4.3 Article

Downstream effects of hydroelectric dam operation on thermal habitat use by Brook Trout (Salvelinus fontinalis) and Slimy Sculpin (Cottus cognatus)

Journal

ECOLOGY OF FRESHWATER FISH
Volume 26, Issue 4, Pages 552-562

Publisher

WILEY
DOI: 10.1111/eff.12299

Keywords

Brook Trout; Slimy Sculpin; thermal habitat; hydroelectric dam; oxygen stable isotopes

Funding

  1. Fisheries and Oceans Canada-Center of expertise on Hydropower Impacts on Fish and Fish Habitat (DFO CHIF)
  2. Brookfield Renewable Power Ltd.
  3. National Sciences and Engineering Research Council
  4. Natural Resources Solutions Inc.

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Hydroelectric dams can alter downstream water temperatures, impacting thermal habitat available for fishes. Decreases in river water temperatures resulting from hydroelectric dam operations may be beneficial to coldwater species and could potentially offset warming resulting from climatic trends. We used two coldwater fish species, Slimy Sculpin (Cottus cognatus) and Brook Trout (Salvelinus fontinalis) to assess the impact of a cool water draw below a 15 MW hydroelectric dam on fish thermal habitat use relative to a nearby naturally flowing river. Cooler water temperatures below the dam corresponded with significantly cooler mean growth season temperature use for Slimy Sculpin, but not Brook Trout, relative to the natural river. As well, mean growing season temperature use by Slimy Sculpin was significantly cooler relative to Brook Trout in both rivers, and significantly different amongst studied sites in the regulated river. Fish condition was significantly correlated with temperature use for Slimy Sculpin in the naturally flowing river only. Our results indicate that manipulating river water temperatures through hydroelectric dam operations to benefit multiple fish species will be difficult given the complexity of riverine thermal habitat and species-specific differences in thermal preferences and behaviour.

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