<
https://reasonstobecheerful.world/hydroelectric-dam-turbines-fish-friendly/>
"The American eel is a slippery, mysterious fish. Eels live out most of their
lives in the freshwater rivers and estuaries of the United States, from New
Mexico to South Dakota to Florida to Maine. But when it comes time to
reproduce, the species ventures far out to the Sargasso Sea, the area of
Atlantic Ocean located south of Bermuda some 900 miles off the eastern coast of
the US — or so we think.
Scientists have never actually witnessed wild eel reproduction, only evidence
of it. But to the best of our knowledge, there, in the open waters of the
Sargasso, female eels lay their eggs and subsequently die. When the orphaned
eels are hatched and ready, they return to the continental US, guided by a
genetic GPS back to the inland waterways from whence their parents came.
But today, the American eel’s great mysterious migration is more perilous than
ever. The species was first recognized as endangered in 2013, and wild
populations are estimated to have dropped by as much as 50 percent over recent
decades.
The journey between the States and the Sargasso Sea is complicated not only by
the trawling nets of fisherman, but the steep concrete walls and sharp steel
turbines of hydroelectric power plants, over 900 of which are located within
the native range of the American eel.
Such dams provide huge amounts of emissions-free energy to the US, making them
an essential tool in fighting climate change. Balancing this benefit with the
needs of the eels –– and many other aquatic species –– is propelling a movement
to align the dual goals of producing abundant clean energy while protecting
biodiversity: turbine by turbine, eel by eel."
Cheers,
*** Xanni ***
--
mailto:xanni@xanadu.net Andrew Pam
http://xanadu.com.au/ Chief Scientist, Xanadu
https://glasswings.com.au/ Partner, Glass Wings
https://sericyb.com.au/ Manager, Serious Cybernetics
