Login| Sign Up| Help| Contact|

Patent Searching and Data


Title:
A FISHWAY AND A METHOD OF CONSTRUCTING A FISHWAY
Document Type and Number:
WIPO Patent Application WO/2015/079388
Kind Code:
A1
Abstract:
A fishway and its method of constructing, used for water barriers such as weir, dams and various forms of impoundment, allowing to overcome a river impoundment by organisms living in the river. The fishway is characterized in that on the bottom wall (3) means (10) for fixing are regularly arranged and in that at least two bases (5) of filing elements (6) are mounted on said bottom wall (5), said bases of the filling elements having a polygonal shape and provided with fixing means (11) cooperating with said means (10) for fixing base, wherein the sides of the polygons of said bases (5) of filling elements are adjacent to each other to form a mounting tessellation pattern (7), each base (5) of the filling element being adapted to be mounted and dismounted independently of the other bases (5).

Inventors:
PARASIEWICZ PIOTR (PL)
MOKWA MARIAN (PL)
WIŚNIEWOLSKI, WIESŁAW (PL)
HEESE TOMASZ (PL)
WINIARSKI SZYMON (PL)
Application Number:
PCT/IB2014/066350
Publication Date:
June 04, 2015
Filing Date:
November 26, 2014
Export Citation:
Click for automatic bibliography generation   Help
Assignee:
ANIMALS WAY SPOŁKA AKCYJNA (PL)
International Classes:
E02B8/08; E02B3/02; E02B5/02
Foreign References:
JP2004044235A2004-02-12
JP2009221737A2009-10-01
KR20120003220A2012-01-10
JPH0827762A1996-01-30
JP2001081765A2001-03-27
KR101156309B12012-06-13
KR201420050000531U
KR101147544B12012-05-17
JP2000080628A2000-03-21
JP2001081765A2001-03-27
KR20120006784A2012-01-19
Attorney, Agent or Firm:
BURY, Lech (162J, Warszawa, PL)
Download PDF:
Claims:
Claims :

1. A fishway comprising a bottom wall constituting an artificial foundation characterized in that on said bottom wall (3) means (10) for fixing base are regularly arranged and in that at least two bases (5) of filing elements (6) are mounted on said bottom wall

(5), said bases of the filling elements having a polygonal shape and provided with fixing means (11) cooperating with said means

(10) for fixing base, wherein the sides of the polygons of said bases (5) of filling elements are adjacent to each other to form a mounting tessellation pattern (7), each base (5) of the filling element being adapted to be mounted and dismounted independently of the other bases (5) .

2. The fishway according to claim 1, characterized in that at least two bases (5) have the shape of polygons differing in the number of angles or size.

3. The fishway according to claim 1 or 2, characterized in that it further comprises at least one side wall (4) .

4. The fishway according to any preceding claim, characterized in that it is modular.

5. The fishway according to claim 4, characterized in that on said side wall (4) means (10) for fixing base are arranged and at least two bases (5) of filling elements (6) are mounted on said side wall (4), said bases of filling elements having a polygonal shape and provided with fixing means (11) adapted to cooperate with said means (10) for fixing base, wherein said polygons of bases (5) of filling elements are adjacent to each other to form a mounting tessellation pattern (7), each base (5) of the filling element being adapted in shape to be mounted and dismounted independently of the other bases (5)

6. The fishway according to claim 4, characterized in that said module (1) constitutes a uniform element of U-shaped cross section.

7. The fishway according to claim 3 or 6, characterized in that said side wall (4) of the module is provided with vertical grooves on the inside.

8. The fishway according to claim 4, characterized in that said module (1) is a prefabricated element in the form of a corner (2) .

9. The fishway according to claim 1 to 6, characterized in that said filling element (6) installed on the base (5) is in the form of a lock ( 6a ) .

10. The fishway according to claim 1 to 7, characterized in that said filling element (6) installed on the base (5) is in the form of a partition wall (6h) .

11. The fishway according to claim 1 or 2 or 3 or 4 or 5 or 7, characterized in that said filling element (6) installed on the base (5) is a vegetation composition and/or a composition imitating vegetation and/or a rock composition and/or a composition imitating rocks and/or a composition imitating sand bottom and/or post elements .

12. A filling element of a fishway in the form of a lock, characterized in that it is adapted to be mounted on a polygonal base (5) constituting an element of a tessellation pattern (7) and in that it comprises at least two hollow cylindrical elements (6b) covered with a cover (6c) .

