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Hydraulics play an essential role in successful fish passage through fishways, yet little is known about the response of fish species to specific hydraulic characteristics. This study aims to determine the response of fish presence to water velocity that results from the flow regulation in the Changzhou Fishway (CFW). Water velocity meters and fish traps were used in the study to monitor water velocities and the presence of fish species at flood control levels as well as at normal pool levels. Water velocities in the CFW have a varied significantly as result of flow regulation, whereby water velocities at flood control levels are significantly higher than at normal pool levels (P = 0.014). A total of 3558 fish representing 28 species collected in the CFW were divided into two groups by cluster analysis. This type of divergence in species is strongly associated with the two controlled water levels in the fishway, wherein pelagic species predominate at normal pool levels, and demersal species predominate at flood control levels. This study suggests that the variations in water velocities trigger the shifts in species compositions that in the use of CFW. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]