Importance

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Abstract

A method for determining the probable response of aquatic species to selected components of water flow fields, comprising the steps of obtaining data for identifying travel and quantitatively describing behavior of real fish constituting members of a selected aquatic species in a flow field, determining passive transport trajectories of the members of the aquatic species in the flow field to establish a basis from which to determine swim path selections, developing postulated behavioral responses of members of the aquatic species to at least one of hydraulic and acoustic stimuli, using statistical rules, and developing a computer utilizing the travel behavior data, the passive transport trajectories, and the postulated behavioral responses, to provide a virtual fish. The method further includes the steps of obtaining data on at least one selected hydraulic flow field component to generate a virtual hydraulic flow field, generating a simulative application of a multiplicity of virtual fish to the virtual hydraulic flow field, and tracking and monitoring the virtual fish through the virtual flow field, and summarizing results as to the numbers of virtual fish entering and exiting the virtual flow field, whereby to determine probable efficiency of real fish passage through the real hydraulic flow field.

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First Claim