A multiple‐behaviors virtual fish model for simulating fish trajectory in vertical slot fishways

Abstract Fishways are essential for restoring river connectivity and facilitating fish migration, necessitating ongoing research for efficiency optimization. This study developed a fish behavior model to optimize fishway efficiency cost‐effectively. The model simulates swimming trajectories of Schizothorax wangchiachii within a vertical slot fishway incorporating upstream behavior, random behavior, obstacle avoidance, and swimming speed variations. The simulated trajectory exhibits a high consistency with 20 real trajectories, achieving a trajectory overlap rate of 86.7%. This result highlights the model's ability to accurately simulate fish movements, demonstrating its significant potential to revolutionize fishway design.