Studies on downstream migrating silver-phase European eels (Anguilla anguilla) in hydropower-regulated rivers

• Main Author: Lenihan, Eamonn
• Other Authors: Lawton, Colin, McCarthy, T. Kieran, Electricity Supply Board
• Format: Thesis
• Language: unknown
• Published: NUI Galway 2020
• Subjects: Silver eel; hydropower; spawning migrations; Anguilla; Natural Sciences; Science and Engineering; Zoology; Anguilla anguilla
• Online Access: http://hdl.handle.net/10379/16402; https://doi.org/10.13025/16801

Within the last 50 years, the European eel has gone from one of the largest freshwater fisheries resources throughout its range to being listed as critically endangered. A variety of factors have been implicated in this decline, but the exact causes remain poorly understood. However, during their downstream spawning migrations from rivers and lakes to the ocean, silver eels are exposed to considerable interference from in-channel structures and the biomass of eels successfully escaping from European rivers has greatly diminished. As a result of this decline, the European Union introduced Regulation EC No. 1100/2007. The key goal of this regulation is to enable, with a high probability, the escapement to the sea of at least 40% of the silver eel biomass that would exist under pristine conditions. All Member States with natural eel habitats were required to establish eel management plans (EMPs) that outlined measures to reduce anthropogenic mortality and to develop monitoring programmes to assess compliance with management targets. In this study, two mitigation measures aimed at reducing hydropower mortality were assessed. In the hydropower regulated rivers Shannon and Erne, eels are captured upstream of dams and transported downstream to river sections with good seaward connectivity. The efficiencies of these ‘trap and transport’ (T&T) programmes were evaluated. It was found that 630 tonnes of eels have been captured and released to date (2009 – 2019) and the quantities released have proven important for reducing anthropogenic mortality rates in line with the EU regulation. However, clear differences exist between the efficiencies of the Erne and Shannon programmes and it was found that the effectiveness of T&T as a mitigation measure is directly linked to the number of hydropower stations bypassed. Trap and transport is only intended as an interim solution while non-intrusive alternative methods are developed. An underwater strobe light array was evaluated in the lower River Shannon to determine its ...