Lesson: Swim to and from the Sea!

Contributed by: Integrated Teaching and Learning Program, College of Engineering, University of Colorado
Boulder

Quick Look

Grade Level: 4 (3-5)

Time Required: 30 minutes
Lesson Dependency : None
Subject Areas: Biology
Earth and Space
Geometry
Life Science
Measurement
Physical Science
Problem Solving
Science and Technology

Summary
Students are introduced to the basic biology behind Paci c salmon
migration and the many engineered Columbia River dam structures that aid
in their passage through the river's hydroelectric dams. Students apply what
they learn about the salmon life cycle as they think of devices and
modi cations that might be implemented at dams to permit the natural
cycle of sh migration, and as they make (hypothetical) Splash Engineering
presentations about their proposed sh mitigation solutions for Birdseye
River's dam in Thirsty County.
This engineering curriculum meets Next Generation Science Standards
(NGSS).
Students explore sh migration

Engineering Connection
Massive engineered structures such as dams have an e ect on the natural environment. Because the application of
scienti c knowledge to satisfy human needs requires natural resources, engineering solutions inevitably impact the
natural environment. The priorities of engineering projects are ultimately chosen by the priorities of the public, and
thus, engineering projects change along with people. Because society is now more aware of the importance of
environmental conservation, the design and modi cation of these structures take into consideration care for the
ecosystems in which they operate and on which they depend.

Pre-Req Knowledge
An understanding of the basic purpose of dams and the di erent types, as provided in lesson 4 of the Dams unit.

Learning Objectives
After this lesson, students should be able to:

Name the stages of the salmon life cycle.

Explain why it is important for adult salmon to migrate upstream past dams.
Name three examples of engineered structures designed to protect sh.
Educational Standards
 NGSS: Next Generation Science Standards - Science
 International Technology and Engineering Educators Association - Technology
 State Standards

Introduction/Motivation
When we build dams on rivers, we get the bene ts of hydroelectric power generation. We also have discovered that
blocking the river and lowering the water ow impacts the surrounding ecosystems. Realizing this has led to
environmental stewardship practices such as enabling sh to bypass dams, improving water quality and
implementing additional river ows to bene t downstream aquatic habitat.

Let's review some basic salmon biology. Once they are hatched, what stages do salmon go through to become
adults? How many stages do you go through as a human? Let's look at the handout to understand the stages of a
salmon's life. (As a class, review the Salmon Life Cycle Handout in detail.)

Figure 1. To aid sh migration at hydroelectric dams, engineers design into

dams juvenile bypass systems, sh transport facilities, and adult sh ladders.

When a dam blocks a river, the river habitat is replaced by lake habitat. While this may not sound so bad— sh and
birds like lakes, too—it can cause some environmental problems. Historically, in the Paci c Northwest, large dams
blocked the migration of coho, chinook and sockeye salmon from the ocean to their upstream spawning grounds. To
address this, many e orts have been made to help the sh around the dams (see Figure 1), such as creating safer
routes over a dam or putting them in barges (large boats that ship them upriver) or building sh ladders (see Figure
2). In addition, dam turbine blades can kill young sh heading downriver to the ocean. (Optional: Show students a
map of the dams in the Columbia River Basin in the Northwest so they can see how many dams might block sh from
swimming to the ocean and back. See http://www.nwd-wc.usace.army.mil/dd/common/sysmap/www/index.html?
lat=47&long=-118&zoom=6.)
 Figure 2. Fish ladders are a series of steps and pools that provide a gradual upward climb over
dams, providing passageways for returning adult sh that are swimming upstream.

In our ongoing hypothetical situation, citizens in and around Thirsty County are concerned about the salmon
population in the Birdseye River. They have asked Splash Engineering to present a variety of dam designs that will be
safe to the sh population and not hinder seasonal salmon migration up and down Birdseye River.

Upstream sh passage can be aided using sh ladders or elevators (see Figure 2), or by trapping and hauling the sh
upstream by barge or truck. Downstream sh passage is aided by diverting sh from turbine intakes using screens or
racks or even underwater lights, sounds and bubbles, and by maintaining a minimum spill ow past the turbine. Let's
discuss these designs and how they help the sh survive passing by the dam.

As the engineers for Splash Engineering, you can incorporate into your Thirsty County dam designs these sorts of
devices and structures that protect and help the migrating salmon in Birdseye River. Let's brainstorm to think about
how we could protect sh swimming both upstream and downstream.

(To conclude, either lead an informal discussion or assign student teams to come up with their own proposed plan of
sh mitigation solutions for the Birdseye River dam in Thirsty County that include a labeled drawing and short
presentation; see details in the Assessment section. If conducting the associated activity, do this after the activity is
completed.)

