Reductions in Ichthyoplankton Entrainment with Fine-Mesh, Wedge-Wire Screens

Stephen B. Weisberg, William H. Burton, Fred Jacobs, Eric A. Ross

Research output: Contribution to journalArticlepeer-review

9 Scopus citations

Abstract

The exclusion efficiency of cylindrical wedge-wire screens was investigated at the Chalk Point Steam Electric Station in Aquasco, Maryland, by measuring entrainment of larval bay anchovies Anchoa mitchilli and naked gobies Gobiosoma bosci through screens with slot sizes of 1, 2, and 3 mm and through an unscreened intake. The degree of exclusion by the screens increased with fish size. Fish less than 5 mm long were not excluded by any of the screens. In contrast, more than 80% of larger ichthyoplankton were excluded by all screens. Virtually no ichthyoplankton larger than 10 mm were entrained through the 1-mm screen even when fish of this size were abundant and were entrained through the unscreened intake. The 2-mm and 3-mm-slot screens were not as effective at excluding ichthyoplankton as the 1-mm screen, but the effect of slot size on exclusion efficiency was small relative to the effect of fish size. These results suggest that entrainment through water intake structures can be successfully reduced by wedge-wire screens if the larval fish at risk exceed 5 mm in length.

Original languageEnglish
Pages (from-to)386-393
Number of pages8
JournalNorth American Journal of Fisheries Management
Volume7
Issue number3
DOIs
StatePublished - Jul 1987

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