13. A filling element of a fishway in the form of an adjustable partition, characterized in that it comprises at least two sections (6i), each of them being integrated on a polygonal base (5) constituting an element of a tessellation pattern (7), wherein at least one section (6i) is adapted to be mounted to a side wall (4) and/or to the adjacent section (6i) .

14. A method of constructing a fishway comprising a step of mounting a bottom wall on a prepared substrate, said bottom wall constituting an artificial foundation characterized in that it comprises a step of

providing on said bottom wall (3) regularly arranged means (10) for fixing base before or during mounting of said bottom wall, wherein said step of mounting of said bottom wall is done by pouring it on the spot or by positioning a prefabricated element accordingly,

filling afterwards said fishway according to a design by mounting on the bottom wall (3) at least two bases (5) of filling elements (6), said bases of the filling elements having a polygonal shape and being adapted to be mounted and dismounted independently of the other bases (5) and provided with fixing means (11), said step of mounting being carried out by placing said bases of filling elements on the bottom wall (3) so that said fixing means (11) cooperate with said means (10) for fixing base and sides of said polygonal bases (5) of filling elements (6) are adjacent to each other to form a mounting tessellation pattern (7) . A method of constructing a fishway provided with a bottom wall constituting an artificial foundation, characterized in that it comprises a step of

providing on said bottom wall (3) regularly arranged means (10) for fixing base before

filling afterwards said fishway according to a design by mounting on the bottom wall (3) at least two bases (5) of filling elements (6), said bases of the filling elements having a polygonal shape and being adapted to be mounted and dismounted independently of the other bases (5) and provided with fixing means (11), said step of mounting being carried out by placing said bases of filling elements on the bottom wall (3) so that said fixing means (11) cooperate with said means (10) for fixing base and sides of said polygonal bases (5) of filling elements (6) are adjacent to each other to form a mounting tessellation pattern (7) .

Description:
A fishway and a method of constructing a fishway

[0001 ] The subject of the invention is a fishway, used for water barriers such as weir, dams and various forms of impoundment. A fishway allows to overcome a river impoundment by organisms living in the river. The subject of the invention is also a method of constructing a fishway.

[0002 ] It is known in the prior art a modular fishway mounted in place by putting together finished modules on the previously prepared substrate. These modules can be, for more natural fishways, slabs with appropriately shaped upper surface, arranged on the prepared natural substrate of the river bottom as well as on a part of the slope and combined with each other, and for so-called technical fishways, uniform concrete elements, U-shaped or with trapezoidal cross section, having finished filling. Due to modular construction the problem of arduous transport of heavy concrete elements taking large areas is avoided. An example of a modular technical fishway has been disclosed in Korean utility model KR2020050000531, in Korean patent KR101147544 or Japanese patent application JP2000080628.

[0003 ] Other examples of modular structure are fishways close to nature, in particular ramp structures such as those disclosed in Japanese patent application JP2001081765 or in Korean patent application KR20120006784.

[0004 ] Fishway systems known from the above solutions do not provide complete design flexibility and easy and cheap repair of fish migration passes due to the fact that they are composed of identical prefabricated modules, which in the case of the repair must be entirely replaced. Moreover, particularly in the case of fishways close to nature, for example ramp ones, slabs or blocks laid on the bottom often do not allow free disassembly of selected blocks without dismantling the rest of the fishway. Another disadvantage of the known solutions is that so far they have focused only on the finished modular system for a specific type of fishway. Although they provide some flexibility in the design of a specific type of fishway and ease of constructing, it is not possible to easily and quickly adapt the existing fishway structure to changing environmental conditions within the same type of structure, as well as transform the fishway structure from one type to another, for example from artificial rapids of ramp type into fishway with locks. So far all these operations have been associated with the demolition of the internal fishway elements and constructing them from the scratch, with a large workload as well as high costs.

[0005] A fishway according to the invention comprising a bottom wall constituting an artificial foundation is characterized in that means for fixing base are regularly arranged on said bottom wall and in that at least two filling element bases are mounted on the bottom wall, said bases of filling elements having a polygonal shape and provided with fixing means cooperating with said means for fixing base. The sides of the polygons of said filling element bases are adjacent to each other to form a mounting tessellation pattern wherein each filling element base is adapted to be mounted and dismounted independently of the other bases.

