PROJECT DESCRIPTION: This project was developed in response to the US Army Corps of Engineer=s commitment to improve anadromous fish passage at Lock and Dam #1 along the Cape Fear River, North Carolina. To accomplish this, construction of a nature-like bypass channel adjacent to the dam was proposed. A pre-construction monitoring plan was implemented in 2001 and repeated again in 2002. CZR Incorporated=s scope of work included tagging and acoustic tracking of American shad (Alosa sapidissima), striped bass (Morone saxatilis), and Atlantic sturgeon (Acipenser oxyrhynchus) in the Cape Fear River from Wilmington to Lock and Dam #1. Pre-construction monitoring was used to determine the success rate and method of passage of anadromous fish passing upstream of Lock and Dam #1 prior to the construction of the nature-like bypass. The results of this study will be compared to post-construction monitoring.
In 2001, 30 fish of each species were targeted for capture and implantation with a sonic tag. In 2002, 50 fish of each species were targeted for tagging with the exception of Atlantic sturgeon which are not found in great numbers in the Cape Fear River. Three fixed monitoring stations and a mobile tracking unit were used to document movement and survival of tagged fish. For each tagged fish, method of capture, species, length, gender, capture and release locations, water quality conditions, and date and time were recorded. The capture, release, and tracking locations were recorded with a GPS unit and used to generate a GIS layer.
At the end of the monitoring period, a report was produced discussing monitoring efforts, tagging and tracking information, and specific fish passage success. Maps were generated for each tagged fish showing all documented sites of relocation.