Swim Performance Online Tools

SPOT is a collection of tools that estimate the swimming performance of fish. The estimates provided by these tools can be helpful in the development and design of fish passage, exclusion, and guidance systems. These interactive web tools perform complex calculations reliably and automatically. For detailed information on these tools and the calculations they perform, visit the User Guide. A brief overview each tool is provided below.

Swim Speed & Swim Time Tool

The Swim Speed & Swim Time Tool generates a plot showing swim speed versus swim time and allows one to be estimating using the other (see Figure 1). This tool requires the fish species/group and the fish length to perform the calculations. This tool can be used to answer questions like:

For more information on this tool and a sample problem, visit the User Guide.
Figure 1. Sample plot from the Swim Speed & Swim Time tool


Swim Distance & Water Velocity Tool

The Swim Distance & Water Velocity Tool is very similar to the Swim Speed & Swim Time Tool but it plots Swim Distance versus Water Velocity. This tool can be used to answer questions like:

For more information on this tool and a sample problem, visit the User Guide.

Length at Maturity Tool

The Length at Maturity Tool can be used to look up the maturation data of a species. The tool provides a table of references with minimum and mean length at maturity. In situations where mature fish must pass an obstacle to complete their life cycle, the length at maturity may be helpful when estimating swimming performance using another tool on this site. For example, if migrating Atlantic salmon must pass a 30 meter culvert to reach spawning habitat, what fish length would be appropriate to use in the Swim Distance & Water Velocity Tool?

End-of-Pipe Screen Size Tool

The End-of-Pipe Fish Screen tool calculates the screen area required at a water intake to prevent impingement of 97.5% of fish based on species, length and the amount of time required for a fish to escape the face of the screen. There is additional information on the tool and a sample problem in the End-of-Pipe Scree Size Tool Manual.



Date Modified 2023-03-21