The workshop "Fish Protection & Downstream Migration at Hydraulic Engineering Sites - What is Needed?" collectively addressed all aspects of fish protection and downstream fish migration that are relevant for dams and water extraction structures. The focal points of the workshop were the foundations of fish behavioral ecology, the technical installations used to achieve fish protection and downstream migration, and the functional evaluations of these systems. A results paper is now available for download.

The event was the second workshop in a series on the topic of fish protection and downstream migration financed by the Federal Environment Agency (UBA) and organized by Ecologic Institute. The workshop took place at the German Federal Waterways and Research Institute (BAW) in Karlsruhe from 23 to 24 January 2013. At the workshop, seventy-six participants from federal and regional water resource management authorities, NGOs, consultancies, water managers, and hydropower discussed fish protection and downstream migration systems used at dams for hydropower installations and water abstraction structures. The workshop’s goals were to establish an open dialogue on the established norms and instruments, to identify areas of conflict, to develop a basis for mutual agreement, and to identify remaining questions surrounding fish protection and downstream migration at hydraulic engineering sites in Germany.

At the workshop, three parallel working groups addressed the following topics:  

• the foundations of fish behavioral ecology,
• the technical installations used to achieve fish protection and downstream migration, and
• the functional evaluations of these systems.

Workshop participants were given the opportunity to learn about these essential topics, to exchange experiences and practices, and to discuss open questions. In particular, the workshop was meant to contribute to the development of a common understanding of the current state knowledge regarding the workshop themes. Within this context, the best technologies and practices that have been shown to be effective or promising, as well as open research, development, and evaluation needs were identified by the workshop participants.

The results paper (in German) presents the detailed findings of the workshop. The presentations of the workshop can be found on the project website.

The third workshop of the workshop series took place from 25 to 26 April 2013 in Koblenz.