Due to a biological opinion-driven need to add downstream fish passage facilities at the dams in the Willamette Basin, USACE retained our team to develop a cost-effective concept for a portable floating fish collector, to be used in research of smolt behaviour in water reservoirs. In addition to meeting appropriate fish passage and holding criteria, the goal of the project was to utilize “off the shelf” components as much as possible to minimize downtime and costs and allow for ease of maintenance, and continued portability. The facility is unique, by virtue of this portability, utilization of a shoreside electrical system supplying power via a subsea cable, and the ability to operate over a 185-foot variation in water surface elevation.

• Endangered Species Act-Listed Upper Willamette River spring-run Chinook and winter-run steelhead; juveniles enter Willamette Valley Power reservoirs primarily as fry and quickly grow to +60mm; large numbers of juvenile Chinook are observed in the reservoir forebay but are not recorded downstream despite available passage opportunities
• Marking, releasing, and recapturing fish informs researchers as to the behavior and collection efficiency of both tagged and run of river fish
• The need for a small-scale floating fish collector was identified as a possible means to fill gaps in the existing research, allowing further evaluation of fullscale passage options
• Cost-effective and economical means of safely obtaining juvenile fish (anadromous salmonids and bull trout) in WVP reservoirs for use in research, monitoring, and evaluation efforts