Bio-acoustic fish fence now operational at Barkley Lock
Charles Wooley, U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service Great Lakes Region 3 director, speaks during a commissioning ceremony for a bio-acoustic fish fence Nov. 8, 2019 below Barkley Lock in Grand Rivers, Ky. The BAFF sends a curtain of bubbles, sound and light from the riverbed to the water surface, which deters noise-sensitive Asian carp from entering the lock chamber. Fisheries managers on the west coast of the United States use a similar system to guide the movement of trout and salmon from water channels. This marks the first time a BAFF has been tested at a lock and dam on a large river. Construction of the BAFF began in July 2019. The project involves multiple partners, including U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, Kentucky Department of Fish and Wildlife Resources, U.S. Army Corps of Engineers Nashville District, U.S. Geological Survey, and Tennessee Wildlife Resources Agency. Fish Guidance Systems, a United Kingdom-based company specializing in fish deflection and guidance systems, provided the BAFF technology at Barkley Lock.