[0006] Preferably at least two bases have polygonal shapes differing in the number of angles or size.

[0007 ] Moreover, said fishway comprises preferably at least one side wall .

[0008 ] In a preferred embodiment, said fishway is modular.

[0009] Preferably means for fixing base are arranged on said side wall and at least two filling element bases are mounted on said bottom wall, said bases of filling elements having a polygonal shape and provided with fixing means cooperating with said means for fixing base, wherein said polygons of filling element bases are adjacent to each other to form a mounting tessellation pattern, each filling element base being adapted in shape to be mounted and dismounted independently of the other bases.

[0010 ] Using a bottom wall element and a set of polygonal bases of filling elements which are mounted thereon, allows arranging of filling elements in any configuration due to a standardized fixing system and repetitive shapes of the bases covering the bottom wall plane or at least one side wall. Shapes of the bases which are standard for a given system allow to design various filling elements mounted in the base, such as flat plates imitating sandy bottom, elements such as locks or transverse walls and finally bottom shaping elements, including those imitating vegetation .

[0011] A method of constructing a fishway according to the invention comprising a step of mounting a bottom wall on a prepared substrate, said bottom wall constituting an artificial foundation is characterized in that it comprises a step of providing on said bottom wall regularly arranged means for fixing base before or during mounting of said base wherein said step of mounting of said bottom wall is done by pouring it on the spot or by positioning a prefabricated element, accordingly.

[0012 ] Then the constructed fishway is filled according to design by mounting at least two filling element bases on the bottom wall, said bases of filling elements having a shape of polygon and being adapted to be mounted and dismounted independently of the other bases and provided with fixing means, said step of mounting being carried out by placing said bases of filling elements on the bottom wall so that said fixing means cooperate with means for fixing base and sides of said polygonal filling element bases are adjacent to each other to form a mounting tessellation pattern.

[0013] Other method of constructing a fishway comprising a bottom wall constituting the artificial foundation according to the invention is characterized in that regular means for fixing base are performed in the bottom wall and then the fishway is filled according to the design by mounting at least two filling element bases on the bottom wall, having the shapes of the polygons and adapted to the mounting and dismounting independently of the other bases and having fixing means by placing them on the bottom wall for the fixing means to be cooperating with means for fixing base and the sides of the polygonal filling element bases to be adjacent to each other to form a mounting tessellation pattern.

[0014] The idea of constructing a fishway system according to the invention is to fill the fishway area (i.e. a bottom wall, and optionally side walls) with repetitive elements completely covering a plane, forming a flat tessellation. Tessellation is a method of filling a plane using the same set of elements, wherein said tessellation may use elements of different shapes. In mathematics, the most commonly used are regular polygons (triangle, square, rhombus, hexagon, octagon) . The concept of tessellation allows very efficient use of space because it allows selecting an appropriate form of the base for the corresponding filling element while maintaining continuity of covering the walls. The relative positioning of the filling elements has a direct impact on the efficiency of the fishway, especially on the basic fishway parameter which is the water flow velocity. The role of the fishway is to reduce the water flow velocity to a value corresponding to the capability of overcoming the current strength both by fish inhabiting the river, as well as by invertebrates .

[0015] An advantage of the fishway according to the invention is the ability to freely design a wide range of fishway types. These may be fishways similar to the natural fishways, in which the walls of the watercourse bed form a natural slope and in which the bottom is built over in accordance with the system of the invention. They may also be fishways in which a part of the slope which is under the water surface is covered with the side wall and in which the side wall is built over in accordance with the tessellation concept of the invention. The system according to the invention is also suitable in particular for the construction of technical fishways, i.e. with a totally artificial bed without using natural slopes. The most important advantage of the fishway of the invention is the ability to easily redesign the fishway after some time of its operation, depending on changing environmental conditions. Easy assembly/disassembly of a single base without having to move the remaining elements prevents time-consuming repairs on site, it also enables that a replacement of ready-made elements can be ordered and the parts can be repaired through their replacement. Easy assembly/disassembly and standardized fixation means enable fast transition from one type of fishway to another. This is possible due to the use of the same existing concrete substrate (continuous or in the form of modular bottom walls and optionally side walls) with appropriate fixing means to configure any filling elements set. In case of discrepancies between actual fishway parameters and the design parameters, the system of internal fill according to the invention provides a comprehensive ability to adapt an arrangement of slots and structural elements of the fishways by composing and shifting elements like toy blocks on site while setting working the fishway and therefore enables quick correction of the design before start-up. Furthermore, the system of the invention gives the possibility to easily perform modifications related to adjustment of the positions of the fishway slits and other works correcting the fishway during its use.

