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Acoustic telemetry has been used extensively to study the behavior of aquatic animals. The Juvenile Salmon Acoustic Telemetry System (JSATS) is one such system; it was developed for studying juvenile salmonids but has been used to study numerous species. A recent innovation of the JSATS system is an acoustic transmitter that is small enough to be implanted through injection or small incision that doesn't require sutures. Use of the JSATS system involves deploying cabled acoustic receivers at hydroelectric dams, or other structures, and autonomous acoustic receivers in free-flowing sections of a river. The raw detections from acoustic-tagged fish are processed to remove potential false positives. The clean detections (5,147,996 total) are used to generate detection events and to compute 3-D trajectories (403,900 total), which are used to assign fish to a passage route through a dam. Controlled field testing involving a high-accuracy Global Positioning System receiver is done to validate the submeter accuracy of the trajectories. The JSATS dataset could be reused for expanding the understanding of near-dam fish behavior., (© 2021. This is a U.S. Government work and not under copyright protection in the US; foreign copyright protection may apply.)

The effect of the fish body on the source level and beam pattern of an acoustic fish tag signal was investigated through laboratory experiments and an analytical method. In laboratory experiments, the source level and beam pattern were measured in both a tag-only group and a tag-in-fish group. In the analytical method, both forward and backward scattering were calculated by assuming the acoustic tag was a point source and the swimbladder was an air-filled prolate spheroid. The mean source level of five tested tags decreased by ∼4 dB after implantation in fish bodies, which is important for designing fish migration studies using acoustic telemetry.

To acquire 3-D tracking data on juvenile salmonids, Juvenile Salmon Acoustic Telemetry System (JSATS) cabled hydrophone arrays were deployed in the forebays of two dams on the Snake River and at a mid-reach reservoir between the dams. The depth distributions of fish were estimated by statistical analyses performed on large 3-D tracking data sets from ~33,500 individual acoustic tagged yearling and subyearling Chinook salmon and juvenile steelhead at the two dams in 2012 and subyearling Chinook salmon at the two dams and the mid-reach reservoir in 2013. This research investigated the correlation between vertical migration behavior and passage routes. The depth distributions of fish within the forebays of the dams were significantly different from fish passing the mid-reach reservoir. Fish residing deeper in the forebay tended to pass the dam using deeper powerhouse routes. This difference in depth distributions indicated that the depth distribution of fish at the mid-reach reservoir was not related to behaviors of fish passing through certain routes of the adjacent dams. For fish that were detected deeper than 17.5 m in the forebays, the probability of powerhouse passage (i.e., turbine) increased significantly. Another important finding was the variation in depth distributions during dam passage associated with the diel period, especially the crepuscular periods.

The Juvenile Salmon Acoustic Telemetry System (JSATS) is an active sensing technology developed by the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, Portland District, for detecting and tracking small fish. It is used primarily for evaluating behavior and survival of juvenile salmonids migrating through the Federal Columbia River Power System to the Pacific Ocean. It provides critical data for salmon protection and development of more "fish-friendly" hydroelectric facilities. The objective of this study was to design and build a Measurement and Calibration System (MCS) for evaluating the JSATS components, because the JSATS requires comprehensive acceptance and performance testing in a controlled environment before it is deployed in the field. The MCS consists of a reference transducer, a water test tank lined with anechoic material, a motion control unit, a reference receiver, a signal conditioner and amplifier unit, a data acquisition board, MATLAB control and analysis interface, and a computer. The fully integrated MCS has been evaluated successfully at various simulated distances and using different encoded signals at frequencies within the bandwidth of the JSATS transmitter. The MCS provides accurate acoustic mapping capability in a controlled environment and automates the process that allows real-time measurements and evaluation of the piezoelectric transducers, sensors, or the acoustic fields. The MCS has been in use since 2009 for acceptance and performance testing of, and further improvements to, the JSATS.

Evaluating fish behavior and migration in response to environmental changes is a fundamental component of fisheries research and recovery of freshwater ecosystems. While spatial distribution and behavior of fishes has been well studied around hydropower facilities, little research has been conducted at a mid-reach location between two dams. The Juvenile Salmon Acoustic Telemetry System (JSATS) cabled receiver system was developed and employed as a reference sensor network for detecting and tracking juvenile salmon in the Columbia River Basin. To supplement acquisition of detection and three-dimensional (3-D) tracking data to estimate survival and fish behavior in the forebays of Little Goose and Lower Monumental dams on the Snake River in eastern Washington State, a mid-reach location was needed to investigate the spatial distribution of migrating juvenile salmon in open-water conditions between the two dams. Lyons Ferry Bridge on State Route 261 at the confluence of the Snake and Palouse Rivers was chosen as the mid-reach location. A JSATS-cabled receiver system configuration was successfully designed and deployed from the bridge's pier structure. Theoretical analysis confirmed the functionality and precision of the deployment design. Validation tests demonstrated sub-meter accuracy of 3-D tracking up to a horizontal distance of 50 m upstream and downstream from the Lyons Ferry Bridge piers. Detection and tracking probabilities of the LFB cabled array were estimated to be 99.98% from field application. This research provided a detailed description of acoustic telemetry system deployment and 3-D tracking as guidance for better understanding of fish migration behavior as they pass through dams and continue downstream through the river between dams. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract: A micro-acoustic Doppler velocimeter (ADV) was used to measure three-dimensional mean velocity and turbulence characteristics in a full-scale culvert with spiral corrugations. The culvert was set up in a test bed constructed to examine juvenile salmon passage success in various culvert types. The test culvert was 12.2m long and 1.83m in diameter and set at a 1.14% slope. The corrugations were 2.54cm deep by 7.62cm peak to peak with a 5° right-handed pitch. Cross-sectional grids of ADV measurements were taken at discharges of 0.028, 0.043, 0.071, 0.099, 0.113, 0.227, and 0.453m3/s at nine locations. In the uniform flow region, the centerline velocity profiles were consistent with fully rough turbulent flows and the friction factor was independent of Reynolds number and was very close to theoretical results. Secondary flow induced by the spiral corrugations caused asymmetries in the velocity and turbulence distributions creating a reduced velocity zone (RVZ) on the right side of the culvert as seen looking upstream, which small fish could utilize to aid their upstream passage. Velocity and axial components of turbulence in the RVZ were found to be much less than in mid-channel or on the left of the culvert, and the difference became greater at increased flow rates. In addition, cross-stream and vertical velocity components within the RVZ were small relative to the downstream axial component, while lateral and vertical turbulence intensities were comparable to the axial component. Observations from a concurrent fish passage study showed that more juvenile fish migrate through the right side of the culvert within the RVZ. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Highlights • Quantified climate and water management impacts on juvenile Salmon. • Climate change does not necessarily reduce smolt survival rate. • Future fate of juvenile salmon varies between locations and climate scenarios. Abstract Water temperature has manifold effects on the biology of Pacific salmon. Thermal optima enable Pacific salmon to maximize growth while temperatures above thermal optima can induce stress and lead to mortality. This study investigated the impacts of climatic changes and water management practices on Chinook and Steelhead smolts in the Columbia River Basin using an integrated earth system model and a multiple regression model that incorporated nonlinear survival responses to water temperature. Results revealed that the effects would vary significantly with the species, location, and climate change scenario. Mean survival rates may increase by more than 10% in Upper Columbia River, while reduce by 1˜13% and 2˜35% for Chinook and Steelhead smolts respectively, in the Lower Columbia River by 2080s. This study highlights the importance of integrating the nonlinear response of survival rate to river temperature and water management effects in climate change vulnerability analysis for salmonid stocks. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]