Topic: Effect of hydropeaking on riparian vegetation
When: Tuesday, 13 October 2026, 13:15-14:00
Where: 5F322
Presenter: Emil Nordström (Karlstad University)
Researchgate: Emil Nordström
Register to our seminar updates to receive the zoom link:
https://sola.kau.se/kaubiologyseminars/
In the fall, an evaluation of an innovative fish passage solution, Fishheart, is ongoing, targeting landlocked Atlantic salmon (Salmo salar). Salmon will be tagged with acoustic transmitters, and their movements will be monitored using acoustic receivers strategically deployed along the river during their upstream migration to assess passage efficiency through the Fishheart fish passage solution. Fieldwork is currently underway to capture and tag fish using fyke nets and electrofishing conducted from a boat.
At the first dam, where the Fishheart unit is installed, fish positions will be tracked with an accuracy of up to half a meter. Fish passing through the unit will either be released back into the river or transported to Gammelkroppa Laxodling, Fortum’s hatchery, for breeding purposes.
So far, approximately 20 salmon passages have been recorded, along with 20 trout and numerous individuals from other species, including perch, cyprinids, and a few eels.
The project is funded by Eurostars, led by Fishheart Ltd., and Karlstad University.
Read more about Fishheart: https://fishheart.com/
Want to know more?: niclas.carlsson@kau.se
💡 Topic: Conservation science for sustaining the endemic landlocked Atlantic salmon and brown trout in Lake Vänern
🗓️ When: [Tuesday, 7 April 2026, 13:15-14:00]
📍 Where: 5F322, Zoom: https://kau-se.zoom.us/j/62091116347
🎤 Presenter: John Piccolo
🔬 ResearchGate: https://www.researchgate.net/profile/John-Piccolo-3
Register to our seminar updates to receive the zoom link:
https://sola.kau.se/kaubiologyseminars/
Raviv Gal, a PhD student at the Department of Environmental and Life Sciences, will defend his PhD entitled “Ecosystem Engineering by Freshwater Mussels: Effects on macroinvertebrate communities, decomposition processes, and fish behaviour.” The date and venue are shown on the poster below. You are all welcome to this event.
Larry Greenberg (Professor of Aquatic Ecology, Karlstad University) has been ranked 5313 Best Ecology and Evolution Scientist in the world (https://research.com/scientists-rankings/ecology-and-evolution) and 137 in Sweden (https://research.com/university/ecology-and-evolution/karlstad-university). You can find Larry’s personal Research.com profile here: https://research.com/u/larry-greenberg
Two very different biology Citizen Science projects lead to insights into students´ and teachers´ learning. But learning must not be restricted to learning at school, a social learning theory widens the scope, where learning can take place. Join us as Martin Scheuch from University College for Agrarian and Environmental Pedagogy, Austria gives a seminar entitled Citizen Science and Learning Biology – examples and insights from two Austrian projects. Time & Date: 13:15 CET, 31.03.2023. Venue: 5F322 or over zoom through https://kau-se.zoom.us/my/magnuslovenwallerius.
Forskargruppen Naturresurs rinnande vatten (NRRV) har fått två ny forskningsprojekt beviljade. Lutz Eckstein är projektledare i ett projekt om effekter av korttidsreglering i vattendrag under vintern på ekologisk status av strandzonen som finansieras genom Kompetenscentret Svenskt vattenkraftcentrum (SVC) med 3,8 Mkr. Projektet är ett samarbete mellan Karlstads universitet (Eva Bergman, Larry Greenberg, Johan Watz) och Umeå universitet (Roland Jansson, Birgitta Malm-Renöfält) och kommer att undersöka vattendrag i både norra och södra Sverige. John Piccolo är projektledare i det andra projektet som kommer att fokusera på att upprätthålla vattenkraftsproduktion och värdefulla fiskpopulationer genom att utveckla Individual-Based Models (IBM) för att bedöma hur fiskpopulationer kan återställas samtidigt som flödesförhållanden för vattenkraftproduktion upprätthålls. Projektet finansieras genom Energimyndighetens program hållbar svensk vattenkraft (HåVa) med 2,9 Mkr och är ett samarbete mellan Karlstads universitet (Mahboobeh Hajiesmaeili och Johan Watz), Vattenfall AB (David Aldvén och Patrik Andreasson) och Fortum AB (Marco Blixt och Markku Lahti) och kommer att undersöka två viktiga vattenkraftsproducerande vattendrag i Sverige: Gullspångsävlen och Luleälven.
The River Ecology and Management research group (RivEM) has been granted two new research projects. Lutz Eckstein is the project manager in a project, which is financed through the Competence Center Swedish Hydropower Center (SVC) with 3.8 million SEK, on the effects of short-term regulation of rivers during winter on the ecological status of the riparian zone. The project is a collaboration between Karlstad University (Eva Bergman, Larry Greenberg, Johan Watz) and Umeå University (Roland Jansson, Birgitta Malm-Renöfält) and will investigate rivers in both northern and southern Sweden. John Piccolo is the project manager in the second project that will focus on sustaining hydropower production and high-value fish populations by developing Individual-Based Models (IBM) to assess how fish populations can be restored while maintaining streamflows for hydropower production, which is financed through the hållbar svensk vattenkraft (HåVa) program of Energimyndigheten with 2.9 million SEK. The project is a collaboration between Karlstad University (Mahboobeh Hajiesmaeili and Johan Watz), Vattenfall AB (David Aldvén and Patrik Andreasson) and Fortum AB (Marco Blixt and Markku Lahti) and will investigate two key hydropower producing rivers in Sweden: Gullspångsävlen and Luleälven.
Kalle Filipsson, RivEm Ph.D. student, nailed his Ph.D. thesis entitled “Early life stages of brown trout: Anti-predator responses under warming winters” today (25th February 2022), both at the main entrance and the biology department at Karlstad University.
On Tuesday 1 March Kalle will give a pre-dissertation talk, where he will present a preliminary version of his Ph.D. presentation. The seminar starts at 13:15 and will be held both on the second floor at the biology department and on Zoom (https://kause.zoom.us/my/kaubiology)
Kalle’s Ph.D. defense will be held on Friday 18 March. The defense will take place at 10:00 in room 1B309 (Sjöströmsalen) at Karlstad University. The defense is public and anyone is welcome to attend.
Neil Metcalfe (University of Glasgow, Scotland) will be the opponent and will participate on Zoom. Gunilla Rosenqvist (Uppsala University, Sweden), Per Larsson (Linnaeus University, Sweden) and Anders Finstad (Norwegian University of Science and Technology, Norway) are the grading committee.