Lesson Background and Concepts for Teachers

Six species of anadromous salmon nd habitat in the Columbia River Basin (chinook, coho, chum, sockeye, pink and
steelhead), plus anadromous shad, smelt and lamprey. Anadromous sh migrate from salt water to breed in fresh
water, which is di erent than catadromous sh that live in fresh water and migrate to marine waters to breed.

As described on the Salmon Life Cycle Handout, the six stages of the salmon life cycle are egg, alevin, fry or parr,
smolt, juvenile and adult. The salmon life cycle begins when they hatch in fresh water rivers and tributaries where
they remain to grow for a year or two (see Figure 3). Then they migrate from fresh-water rivers to the salty ocean
where they live for two to ve years. As mature adults, they return to their birthplaces to spawn. Exhausted after the
upstream swim, the adults die shortly after spawning, their bodies adding nutrients to the stream where the eggs
hatch.

Figure 3. The salmon life cycle.

Many factors can impact the health of salmon populations, including overharvesting; the harming of water habitat
from farming, cattle grazing, mining, logging, road construction and industrial pollution; and the existence of a
network of tributary and mainstream dams. The presence of dams a ects the habitat and migration of anadromous
salmon species because they impede sh migrations to and from the ocean by their physical presence and by
creating reservoirs. Compared to rivers, the reservoirs behind dams are places of slower water velocities and altered
river temperatures. Slowed water movement increases the time it takes sh to migrate and increases the likelihood
of being caught by predators. Warmer water temperatures alter the sh habitat and can change sh behavior. Dams
also lower salmon survival because they are treacherous for juvenile salmon to navigate en route to the ocean, and
reduce (or eliminate) access to fresh water habitat (preventing adult sh from returning to spawn).

To address these issues, many dams now have facilities to help sh migrate past the dams. In addition, many dams
are now operated to improve passage and reservoir conditions for sh. For example, during the juvenile sh
migration season, late March until fall, river ows are increased to mimic seasonal high ows, and additional water is
spilled to aid migration.

Juvenile sh can migrate past dams by several routes: through the turbines (not safe!), over a dam spillway, through a
screened juvenile sh bypass system, or via transport by barge or truck. Juvenile sh bypass systems use submerged
screens (or cage-like racks) positioned in front of dam turbines to keep sh away from the dangerous powerhouse
turbines. Sometimes underwater sound, light and bubbles are used as "behavioral barriers" to divert sh away from
turbine intakes. Once at the screens, the young sh are directed into channel openings that route them back to the
river below the dam (which is called "bypassing"), over a spillway, through ice or trash sluiceways, or to holding areas
for loading on specially equipped barges or trucks for transport downriver. During barge transport, river water
circulates through the boats so the sh can imprint the chemicals and smells of the water during the trip downriver
through dams and locks. Juvenile bypass systems safely guide millions of spring/summer salmon away from the
turbines and help them navigate rivers containing many dams and reservoirs.

Most juvenile salmon tend to stay in the upper 10 to 20 feet of the water column as they migrate downstream to the
ocean, so it is harder for them to nd a way past a dam if they must dive to 50 to 60 feet to nd a spillway opening or
a bypass channel. Engineers design new technologies that provide more surface-oriented, less stressful passage
routes for the young sh. Some new designs are similar to waterslides.

Sending juvenile sh over dam spillways is one safe way to help sh past the dams, but so much spilling water causes
more bubbles of gas (nitrogen) to be trapped in the water, which can be harmful to sh at high levels. Engineers
design spillway ow de ectors to produce a more horizontal spill ow that minimizes this problem, causing less
change to sh habitat.

To help adult sh gain access to fresh water habitat above dams, adult shways include sh ladders and sh
elevators. Since 1938, sh ladders have been e ectively integrated into the design of many Columbia River Basin
dams. These ladders look like a series of steps and pools and provide a gradual upward climb up the vertical height
of the dams for returning adult sh (see Figure 2). Essentially, sh ladders mimic a series of low, natural waterfalls,
which is something that salmon are able to navigate. To guide the adult sh to the downstream ladder entrances,
engineers simulate "attraction" ow conditions like those that would be found at the base of natural waterfalls. Fish
elevators or sh lifts are mechanical ways to raise sh up from the bottom of a dam to the top part of the reservoir
so they can continue to swim upstream.

Engineers and biologists continue to evaluate and monitor the success of sh passage and survival at hydropower
dams. Some of their studies involve inserting very small tags containing radio antennas and/or computer chips into
sh body cavities to enable them to track the sh during their lifetimes. Sometimes engineers place sensors in the
stream ow to collect data on how many sh go through the various passage routes.

