ABSTRACT
Hydropeaking flows often place an intolerable stress on fish. The creation of lateral fish shelters has been pointed out as a most promising mitigation measure to protect fish species from peak flows. Therefore is crucial to determine the design guidelines for the shelters in order to maximize the habitat availability. 2D hydrodynamic numerical models allow us to understand the interactions between river flow and the hydraulic patterns. In this study we compared the results from laboratory work with habitat simulations carried out with the River2D. In the laboratory work different shelter configurations were tested by analysing the behaviour of juvenile brown trout as a global frequentation rate of the shelter. Habitat requirements curve of the brown trout were integrated with the results obtained with River2D to estimate the habitat availability for different fish shelters design configurations. Results for the juveniles are in agreement with the laboratory work major findings.