[0016] Particular embodiments of the fishway according to the invention are illustrated in detail with reference to the accompanying drawings, in which :

Fig. la represents a tessellation pattern,

Fig. lb represents another tessellation pattern,

Fig. lc is a perspective view of the bottom wall with a first tessellation pattern indicated on,

Fig. Id is a perspective view of the bottom wall with a second tessellation pattern indicated on,

Fig. le is a perspective view of an assembly of the bottom wall with the mounted bases according to the first tessellation pattern,

Fig. If is a perspective view of an assembly of the bottom wall with the mounted bases according to the first tessellation pattern,

Fig. 2a is a cross section view of the first embodiment of the fishway, Fig. 2b is a cross section view of the second embodiment of the fishway, Fig. 2c is a cross section view of the fishway of the third embodiment, Fig. 2d is a cross section view of the fishway of the fourth embodiment, Fig. 2e is a cross section view of the fishway of the fifth embodiment, Fig. 2f is a cross section view of the fishway of the sixth embodiment, Fig. 2a is a general view of the base with the fixing means according to the first embodiment, Fig. 3a is a general view of the base with the fixing means according to the first embodiment,

Fig. 3b is a general view of the system for fixing the base to the bottom wall according to the first embodiment,

Fig. 3c is a general view of the base with the fixing means according to the second embodiment,

Fig.3d is a general view of the system for fixing the base to the bottom wall according to the second embodiment,

Fig. 4a to 41 show a filling element according to further embodiments,

Fig. 5 represents the details of the adjustable lock,

Fig. 6 represents the details of the adjustable partition wall,

Fig.7 represents an embodiment of the fishway with locks,

Fig. 8 represents an embodiment of the vertical-slot fishway,

Fig. 9 represents a detailed view of the mounting plate,

Fig. 10 represents a detailed view of the tightening element,

Fig. 11 and fig. 12 represent details of assembling the side walls to the bottom wall,

Fig. 13 represents a corner module,

Fig. 14 represents a U-shaped module according to another embodiment, Fig. 15 represents a step of assembling the technical fishway according to the invention,

Fig. 16 represents a method of connecting together two modules with U- shaped cross section according to one embodiment,

Fig. 17 represents an example of a completed fishway according to the invention,

Fig. from 18 to fig. 21 represent further embodiments of the fishway according to the invention,

Fig. 22 represents an example of a fishway according to the invention, being a part of a canoe track,

while Fig. 23 represents an example of a vertical-slot fishway according to the invention, in which the concept of spatial tessellation was used.

[0017 ] The following terminology was adopted as a part of the description of the invention: "module" - is the largest, able to be separated, fishway assembly unit. The term "module" is synonymous with the term "block" and can be used interchangeably. The wording „regularly arranged" should be understood as arranged in any direction at regular intervals or at varying intervals, but in a repetitive manner.

[0018 ] Fig. la and fig. lb represent a general tessellation concept which is used in the fishway according to the invention. As shown in Fig. la, a polygonal pattern makes it possible to separate surfaces, which will be a combination of some basic polygons. With this concept, filling elements of different sizes may be integrated on bases which are appropriately selected in terms of surface area, resulting in effective design of the fishway. According to the invention, the term tessellation should be understood as covering the bottom wall (3) with polygonal bases (5) of filling elements (6) according to a predetermined pattern. Implementation of this concept is reflected in the construction and adaptation of the bottom wall (3) as well as in the construction and adaptation of the base (5) laid thereon, as shown in Figs, lc to If. According to the invention, the bottom wall (3) of a fishway is preferably made of concrete. For those skilled in the art it will be understood that other materials having similar physical characteristics guaranteeing resistance to water and other environmental factors may also be used. The bottom wall (3) can be modular. It is then a prefabricated element and delivered to a place prior to installation. The bottom wall (3) can also be poured as a whole at the place of installing the fishway.

