Assessing fisheries mitigation measures at Xayaburi Dam in Lao PDR

Project Summary

The site of the world’s most productive inland fishery — the Mekong River Basin (MRB) — is currently experiencing development of rivers for hydropower generation. There are currently 11 hydropower projects scheduled for the main Mekong River channel, and many more on its tributaries.

The first mainstem Mekong River dam was recently commissioned in October 2019 at Xayaburi, in Lao PDR. A substantial amount of investment has been allocated to building a fish pass to mitigate the effects of the dam on fish passage, with the goal of establishing the best-practice standard for future mainstem dams. Nevertheless, a structured research program is critical to help optimise the Xayaburi fish pass facilities.

Project Details

Project Period
2018 – 2022

Project Funding
$1.4M (ACIAR, DFAT)

Project Location
Xayaburi Dam, Lao PDR

Objectives

To develop a suite of monitoring techniques for assessing the performance of mainstem fish passes in the Mekong River Basin (MRB)
To optimise the Xayaburi fish pass facilities
To provide a standard for monitoring and constructing other fish passes in the MRB

Team Members

Prof. Lee Baumgartner (IFRG)
Dr Chris Barlow (Fish Matters IP)
Dr Ann Flemming (ACIAR)
Mrs Khampheng Homsombath (LARReC)
Mr Jarrod McPherson (IFRG)
Dr Nathan Ning (IFRG)
Mr Karl Pomorin (KarlTek)
Mr Thanasak Poomchaivej (XPCL)
Dr Michael Raeder (XPCL)
Dr Wayne Robinson (IFRG)
Mr Douangkham Singhanouvong (LARReC)
Mr Garry Thorncraft (NUoL
Mr Kyle Weatherman (IFRG)

Project Partners

Charles Sturt University (CSU)
Australian Centre for International Agricultural Research (ACIAR)
Department of Foreign Affairs and Trading (DFAT)
National University of Laos (NUoL)
Living Aquatic Resources Research Centre (LARReC (Lao PDR))
Xayaburi Power Company Limited (XPCL)
KarlTek Pty Ltd
Fish Matters IP