Vocabulary/De nitions
adult salmon: A salmon that is fully developed. Adult salmon swim upstream to their spawning grounds.
anadromous: Fish that migrate from salt water to breed in fresh water.
engineer: A person who applies her/his understanding of science and mathematics to creating things for the
bene t of humanity and our world.
sh ladder: A device used to aid in the upstream migration of adult salmon over a dam.
juvenile salmon: A salmon that is not yet fully developed. Juvenile salmon swim downstream to the ocean where
they become adults.
salmon migration: A round-trip voyage that salmon embark on from their birthplace in their home streams out to
the ocean and back again to spawn.
smolt: A sh that has not yet reached juvenile stage.
spawn: The reproductive process of salmon. Spawning females deposit eggs in gravel nests in streams where the
eggs are fertilized by adult males.
spillway: The part of a dam where water from the upstream reservoir "spills" into the tailrace.
tailrace: A channel on the downstream side of a dam (or portion of the river immediately downstream of a dam)
that directs water back into the main river.

Associated Activities
Fish-Friendly Engineering - Students further their understanding of the salmon life cycle and how sh are
assisted in their migration past hydroelectric dams by playing an animated PowerPoint game involving a sh
that must climb a sh ladder to get over a dam. They brainstorm their own ideas and then learn about existing
ways engineers have made dams "friendlier" to migrating sh.

Lesson Closure
Let's review the six stages of the salmon life cycle. What are they? (Answer: Egg, alevin, fry or parr, smolt, juvenile and
adult.) At which stage are salmon when they swim downstream past dams? And at which stage are they when
swimming upstream? (Answers: Smolts and adults, respectively.) Why do the adult salmon swim upstream? (Answer:
To return to their birthplaces to spawn.) What happens if the adult salmon cannot migrate upstream to where they
hatched? (Answer: They will not lay eggs so that new salmon can be born, reducing the salmon population.)

How do dams lower salmon survival rates? (Possible answers: Dams are physical barriers to the seasonal sh
navigation up and down rivers, some sh die in the turbines, reservoirs above dams are not the ideal habitat for
salmon, some sh are lost or eaten while in the warmer and slower-moving reservoirs, salmon cannot get past the
dams to return to their native rivers to reproduce, etc.)

What types of structures and solutions do engineers incorporate into the dams they design so they are less
disruptive of the natural migration cycle of sh such as salmon? (Possible answers: Engineers incorporate sh
ladders, sh elevators/lifts, juvenile sh bypass systems with submerged turbine intake screens and racks,
underwater sound/light/bubble diversion devices to guide sh to safer routes over a dam, barge and truck
transportation, ice or trash sluiceways, spilling additional water to ow past the turbines and the dam, increasing
river ows to mimic seasonal river water levels, etc.)

Worksheets and Attachments

Salmon Life Cycle Handout (doc)
Salmon Life Cycle Handout (pdf)

Assessment
Pre-Lesson Assessment

Diagramming: Ask students to create a diagram of the human life cycle (baby, toddler, child, pre-teen, teen, young
adult, adult, older adult). Does the salmon life cycle have more or fewer steps than a human life cycle? (A salmon has
six main stages to its life cycle.) Tell students they will learn more about the salmon life cycle in this lesson.

Post-Introduction Assessment

Toss-a-Ball: Ask the class the following questions and have students catch and toss a ball while attempting to give the
correct answers.

What is salmon migration? (Answer: A round-trip voyage that salmon embark on from their birthplace in their
home streams out to the ocean and back again to spawn.)
 Why do adult salmon swim upstream? (Answer: To return to their birthplaces to spawn.)
How do some dams hinder sh migration? (Possible answers: Dams are physical barriers to sh passage up
and down rivers [could you swim up a very high waterfall?], many sh are killed when they go through the
turbines along with the water that turns the turbines to make electricity, sh must navigate a complex of
route-blocking dams and reservoirs, dam reservoir water temperature and ow conditions are not the ideal
habitat for sh. If sh cannot return to their native river and birthplaces to spawn, no eggs are laid for the next
generation of sh.)
How are dams modi ed to help sh migration? (Possible answers: Limit the physical barrier to sh passage,
make the passage less dangerous by blocking turbine entrances for sh, create special passageways just for
sh, add underwater sound/light/bubbles to divert sh away from dangers and towards safer routes over the
dam, move sh via barges that go through locks in the dam, catch and move sh around dams via truck,
release more water from the dam to mimic seasonal river water levels, etc.)

Lesson Summary Assessment

Informal Discussion: Lead the class in a discussion that reveals the depth of their understanding of the ecological
impact of human-built dams. Ask the students:

Of the many ways that we have learned how to make dams more sh-friendly, which should we include for the
dam at Birdseye River? Why?
What are the costs and bene ts?
How would these measures protect Thirsty County's river ecosystem?