[0019] In most cases, the bottom wall (3) covers the entire width of the flat portion of the bottom. Fig. 2d represents a cross-sectional view of one preferred embodiment of the fishway, wherein the bottom wall (3) occupies only part of the width of the channel and passes smoothly into the natural bottom (13) . This may occur when the natural oxbow lake or an existing natural side branch of the watercourse is used for the installation of the fishway, and conceptual design of the fishway includes the use of portions of the natural bottom and slopes (12) . Figs. 2a, 2b, 2c, 2d are cross-sectional views of fishways close to nature in which the bottom is built over in accordance with the tessellation concept and slopes are either completely natural, or they are formed by partially or entirely artificial side walls (4) . Fig. 3e and Fig. 3f are cross section views of a U-shaped technical fishway in which only the bottom is built according to the tessellation concept. For fishways close to nature, also the side walls (4) may, but do not need to, be built over with the tessellation concept according to the invention. In other words, in fishways close to nature the side wall (3) may, but does not need to, have regularly arranged corresponding means (10) for fixing base adapted for mounting the bases (5) in accordance with the tessellation concept, as shown in Fig. 2a and 2b.

[0019] Preferably, the bottom wall (3) and side wall (4) for use in this type of fishways is suitably adapted to releasably connect each other at different angles. Therefore, as shown in fig. 2a and fig. 2b, in accordance with one embodiment, the bottom wall (3) in a horizontal cross section has a horizontal center section (3c) and shaped sections (3b) on its both sides, which have corresponding lateral longitudinal (3a) housing lateral longitudinal protrusions (4a) of the side walls (4) . When the natural slope directly contacts the bottom wall (3), lateral longitudinal grooves (3a) are filled with natural material of the slope. Since the entire fishway system according to the invention is based on the standardization of the elements, it was provided that the prefabricated modules of the bottom wall (3) or uniform bottom walls (3), which are poured on the spot, have properly selected angles of longitudinal lateral grooves (3a) with respect to the vertical axis for example 30, 45 or 60°. Further details of the assembly are shown in Fig. 9, fig. 10, fig. 11 and fig. 12. In particular, as shown in Fig. 11 and fig. 12 side walls (4) are fixed to the bottom wall (3) with the use of additional fixing means, such as tightening element (12b) fixed for the time of assembly and a mounting plate (12a) which is screwed for example with threaded screws. Fig. 9 and fig. 10 show both of these fixing means in enlarged scale. One skilled in the art will, however, appreciate that there are other mechanical joints that ensure the stability of the fishway structure.

[0020 ] According to the invention, polygonal bases (5) which constitute the supporting element for the filling elements (6) are arranged at the bottom wall (3), which is an artificial foundation. As exemplified in Fig. le and fig. If, the bases (5) may preferably have a shape of square or triangle in a longitudinal section. All other polygonal shapes are also within the scope of the invention. Spatial shape of the base, according to the invention should be chosen so as to allow independent application/removal of a single base (5) on the bottom wall (3) independently of other bases (5) . For this purpose the sides of the base may preferably be vertical or preferably inclined in the same direction at the same angle, so that the sides of two adjacent bases (5) are parallel. The bases (5) must be mounted on the bottom wall (3) so that they do not move and withstand the resistance of the flowing water. According to the invention complementary fixing means in the bottom wall

(3) as well as and in the base (5) were proposed, which allow quick and easy installation even by the untrained staff member. Releasable connection consists of a male part and a female part, and does not require applying any forces to perform a stable mounting of the base (5) on the bottom wall (3) .

[0021] A first embodiment of the fixing system is shown in Figs. 3a and 3b. Fig. 3a represents a single base (5) with fixing means (11) being female connection elements in the form of seats having the cross section and sizes selected according to the sizes and cross sections of the means

(10) for fixing base which protrude from the bottom wall. Preferably, means (10) for fixing base is a mandrel, preferably a steel rod with a properly chosen thickness and length to ensure resistance to stress caused by the water current after it is embeded in the bottom wall (3) . Fig.3b represents a relative position of the bases (5) and the bottom wall (3) after assembling.

[0022 ] A second embodiment of the fixing system is shown in Fig. 3c and 3d. Fig. 3c represents a single base (5) with an integrated mounting protrusion (11) of the base (5), being the male part of the connection. This element may be a mandrel, preferably a steel rod with a properly chosen thickness and length to ensure resistance to stress caused by the water current after it is placed in the bottom wall (3) . As shown in Fig. 3d, complementary means (10) for fixing base are arranged on the bottom wall (3), which in this embodiment may be the female part of the connection. Preferably they are in the form of selected seats having circular cross section. These seats interact with the fixing means (11) in the bases (5) of the filling elements (6) . This means that they are arranged at strictly defined intervals and in a standardized configuration .

