Assessing fisheries mitigation measures at Xayaburi Dam in Lao PDR

The world’s most productive inland fishery - the Lower Mekong Basin fishery - is currently under threat from the proposed development of eleven dams on the main stem of the Mekong River.

The challenge

Evidence from dam developments elsewhere throughout the world suggests that the Mekong dams will block many migratory fish species from accessing crucial feeding, spawning and nursery habitat, and thereby prevent them from completing their life cycles.

The first mainstem Mekong River dam was recently commissioned in October 2019 at Xayaburi, in Lao PDR.

There are many benefits of dam construction; namely creating jobs, supplying and exporting electricity and reducing poverty.

However, there are concerns about the impacts on the livelihoods of people currently dependent on the river, and the difficulties of mitigating those impacts.

Our response

A record level of investment has been put towards mitigating the impact of the Xayaburi Dam on fish passage, with the goal of setting the best-practice standard for future mainstem dam developments.

The effectiveness of the Xayaburi fishway remains untested, and a strategic research program is working to address this issue. Charles Sturt University has partnered with KarlTek Pty Ltd, Xayaburi Power Company, National University of Lao, Living Aquatic Resources Research Centre and Fish Matters IP, to develop optimal techniques for assessing the performance of mainstem dam fishways in the Lower Mekong Basin.

The research team have been applying these techniques to evaluate fish passage at the site.

The goal

  • Develop a suite of robust techniques to assess the performance of mainstem dam fishways in the Mekong catchment.
  • Assess upstream fish passage within the Xayaburi Dam fish pass facilities.
  • Provide a standard for monitoring and constructing other mainstem dam fishways in the Mekong catchment.
  • Enable enhanced operations at Xayaburi to ensure fish passage is fully integrated into day-to-day dam operations.
  • Improve the design of other fish passes at future mainstem dams.

Our team

Principal scientist

portrait of Professor Lee Baumgartner
Professor Lee Baumgartner
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Our research team

portrait of Jarrod McPherson
Jarrod McPherson
Research Officer
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portrait of Dr Nathan Ning
Dr Nathan Ning
Aquatic Ecologist
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portrait of Dr Wayne Robinson
Dr Wayne Robinson
Senior Ecologist
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Dr Chris Barlow
(Fish Matters IP), Senior Fisheries Ecologist
Dr Ann Fleming
(ACIAR), Fisheries Research Program Manager
Khampheng Homsombath
(LARReC), Senior Fisheries Ecologist
Karl Pomorin
Expert in Passive Integrated Tag (PIT) monitoring systems
Thanasak Poomchaivej
(XPCL), Manager of the Environmental Monitoring department
Douangkham Singhanouvong
(LARReC)
Garry Thorncraft
(NUoL)
Michael Raeder
Owner representative for XPCL
Douangkham Singhanouvong
(Consultant), former Deputy Director of LARReC
Garry Thorncraft
(NUoL), Senior Fisheries Ecologist and Fishway Expert

Key research publications

  • Baumgartner, L. J., Boys, C., Marsden, T., McPherson, J., Ning, N., Phonekhampeng, O., Robinson, W., Singhanouvong, D., Stuart, I., & Thorncraft, G. (2022). A comparison of the effectiveness of three fishway designs for use in a large tropical river system. Abstract from Australian Society for Fish Biology Conference 2022, Surfers Paradise, Queensland, Australia.
  • Baumgartner, L. J., Pomorin, K., Poomchaivej, T., Robinson, W., Raeder, M., & Ning, N. (2022). Installing fish detection systems within the Xayaburi Run of River Power Plant. Paper presented at Australian Society for Fish Biology Conference 2022, Surfers Paradise, Queensland, Australia. http://asfb-2022.p.asnevents.com.au/days/2022-11-09/abstract/84223
  • Poomchaivej, T. (2022). Developing quality assurance practices for PIT tagging in the Mekong River. Paper presented at Australian Society for Fish Biology Conference 2022, Surfers Paradise, Queensland, Australia.
  • Raeder, M. and Poomchaivej, T.  Fishpass design of the Xayaburi Hydroelectric Power Plant, Laos. Paper presented at Australian Society for Fish Biology Conference 2022, Surfers Paradise, Queensland, Australia.
  • Poomchaivej, T. and Supachokepanich, J. (2018). Modification of navigation locks for upstream fish migration. Paper presented at Fish Passage 2018, Albury, New South Wales, Australia.

Connect and collaborate

We are looking for researchers, students, funding and partners to help take our research to the next level.

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