Dam tailrace conditions affect fish survival. The Juvenile Salmon Acoustic Telemetry System (JSATS) has been used at many dams but has never been deployed in the near-dam tailrace environment. The acoustic noise level and detection range of JSATS were studied to determine the feasibility of deploying the JSATS in the Ice Harbor dam tailrace. The noise level measured from the powerhouse deck was below 104 dB re 1 µPa during low flow periods and the noise level was less than 106 dB re 1 µPa 350 m downstream of the dam. The measured noise levels would allow detection ranges of 100 m to 350 m and 85 m to 320 m, respectively. Validation experiments showed that it was possible to detect tags 113 to 136 m from hydrophones deployed from the powerhouse deck and 148 m for a hydrophone deployed 500 m downstream of the dam.
Revised: April 15, 2014 |
Published: February 13, 2014
Citation
Ingraham J.M., Z. Deng, J.J. Martinez, B.A. Trumbo, R.P. Mueller, and M.A. Weiland. 2014.Feasibility of Tracking Fish with Acoustic Transmitters in the Ice Harbor Dam Tailrace.Scientific Reports 4. PNWD-SA-10239. doi:10.1038/srep04090