Details of Award
NERC Reference : NE/N009002/1
Investigating the impacts and potential mitigation of small-scale hydropower on freshwater fish
Training Grant Award
- Lead Supervisor:
- Professor PS Kemp, University of Southampton, Faculty of Engineering & the Environment
- Science Area:
- Freshwater
- Overall Classification:
- Freshwater
- ENRIs:
- Biodiversity
- Environmental Risks and Hazards
- Natural Resource Management
- Science Topics:
- Animal behaviour
- Behavioural Ecology
- Conservation Ecology
- Energy - Marine & Hydropower
- Coastal & Waterway Engineering
- Abstract:
- The Water-Energy-Food Nexus describes the complex interacting interplay between the management of resources in which development of one sector may negatively impact the others. The use of water to generate electricity (e.g. hydropower) can negatively impact other ecosystems services such as fisheries for food or recreation. Nexus science, which focuses on enhancing understanding of the interactions associated with the utilisation of different resources to improve sustainable management, is intrinsically interdisciplinary. This project will integrate expertise in freshwater ecology and engineering to quantify impacts of the environment (acoustic and hydrodynamic) associated with current hydropower technology to develop mitigation options. Freshwater fisheries in the UK are primarily valued for recreation, although stocks of the European eel, Atlantic salmon, and brown trout are also harvested for food and protected under national and international legislation. The potential for developing freshwater and coastal fisheries in Europe over the long term as a source of protein is an area of increased interest in the face of predicted severe world food shortages by 2050. Similarly, the development of small scale hydropower is considered an important component of the UK's future renewable energy plan, with a substantial increase in the number of annual proposals for the development of new sites. The regulators currently mediate the conflict between competing stakeholders representing fisheries and hydropower interests, resulting in a lengthy process of negotiation and consent. Current technology (e.g. Archimedes screw turbine) is increasingly marketed as fish friendly and a possible means to negotiate this impasse. Recent research suggests that passage of fish through Archimedes screw turbines is associated with lower rates of injury and mortality when compared with traditional devices, but there is little understanding of second order effects such as the delayed migration induced by the hydrodynamic and acoustic conditions created. Delayed migration is costly in terms of higher energetic expenditure and elevated predation risk. This study will address the current gap in knowledge by quantifying second order effects of Archimedes screw turbines on river fish with the view to developing recommendations for mitigation. Benefitting from the unique training environment created at the University of Southampton in which the Centre for Environmental Science is embedded within the Faculty of Engineering and the Environment the CASE student will join an interdisciplinary team of freshwater biologists and waterengineers. The student will conduct research that crosses the disciplinary divide and help establish linkages between the Research Councils through being aligned to, and thus benefitting from, the EPSRC funded Centre for Doctoral Training in Sustainable Infrastructure Systems (CDT-SIS). CDT-SIS promotes interdisciplinary research training in environmental science and engineering through combined innovative peer-to-peer cohort and traditional training approaches. In collaboration with a consortium of partners (led by Fishtek Consulting Ltd who will act as the CASE partner) the student will access dedicated generic and technical skills training in the several key areas identified by NERC as part of the UK skills shortage in environmental science. These will be provided within a supportive and nurturing environment in collaboration with world leading experts and with access to state-of-the-art experimental infrastructure, equipment, and field sites. Results of the project will be disseminated through outreach activities involving all partners to ensure impact is maximised.
- NERC Reference:
- NE/N009002/1
- Grant Stage:
- Completed
- Scheme:
- DTG - directed
- Grant Status:
- Closed
- Programme:
- Industrial CASE
This training grant award has a total value of £86,776
FDAB - Financial Details (Award breakdown by headings)
| Total - Fees | Total - Student Stipend | Total - RTSG |
|---|---|---|
| £16,957 | £58,822 | £11,000 |
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