Downstream salmon migration in regulated rivers

The Atlantic salmon is a highly appreciated and economically important species that has been negatively affected by pollution, habitat transformation, and commercial fishing. To reproduce, the Atlantic salmon migrates up in streams and rivers and then back to the sea again. In many of our larger rivers, the Atlantic salmon migration is hindered by hydropower plants that create barriers along the salmon migration path. However, through previous and current research, this barrier effect has been reduced, e.g. via building salmon ladders, but when it comes to the downstream migration some problems remain to be resolved. The goal of this project is to gain knowledge as to what controls downstream migration in Atlantic salmon, and through this knowledge, together with technical solutions, further improve the situation for Atlantic salmon populations that spawn in rivers influenced by hydropower plants. The project is part of the Industrial Doctoral School at Umeå University.