A fish jumping a small weir spillway

Fish Passing Facilities

Providing engineering services for the design and implementation of project specific fish passing facilities

The development of a hydropower project must take the river systems, as well as the aquatic fauna and river uses at the planned location, into consideration. Many facilities serve multiple purposes and therefore should take into account constraints upstream and downstream of the reservoirs.

Kellokoski Dam Fish Pass

We provide engineering services for the design and implementation of fish passing facilities in the various project phases, i.e. conceptualization, feasibility, basic design, tendering and implementation. We deliver optimal and long term solutions to fish passing requirements for small, medium and large scale systems with regard to local environmental conditions, applicable legislation, local-specific requirements and NGO's recommendations.

Engaged to provide customized solutions

The implementation of fish passing facilities influences directly design and operational decisions of the hydropower plants, as well as the overall life cycle costs and benefits of the project. We understand the importance of sustainability in hydropower projects and our priority is to offer our customers cost-efficient solutions.

AFRY supports and participates in the preparation of studies required for the Hydropower Sustainability Assessment Protocol which is a tool that promotes and improves the sustainable use of hydro power. It provides a common language that allows governments, civil society, financial institutions and the hydro power sector to discuss sustainability issues where fish migration is a key topic.

The Xayaburi fish pass under construction

We work together with specialized global partners to guarantee that project-specific conditions are fulfilled and offer our customers a large palette of fish passing alternatives such as:

  • Near-natural bypass channels and rock ramps
  • Vertical slot fish passes
  • Fish protection screens and barriers
  • Fish bypasses, locks and lifts
  • Fish passage spillways
  • Advice on fish friendly turbines

Our designs are based on fish swimming velocities (sustained, prolonged and burst), water depth requirements, attraction flows, species diversity (target species), fish migration cycles, biomass, substrate & sediment needs, operation times, other aquatic organisms, fish-suitable construction materials, integration into the landscape and monitoring.

The implementation of fish passing facilities influences directly design and operational decisions of the hydropower plants, as well as the overall life cycle costs and benefits of the project. We understand the importance of sustainability in hydropower projects and our priority is to offer our customers cost-efficient solutions.

AFRY supports and participates in the preparation of the studies required for the Hydropower Sustainability Assessment Protocol which is a tool that promotes and improves the sustainable use of hydropower. It provides a common language that allows governments, civil society, financial institutions and the hydropower sector to talk about sustainability issues where fish migration is a key topic.

Contact Elon Hägg

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