Fish ladder in Tibet listed as highest altitude in Guinness World Records

A fish ladder in the Laluo water conservancy project in Shigatse, Tibet autonomous region, was listed recently in Guinness World Records as the world's highest altitude fish ladder, with experts optimistic its success will be replicated elsewhere on the plateau.

According to the region's department of water conservancy, the ladder, located on the shore of the project's dam, is 2,194 meters long and located at an altitude of 4,305.21 meters. The ladder comprises one fish inlet, ponds, resting pools and six outlets.

The main parts of the Laluo water conservancy and irrigation area were launched in May 2015.

Construction of the fish ladder began in August 2016 and was completed in November 2019. It became operational in 2021.

The fish go through the inlet in the lower part of the dam and then swim upstream to the outlets in the upper part of the dam.

The outlets have been constructed at different heights and are opened according to the level of water, said Guo Xiuyun, engineer of the Laluo Water Conservancy Project and Irrigation Area Administration Bureau.

"It helps minimize the impact of water conservancy projects on the ecology of the watershed, achieving ecological security in the water area, and this fish ladder project can also serve as a good reference for similar projects in the future," Guo said.

He added as one of China's 172 major water-saving and supplying projects, Laluo is also the water conservancy project in Tibet that has had the heaviest amount of investment.

A number of protected fish species pass through the fish ladder.

"A fish ladder is a passage for fish migration, which helps fish pass through water locks or dams by means of artificial water channels," Guo noted.

Careful investigations and surveys were conducted at the planning stage to ascertain the impact of dam construction on the migration and reproduction of fish in the area, he said.

"We also conducted experiments and tests on the fish's swimming ability, ladder models and the amount of fish traffic, with the aim of minimizing the impact of dam construction on the fish as much as possible," Guo added.

"The Laluo fish ladder can facilitate the migration and spawning of fish at high altitudes and effectively restore the resources of natural fish, especially rare ones," Guo said.