Sustainable Hydropower Requires Proven Fish Passage Solutions
Fishheart helps hydropower operators restore fish migration while minimizing water loss, infrastructure costs, and operational impact.
Fishheart is a fully commercialized and globally deployed hydraulic fish passage solution designed for sustainable hydropower environments.
Unlike traditional fish ladders that often require massive civil construction, large water consumption, and permanent concrete infrastructure, Fishheart provides a flexible, AI-driven floating fishway solution that has already been proven across three continents and more than 50 fish species.
A Proven Technology in three continents
Fishheart has been proven in several different and complex environments.
Facts on our technology:
- Commercially deployed since 2017
- Passed over 150,000 fish
- Operated across Europe, North America, and Australia
- Independently validated by biological experts
- Received government approvals
- Demonstrated safe passage for more than 50 fish species
Designed for existing and new Hydropower Sites
Many existing dams and hydropower plants were never designed with fish migration in mind.
Traditional fish ladders can become extremely difficult or expensive when:
- Elevation differences are steep
- Space is limited
- Existing infrastructure restricts construction
- Reservoir levels fluctuate
- Environmental permitting becomes complex
Fishheart was specifically developed for challenging hydropower environments where traditional fish ladders are often difficult, expensive, or impractical to implement. Unlike permanent concrete structures, the modular floating system requires minimal civil works and can be deployed significantly faster while using very little land area. The solution is also fully reversible from an environmental perspective and can be relocated or removed if operational or environmental conditions change in the future.
Low Water Usage — High Efficiency
Traditional fish ladders can consume enormous amounts of water continuously.
According to the estimates, a conventional 25-meter fish ladder operating at 3.0 m³/s consumes approximately 95 million m3 per year.
Fishheart operates using only 0.2 – 0.3 m³/s attraction flow
This allows hydropower operators to:
- Preserve valuable water resources
- Maintain hydropower efficiency
- Reduce ecological flow losses
Fish Passage for All Fish Species — Not Just the Strongest
One of the biggest hidden limitations of traditional fish ladders is biological selectivity.
Concrete fish ladders naturally favor larger fish which are strong swimmers. Fish capable of prolonged physical climbing, basically salmon. Smaller fish, weaker fish, bottom-dwelling species, and juvenile fish won't pass.
Fishheart changes this completely.
Because the system gently transports fish hydraulically rather than forcing them to physically climb:
- Small fish can migrate successfully
- Weak fish can pass safely
- Bottom species can migrate
- Multiple species can coexist in passage
- Fish avoid exhaustion and injuries
Independent biological evaluations verified:
- 100% internal passage success
- Zero mortality
- No injuries to fish
Multi-Species Fish Migration Proven in Real Environments
Fishheart has already demonstrated successful migration across a wide range of species and aquatic environments, including salmon, trout, whitefish, perch, pike, zander, cyprinids, and endangered brown trout.
This is an important distinction from many traditional fish passage systems that primarily favor strong migratory salmonids. Because Fishheart gently transports fish hydraulically rather than requiring a physically demanding climb, the system supports migration for fish of different sizes, strengths, and behavioral patterns — including weaker and bottom-dwelling species that are often underrepresented in conventional fish ladder studies.
This broader multi-species capability is increasingly important as hydropower operators and environmental authorities focus not only on individual species, but on restoring entire aquatic ecosystems and supporting long-term biodiversity goals.
AI-Powered Monitoring and Real-Time ESG Data Collection
Fishheart includes integrated AI-powered monitoring from the very beginning, transforming fish passage from a passive infrastructure component into a real-time environmental intelligence system. Using advanced camera technology and Edge AI, the system can automatically identify species, monitor migration activity, and analyze fish movement continuously without manual intervention.
All data is delivered through cloud-based monitoring tools, allowing operators to track migration remotely, support environmental compliance requirements, and generate valuable ESG reporting data from day one. At the same time, the continuous data flow helps optimize attraction efficiency and overall system performance over time.
Fully Reversible and Environmentally Flexible
Environmental authorities increasingly demand solutions that minimize permanent river modification.
Unlike traditional concrete fishways, Fishheart:
- Requires minimal permanent construction
- Does not permanently alter riverbanks
- Can be removed if needed
- Leaves a significantly smaller physical footprint
- Adapts to changing environmental requirements
- This “fully reversible” approach offers major advantages in sensitive environments and protected waterways
Optimized for sustainable Hybrid Hydropower
Fishheart is especially suitable for sustainable hybrid hydropower environments, including:
- Floating solar + hydro schemes
- Reservoir optimization projects
- ESG modernization initiatives
- Existing dam retrofits
- Space-constrained sites
The flexible hydraulic transfer system can even bypass floating solar installations entirely and release fish into optimal upstream habitats — something traditional concrete fish ladders cannot realistically achieve.
Why Hydropower Operators Choose Fishheart
Proven Globally
Commercial deployments across multiple continents.
Minimal Water Consumption
Only a fraction of the flow required by traditional fish ladders.
Faster Deployment
Months instead of multi-year concrete construction projects.
Works in Challenging Locations
Steep dams, remote locations, constrained infrastructure.
Real-Time AI Monitoring
Automated environmental data and ESG reporting.
Supports All Fish Species
Not limited to strong migratory salmonids.
Fully Reversible
Minimal permanent environmental impact.
A Smarter Alternative to Traditional Fish Ladders
Fishheart helps hydropower operators balance:
- Renewable energy production
- Biodiversity restoration
- Water efficiency
- Environmental compliance
- ESG performance
- Without compromising operational flexibility.
Contact Fishheart
Looking for a proven fish passage solution for:
- Hydropower plants
- Existing dams
- Challenging river environments
Contact Fishheart to discuss:
- Site feasibility
- Fish migration requirements
- Modern alternative to traditional fish ladders
