Research Information System
HYDROBIOLOGIA, 2025 (SCI-Expanded)
In this study, up- and downstream movements of Capoeta damascina around Cataloluk Small Hydropower Plant (SHPP) in the Tekir stream, a 27 km-long small tributary of the Ceyhan River in the eastern Mediterranean region of Turkey, were assessed by using a radio telemetry method. The fish tracking data revealed that the Cataloluk vertical slot fishway has high attraction and passage efficiency. However, the absence of a downstream fish guidance structure trapped 75% of the C. damascina individuals that ascended the fishway in the Cataloluk reservoir, and those individuals did not migrate further upstream due to the lack of fishway at K & imath;s & imath;k Weir. On the other hand, remaining individuals moved downstream of the Cataloluk Dam; 12.5% of individuals remained stationary in the pool habitat at inadequate environmental flow in the bypassed reach, and others moved to Sucat & imath; Reservoir. We found that a fish's core home range, where it spent 50% of its time during the tracking period, corresponds to 11% of the length of the Tekir stream. These results provide valuable insights into the movement patterns and habitat use of C. damascina in hydropower-regulated rivers, which may inform future management strategies for fish passage and habitat conservation in similar ecosystems.