The works in the Nahueve river and the reproduction of trout are worrying

Although the claim comes from A long time ago, and deaf ears have fallen, days gone by this destination once again took notoriety for a fishermen complaint and that reflect portals of the region such as environmental groups, who in networks exposed the problem, pointing out with an explicit graphic, as for more than a month, a school of trout it’s found stranded versus dam of the Nahueve river without being able to go up to the springs to deposit their eggs. These are trout that belong to the Lileo, Nahueve and Neuquén rivers. They rise against the current to reach the Epulauquen lagoons and reproduce naturally. 18 years ago, a large sowing of 300,000 fingerlings was carried out, where many people participated with the aim of promoting sport fishing and positioning Nahueve in the world for tourism.

Edward Furlong, Vice President of the Chamber of Guides and Professionals of Sport Fishing in Neuquén lack of construction of a relief channel with a ladder so that the fish can follow their normal path. wildlife staff, while, tried to capture with nets to the fish, but the force of the river makes this task very complicated. It is even expected that with the rains and snowfalls the river can increase its flow to 100 cubic meters per second, according to LM Neuquen.

the dam nahueve is located in the place los reeds nahueve, about 20 kilometers from the town of Andacollo, and includes the electricity generation, water supply and irrigation of more than 120 hectares, from a diverting dam with intake work for a conduction channel and subsequent restitution to the homonymous river. The Neuquén Investment Agency (Adi-Nqn), responsible for the construction and operation of the dam, went out to the crossroads, explaining the situation in a statement made public on Saturday. He indicated that “from ADI NQN we took care from the very gestation of the Nahueve Multipurpose Exploitation project, to provide it with all the elements that would allow it to duly protect its fish population.” In the note they emphasized that “the intake works of the hydroelectric power station have incorporated the construction of a fish ladder of high and modern conception, which occupies a third part of the dam and which required an investment of US$ 3 million, equivalent to the cost of the turbines of the power plant built in Austria. Today the fish scale meets a degree of progress in its construction of 80% ready to be enabled in the next four months, similar to the time remaining to finish the plant”.In the country there is no scale for fish with these characteristics, and in the province of Neuquén, with six hydroelectric plants that gave it the first position in hydroelectric production in Argentina, there are no fish scales in any of them. this will be the first“, they emphasized from Adi-Nqn.

In it release they pointed out a series of actions. Among the most notable, they point out that through a team of biologists from the CEAN and supported by the Rangers of the North Zone, the catch of fish and its return upstream, continuing with this task as long as the flows allowed them. On days with less water flow, the narrowing of the channel dam was carried out using sand pockets, until the flows increased. In addition, within this framework, it is resolved to hire the AMK company, at the suggestion of the Province’s Undersecretary of the Environment, to carry out the implementation of nets, the capture of fish and their transfer upstream. During the first days of April, sand pockets were placed again, narrowing the width of the Azud, to increase the water flow. At that time the river had a flow of 4 m37sec. (obvious shortage of water). The behavior of the fish was evaluated, through weekly monitoring and it was verified, after two weeks that the measure had given a result of 70%, going up the riverbed from the river the smallest specimens in size, staying without being able to do it the fish of greater weight. During the second half of April and the month of May, the river flow increases at different levels, between 8 m3/sec and 40 m3/sec, for which it is estimated that the the fish would naturally climb the wall of the dam, which did not happen, totally, but went upstream, only a part of the shoal. This could be verified by weekly monitoring.

A new alternative was evaluated and defined, a fish ladder the width of the weir, to allow the fish to jump, that can allow them to reach the water course, over the maximum height of the dam. this scale provisional fish, which It is being built, it will be placed in next week’s course. At the same time, work planes are being requested from companies specialized in the capture and transfer of fish, which were carried out in other dams in the province, through different techniques, to consider different alternatives to the problem, which is common to all dams built on the rivers of the province and the country.

Thanks today we have greater volume of water in the Nahueve River, which has lessened the unfavorable conditions. fishermen expect this be fulfilled and that the fish population of the region suffers as little as possible from this alternation of the environment.