Borghetti, J. R., D. P. Chena and S. V. G. Nogueira (1993).  Installation of a 
fish migration channel for spawning at Itaipu. International Water Power and Dam 
Construction.  45:24-25.
	
A fish migration channel for spawning at the Itaipu (Brazil and Paraguay) 
hydroelectric station was installed to improve fish recovery downstream from the 
dam. The complex had caused a significant reduction in the spawning area, with a 
deleterious effect on the reproductive cycle of the native species. An 
experimental model of a fish migration channel was installed, having a system of 
'tank steps' at the foot of the dam, a sheet-metal ladder, a serpentine-style 
channel for the spawning of the fish, and two marginal lagoons for incubation of 
the eggs and growth of the larvae. The return migration of the hatchlings will 
be made through a trough linking the marginal lagoons directly to the Parana 
River. The first phase of the project is formed by a 56-m-long ladder. 
Preliminary data from the first phase has proved that fish (3000/day) of 
tropical climates can ascend ladders exceeding 8 m. The results of the first 
phase indicate the efficiency of the experimental project, with the entry and 
ascendancy of fish in a migration channel ladder. These data now provide the 
technical basis for implementation of the complementary spawning channel stage.