Author(s): Michihiro Hamaki; Kazuya Sakamoto; Taishi Morita; Yoshihumi Konno; Yasuyuki Shimizu
Linked Author(s): Michihiro Hamaki, Yasuyuki Shimizu
Keywords: IRIC-GELATO numerical analysis migration of salmonids biotelemetry fishway
Abstract: In the Toyohira River, which flows through Sapporo City in Hokkaido, Japan, many salmon migrate upstream every year, and natural spawning has been confirmed. However, in the river sections with check dums (also known as groundsills), some of the fishways are blocked by sandbars, raising concern that this may impede fish migration. Additionally, in recent years, surveys on fish migration have mainly been conducted by field monitoring using traps, fixed cameras, and salmon counters. Few studies have conducted numerical analyses or evaluations of a fishway’s performance. In this study, we attempted to reproduce migration paths using numerical analysis based on the results of previous migration surveys. Our aim was to develop and evaluate a method for assessing the performance of fishways. We reproduced the migration path of salmonids using a mass transport tracking model called iRIC-GELATO. The results of a biotelemetry survey on salmonids were used as the basic reference data. By simulating the migration of salmonids, including masu salmon and other species, based on fish survey results, we were able to generally reproduce the migration paths. This simulation demonstrated that iRIC-GELATO is effective for quantitatively evaluating the performance of fishways in supporting such migration.
Year: 2025