Overview & Applicability
This software is intended to assist engineers, hydrologists, and fish biologists in the evaluation and design of culverts for fish passage. It is free and available for download. Version 3 of FishXing is in its final beta form.
FishXing is an interactive software package that integrates a culvert design and assessment model for fish passage. The software models organism capabilities against culvert hydraulics across a range of expected stream discharges. Water surface profiles can be calculated for a variety of culvert shapes using gradually varied flow equations. The program then compares the flows, velocities and leap conditions with the swimming abilities of the fish species of interest. The output includes tables and graphs summarizing the water velocities, water depths, and outlet conditions, then lists the limiting fish passage factors and flows for each culvert.
Version 2.2 of the software includes the following features:
- Allows for comparison of multiple culverts designs within a single project.
- Calculates hydraulic conditions within circular, box, pipe-arch, open-bottom arch, and embedded culverts.
- Contains default swimming abilities for numerous North American fish species.
- Contains three different options for defining tailwater elevations.
- Calculates water surface profiles through the culvert using gradually varied flow equations, including hydraulic jumps.
- Outputs tables and graphs summarizing the water velocities, water depths, outlet conditions, and lists the limiting fish passage conditions for each culvert.
Inputs & outputs
There is a large amount of information needed to run this tool. Site info:- Crossing Name
- Stream Name
- Road Name
- Mile post (optional)
- Latitude and Longitude (optional)
- Notes (optional)
- Photo/Images (optional)
Culvert info:
- Culvert Shape
- Dimensions (diameter, rise, span)
- Material and Corrugation
- Installation (At Grade or Embedded)
- Roughness of culvert material (and bottom if embedded)
- Culvert Length
- Culvert Inlet Bottom Elevation (or Culvert Slope)
- Culvert Outlet Bottom Elevation
- Entrance Loss
Fish info:
- Species
- Fish Length
- Time to exhaustion
- Swim mode (Burst, Prolonged or Both)
- Maximum Leap Speed (outlet pool exit velocity)
- Velocity Reduction Factors (optional)
The outputs of this program are listed below:
- The Output Summary Is the primary results window. It contains a summary of fish passage conditions and barriers, key hydraulic parameters for the, detailed hydraulic conditions through the culvert and a flow calculator for additional flows.
- The rating table and curve provides hydraulic and passage information about the crossing with respect to flow as the independent variable.
- All of the input data and output results can be printed in a customizable report form and saved as an Rich Text Format (*.rtf) file for import into spreadsheet and word processor applications.
- The water surface profile has a graph of the culvert, Water Surface, Critical Depth, Normal Depth, Headwater and Tailwater down the length of the culvert.
- The culvert profile is a display of data down the length of the culvert. Showing hydraulic conditions and fish performance with respect to the culvert bottom.
- The animated profile uses the numerical results of the model FishXing to provide an animated "dramatization" of the hydraulics and fish performance within the culvert.