A day in the life of fisheries and hydrokinetic researchers

July 29, 2021

Andy Seitz catches fish with Mark Evans at the Tanana River test site near Nenana. Their work is part of the Triton Initiative. Photo by Amanda Byrd.

Amanda Byrd, with UAF's Alaska Center for Energy and Power, recently spent a day with UAF fisheries researchers Andy Seitz and Mark Evans and Pacific Northwest National Laboratory scientist Garrett Staines as they caught fish in the Tanana River near Nenana as part of an effort to evaluate the potential impacts of a hydrokinetic turbine. The collaboration included the use of ACEP’s hydrokinetic test barge at the Tanana River test site.

Watch a new video that showcases the research partnership and the broader impacts of understanding the collision risk of fishes and the spinning turbines. The research is part of the Triton Initiative — the largest hydrokinetic and marine energy research project sponsored by the U.S. Department of Energy Water Power Technologies Office. Triton researches the potential environmental impacts of these renewable energy systems on marine and riverine environments.

For more information on this research, contact Seitz at acseitz@alaska.edu.