantic salmon |
title_sort |
review of the environmental impacts of proposed pumped storage hydropower projects in loch ness: implications for migrating atlantic salmon |
publisher |
Norwegian Institute for Nature Research (NINA) |
publishDate |
2023 |
url |
https://hdl.handle.net/11250/3085192 |
op_coverage |
Loch Ness |
genre |
Atlantic salmon Salmo salar |
genre_facet |
Atlantic salmon Salmo salar |
op_source |
34 |
op_relation |
NINA Report;2318 urn:isbn:978-82-426-5516-7 urn:issn:1504-3312 https://hdl.handle.net/11250/3085192 |
op_rights |
© Norwegian Institute for Nature Research. The publication may be freely cited where the source is acknowledged |
_version_ |
1778522555135557632 |