CERIS Hosts Pizza Seminar on Ethohydraulics and Fish Behaviour in Flowing Waters

On 29 April 2026, CERIS hosted the Pizza Seminar "Ethohydraulics: understanding fish behaviour in flowing waters".

Organised within the framework of the UNITE! initiative and hosted by Professor Isabel Boavida, the seminar brought together researchers and participants interested in the interaction between hydraulics, ecology, and river engineering. The event explored how fish respond to flowing water environments and how this knowledge can contribute to the design of more sustainable and efficient hydraulic infrastructures.

The seminar featured three invited speakers from leading European institutions:

• Katharina Bensing (Technical University of Darmstadt) presented “Bridging Hydraulics and Fish Behaviour: Insights from Fish-Shaped Probes”, highlighting experimental and numerical approaches to understanding how fish perceive hydraulic stimuli.
• Stefan Hoerner (INP Grenoble) presented “Virtual Fish: Cutting-Edge Design and Modelling Tools for Fish Passage in Human-Altered Flows”, focusing on innovative modelling tools and optimisation approaches for fish-friendly hydraulic systems.
• Costantino Manes (Politecnico di Torino) delivered the presentation “How fast can fish swim and for how long?”, discussing fish swimming performance and its implications for hydraulic engineering and fish passage systems.

Throughout the session, participants discussed how combining hydraulics, biology and modelling can support the development of environmentally responsible river management and hydropower solutions. The seminar also highlighted the importance of interdisciplinary collaboration in addressing current sustainability challenges related to aquatic ecosystems and water infrastructures.

CERIS thanks all speakers and participants for contributing to a stimulating and engaging scientific discussion.