144 – Helping fish pass dams

Hydropower infrastructure fragments rivers and disrupts the migrations of many freshwater fish, contributing to declines in their populations. Reconnecting these underwater highways is therefore critical for sustaining freshwater fish such as salmon, eels and trout. In her research, biologist Velizara Stoilova steps into that challenge, exploring how fish might be guided safely past dangerous turbine intakes without massive engineering structures.

The experimental research was conducted in a large flume, where everything from bubbling curtains to a newly invented “dancing rods” barrier that sways with the current were tested.

Blending animal behaviour, hydraulics, and physiology, Velizara Stoilova’s research uncovers why no single solution fits all – and how smarter, species‑tuned guidance may help restore the freedom of movement that rivers, and fish, once knew.

Velizara Stoilova’s doctoral thesis can be downloaded from DiVA: Helping fish pass dams – Is behavioural guidance the solution?