Splash Engineering Presentation: Working in teams of two or three students each, have students brainstorm and
research what methods and devices they plan to incorporate into their engineering team's design of a dam for
Thirsty County, so as to provide the safest and least disruptive migration passage for salmon in Birdseye River. Start
with some of the links provided in the References section. Have teams draw sketches of their plans, noting the
features and bene ts, then each give a brief summary presentation to the class.

Lesson Extension Activities

Have you ever heard of dams being entirely removed for environmental reasons? In Oregon, dam removal has been
completed or proposed in order to restore salmon passage to natural conditions. What happened to the river and its
ecosystems after dam removal? Assign students to research the pro and con arguments of actual cases, such as the
Marmot Dam on the Sandy River, the Savage Rapids Dam on the Rogue River, and numerous dams on the Klamath
River. This topic is also covered in lesson 8 of this unit, Are Dams Forever? Example resources:

https://or.water.usgs.gov/projs_dir/marmot/index.html

http://articles.latimes.com/2009/oct/10/nation/na-oregon-dam10

https://www.seattletimes.com/outdoors/oregon-to-fund-klamath-river-dams-removal/

Additional Multimedia Support

See descriptions, diagrams and photos about sh mitigation at the US Army Corps of Engineer's Fish Management
O ce website: http://www.nwd.usace.army.mil/Missions/Environmental/FishManagementO ce.aspx.

See diagrams of juvenile sh bypass systems at these US Army Corps of Engineer

websites:http://www.nwd.usace.army.mil/Media/FactSheets/FactSheetArticleView/tabid/2128/Article/1154/columbia-
river- sh-mitigation.aspx

See a good salmon life cycle graphic at the North to the Future website at:
http://beena0721.wordpress.com/2009/07/31/spawn-til-you-die/

See good photos and descriptions of the life cycle of the salmon at the Seymour Salmonid Society's website:
http://www.seymoursalmon.com/education/salmon-lifecycle/
References
Advanced Hydropower Technology. Revised October 5, 2005. Environmental Sciences Division, Oak Ridge National
Laboratory. Accessed September 21, 2009.
http://www.esd.ornl.gov/research/ecol_management/hydropower_technology.shtml

The Fascinating Life of an Alaskan Salmon. FishEx Alaskan Seafoods. Accessed September 21, 2009. (good life cycle
graphic, photos and descriptions) http://www. shex.com/seafood/salmon/salmon-life-cycles.html

Fish Management O ce. Last updated May 15, 2009. Northwestern Division, U.S. Army Corps of Engineers. Accessed
September 21, 2009. (source of much teacher background information; good photos and diagrams)
http://www.nwd.usace.army.mil/Missions/Environmental/FishManagementO ce.aspx

How a Fish Lift Works. Safe Harbor Water Power Corporation. Accessed September 21, 2009.
http://www.shwpc.com/ shlift.html

How Hydroelectric Energy Works. Union of Concerned Scientists, Cambridge, MA. Accessed September 21, 2009.
http://www.ucsusa.org/clean_energy/our-energy-choices/renewable-energy/how-hydroelectric-
energy.html#.VtiAtfkrKM8

How Hydropower Works, Hydropower Basics. Last updated September 30, 2005. Wind & Hydropower Technologies
Program, Energy E ciency and Renewable Energy, U.S. Department of Energy. Accessed September 21, 2009.
http://www1.eere.energy.gov/windandhydro/hydro_how.html

Juvenile Bypass Improvements and Surface Bypass Systems, Columbia River Fish Mitigation. Last updated: May 15,
2009. Fish Management O ce, U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, Northwestern Division. Accessed September 21, 2009.
http://www.nwd.usace.army.mil/Media/FactSheets/FactSheetArticleView/tabid/2128/Article/1154/columbia-river- sh-
mitigation.aspx

Juvenile Fish Passage at the Dams, Columbia River Basin–Dams and Salmon. Last updated: 5/15/2009. Fish
Management O ce, U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, Northwestern Division. Accessed September 21, 2009.
http://www.nwd.usace.army.mil/Media/FactSheets/FactSheetArticleView/tabid/2128/Article/1154/columbia-river- sh-
mitigation.aspx

Contributors
Je Lyng; Kristin Field; Lauren Cooper; Denise W. Carlson

Copyright
© 2008 by Regents of the University of Colorado

Supporting Program
Integrated Teaching and Learning Program, College of Engineering, University of Colorado Boulder

Acknowledgements
The contents of this digital library curriculum were developed under grants from the Fund for the Improvement of
Postsecondary Education (FIPSE), U.S. Department of Education and National Science Foundation (GK-12 grant no.
0338326). However, these contents do not necessarily represent the policies of the Department of Education or
National Science Foundation, and you should not assume endorsement by the federal government.

Last modi ed: March 29, 2018