Fisheries monitoring in the Mekong

This project will test existing guidelines and provide recommendations for sustainable fish pass monitoring methodologies in the Mekong River Basin.

The challenge

The Mekong River Commission (MRC) is piloting a Joint Environmental Monitoring (JEM) Program for Mekong mainstream hydropower projects. The program is being undertaken at two existing dams before being extended to all planned dams on the mainstem of the Mekong. During the pilot program’s inception phase, a gap in fish pass monitoring methodology was identified.

The aim of the project is not to develop and implement a systematic methodology but rather test the guidelines and provide recommendations for sustainable fish pass monitoring methodologies in the Mekong River Basin.

Project name
Fisheries monitoring in the Mekong Basin to assess impacts of mainstream hydropower projects as part of the Mekong River Joint Environment Monitoring (JEM) Program (2020 -2023)

Funding eWater managing the Australian Water Partnership (DFAT funded) $482,881

Our response

This will result in a method for monitoring fish passage in hydropower projects along the Mekong River, which could lead to improvements in the design of the fish passage structures.

It will also provide information to create an understanding of the potential impacts of hydropower projects on fish migration.

The goal

The expected outcome of this project is a method for monitoring fish passage in hydropower projects along the Mekong River that could lead improvements in the design of fish passage structures and a better understanding of potential impacts of hydropower projects on fish migration.

  1. To develop jointly with the existing JEM team, a proposal for fish passage monitoring including different fish tagging procedures along the Mekong River
  2. To test methodologies and different tagging techniques (including PIT and acoustic tags) for the Don Sahong Hydropower Project to understand implications of these different techniques in the Mekong
  3. To contribute to the finalisation of the MRC JEM Program on fish passage monitoring, based on the lessons learnt at Xayaburi and Don Sahong
  4. To build capacity within LARReC staff and other MRC fisheries counterparts in fish passage monitoring and fish tagging including survival testing, and inputs into a cloud-based fish passage database system.

Our team

Principal scientist

portrait of Professor Lee Baumgartner
Professor Lee Baumgartner
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Our research team

portrait of Dr Katie Doyle
Dr Katie Doyle
Fisheries ecologist
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portrait of Dr Nathan Ning
Dr Nathan Ning
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portrait of Dr Wayne Robinson
Dr Wayne Robinson
Wildlife ecologist
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Karl Pomorin
KarlTek
Garry Thorncraft
NUoL
Dr Emma Zalcman
AusVet International

Key research publications

  • Lee, D., Eschenroeder, J. C., Baumgartner, L. J., Chan, B., Chandra, S., Chea, S., Chea, S., Chhut, C., Everest, E., Hom, R., Heng, K., Lovgren, S., Ounboundisane, S., Robinson, W., Seat, L., Soth, S., & Hogan, Z. S. (2023). World Heritage, Hydropower, and Earth’s Largest Freshwater Fish. Water (Switzerland), 15(10), [1936]. https://doi.org/10.3390/w15101936

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

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