Assessing spawning ground hydraulic suitability for Chinese sturgeon (Acipenser sinensis) from horizontal mean vorticity in Yangtze River

The Chinese sturgeon, Acipenser sinensis, is an anadromous protected species. Its migration pattern has been blocked since the construction of Gezhouba dam and the length of the natural spawning site reduced to less than 7 km. However, the fish eventually established an alternative spawning ground in the narrow downstream reach of Gezhouba dam. In this article, we applied Delft3D-Flow model to simulate the hydraulic suitability of the spawning ground downstream Gezhouba dam. Horizontal mean vorticity was used to assess the hydraulic environment of spawning ground. The flow field state was determined through model simulation and field-measured data used to validate the model. The computational method was improved by calculating absolute horizontal mean vorticity from estimates the literature. The final vorticity was determined from the simulation output and its distribution pattern retrieved. The horizontal mean vorticity range was 0.71–4.61 10⁻³ s⁻¹ for the entire spawning grounds, with egg mass field upper limit of 1.0 × 10⁻³ s⁻¹. Vorticity strength selection of Chinese sturgeon spawning can enhance our understanding of egg fertilization rate, hence the protection of fertilized eggs. Furthermore, the results of the study would add to existing scientific database for spawning ground hydraulic environment protection, especially in the ecological regulation drive of the Three Gorges Reservoir.