Big Day Yesterday - BAFF news conference below Barkley Dam

[artcarney_agr]

In case you missed it, yesterday was a media day below Barkley Dam where they displayed the new Bio Acoustic Fish Fence (BAFF). They have started installation now that the TVA and Corps of Engineers finally ended their flood control mission on July 17th that's been active for 210 consecutive days, which is a new record.

From the looks of it, it appears they are cutting a keyway into bedrock on the bottom of the river to make a slot for the BAFF to slide/anchor into. This is a new type of application of the BAFF that has never been tested before. With it being installed at a lock, it will be subjected to strong currents from propwash created by the barges that pass over it entering the lock, as well as debris that they stir up. It's a very robust design and it will be interesting to see how it holds up. It's a 3 year test with the US Fish and Wildlife and Corps of Engineers, after the test it will be removed for further analysis and tests. If the test is successful, more installations will be authorized in similar type areas/situations across KY and the rest of the country.

The goal is to keep the Asian Carp out of the lock, which will keep them below the dam. Since Asian Carp typically cannot successfully spawn in a lake due to a lack of a strong enough current, the BAFF hopefully will stop them from entering the lake through the lock, and whatever ones are still left in the lake will be removed through continued commercial fishing efforts.

KDFWR also showcased how effective electro-fishing can be at the event. There's a video of it where they did it below the dam, I will try to find it and post a link.