Field experiment to test the effectiveness of LED lights for the behavioural guidance of imperiled American Eel during their downstream spawning migration

美洲鳗鲡（Anguilla rostrata）在其大部分本土范围内都处于危险之中，部分原因是在下游产卵前向海洋环境迁移的过程中，由于遇到水电基础设施而死亡。鳗鱼的数量急剧下降，已经被安大略省列为“濒危物种”，并被列入世界自然保护联盟的红色名录。减少、避免或消除与潜在有害基础设施（如涡轮机）的物理接触已被确定为种群保护战略的关键组成部分，特别是当这种接触可以通过行为指导技术（即引导鱼类从危险区域转向不会干扰水力发电的更安全区域）减少时。值得注意的是，人造光已经显示出一些希望，可以使夜间洄游的鳗鱼偏离照明区域，创造机会将鳗鱼集中到安全通道或进行有效的收集和运输。然而，许多光导研究都是在圈养的实验室环境下进行的，缺乏明显的实际应用潜力，或者依赖于现场部署，再加上下游捕获鳗鱼，并推断出它们在光场周围的运动模式和路径。我们与安大略发电公司（OPG）、魁北克水电公司（HQ）以及政府合作伙伴合作，开展了一项管理规模的研究，以评估光对引导鳗鱼的有效性。在OPG和HQ的资助下，两个浮动灯阵列（217米和120米长）将安装在Iroquois水利控制大坝（ON）和Beauharnois运河（QC）的Saint-Louis-de-Gonzague桥上游的St. Lawrence河上。我们将正式评估和量化人造光在实现与水电基础设施相遇的美国鳗鱼种群管理和保护的指导性结果方面的有效性。近十年来，该团队一直在进行试点和可行性研究，为这个独特的、一次性的机会做准备，以产生保护濒危鳗鱼所需的数据。

American eels (Anguilla rostrata) are imperilled throughout much of their native range due in part to mortalities resulting from encounters with hydroelectric infrastructure during downstream pre-spawning migrations towards marine environments. Population declines have been drastic enough that eels are listed as "Endangered" by the Province of Ontario and on the IUCN Red List. Reducing, avoiding, or eliminating physical encounters with potentially harmful infrastructure such as turbines have been identified as key components of population protection strategies, particularly when such encounters can be reduced via behavioural guidance technologies (i.e., guiding fish away from risky areas towards safer areas) that will not interfere with hydroelectric generation. Notably, artificial lights have demonstrated some promise at deflecting night-migrating eels away from illuminated fields, creating an opportunity to concentrate eels towards safe passageways or for efficient collection and transport. However, many light guidance studies have been conducted under captive, laboratory settings that lack obvious scaling potential to real-world applications or relied on field deployments coupled with downstream recaptures of eels and inferential determination of their movement patterns and pathways around light fields. We have partnered with Ontario Power Generation (OPG) and Hydro Quebec (HQ) as well as government collaborators to conduct a management-scale study to evaluate the effectiveness of light for guiding eels. With funding from OPG and HQ, two floating light arrays (217m and 120m length) will be installed in the St. Lawrence River immediately upstream of both the Iroquois Water Control Dam (ON) and the Saint-Louis-de-Gonzague Bridge in the Beauharnois Canal (QC). We will formally evaluate and quantify the effectiveness of artificial light at achieving guidance outcomes for the management and conservation of American eel populations encountering hydroelectric infrastructure. The team has been working on pilot and feasibility studies for nearly a decade in preparation for this unique, one-time opportunity to generate data needed to inform the protection of imperiled eels.