[0023 ] Such an idea of connection used in both embodiments facilitates a stable placement of the base (5) on the bottom wall (3), or facilitates its subsequent disassembling even by an inexperienced fitter. Moreover, the advantage of such system is that when adjusting the old fishway for which a concrete floor having relevant parameters was poured, it can easily be adapted for mounting the system according to the invention. An adjustment would consist, for example, in carrying out the respective standard mounting seats in accordance with one embodiment, or embedding respective mandrels in the existing bottom wall (3) according to the second embodiment. For those skilled in the art all other types of releasable stationary joints other than the pin-type one, e.g. shape- type, providing sufficient resistance to stresses caused by the water current and by objects floating in it.

[0024 ] A described method of fixing a single base (3) to an artificial substrate is applicable also to the side walls (4) for fishways close to nature, where the side walls (4) are inclined and form a part of the slope below the water surface (as shown in Fig. 19) . This type of fishways may have a rectangular - trapezoid cross section, or trapezoid cross section, as shown in Fig. 3a, 3b, 3e.

[0025 ] In particular, the tessellation concept applies to the technical fishways having U-shaped cross section (as shown in Fig.3f), wherein the side walls (4) and the bottom wall (3) form a unitary body. The bottom wall (3) and side walls (4) of the technical fishways may have a continuous structure, i.e. poured on site, or preferably modular, i.e. consisting of prefabricated modular elements (1) (as shown in Fig. 16 and Fig.17) . [0026 ] As mentioned earlier, each base (5) is a filling element (6) carrier, wherein preferably it can be mounted as a spontaneous filling element and covered with the natural filling element (6) only during operation of the fishway (e.g. the natural bottom sediment) . By dividing the bottom surface into kind of standard building blocks, it is possible to design the fishways of any filling configuration. Figs. 4a to 41 show various filling elements (6) which can be integrated with the base (5) . Preferably, it can be a set of stones, imitation of the sandy or gravel bottom, artificial vegetation, all kinds of mesh structures or components of vases for growing natural vegetation as well as various types of posts: boulders, concrete columns, pipes, poles for adjusting the slot, i.e. elliptical rollers, elements of wood, including stems, fascine and the like. Specific filling elements (6) are adjustable locks (6a) and adjustable inner walls (6h), e.g. partition wall, single-slit, double- slit.

[0027 ] The system of the invention allows the technical fishways with the U-shaped cross section to be designed as slit or fishway with locks, depending on the used filling elements (6) with the transition from one type to another, or to a completely different type.

[0028 ] According to the invention self-filling adjustable locks (6a) mounted on bases (5) may be used to design a fishway with locks fig. 7 based on the tessellation concept. Adjustable segment transom is shown in detail in Fig. 5. It consists of at least two hollow cylindrical elements

(6b) covered with a cover (6c) closing the access to the lock from the top. The lower cylindrical element is poured together with the base and has at least two mounting holes (not shown) on the upper plane of the first periphery, and a base (5) secured on the bottom plane of the second periphery. The upper cylindrical elements have projecting fixing means

(6d), preferably steel rods cooperating with the mounting holes located on the upper planes of successive cylindrical elements. At least one hole

(6f) allowing self-filling of the lock is placed in at least lower cylindrical element (6b) . Segmental structure of the lock allows the adjustment to correct the fishway parameters at any time without costly rebuilding and long-term works. Each additional cylindrical member has at least two mounting holes (not shown) on the upper plane of the first periphery with and at least two mounting pins (6d) on the bottom plane of the second periphery. In the particular case, owing to the tessellation concept, the base (5) of the lock (6a) may have a size that is a multiple of the smallest dimension of the base (5) which is used in a given fishway .

[0029 ] According to the invention adjustable transverse walls (6h) mounted on bases (5) may be used for designing a vertical-slot fishway (fig. 8) based on the tessellation concept. Adjustable transverse wall (6h) is shown in detail in Fig. 6. It consists of at least one wall section (6i) adapted to releasably connect with a lateral wall (4) . Preferably, the adjustment may be accomplished by forming a vertical longitudinal projection (6j) on the lateral surface of the section (6i) of the wall (6h), which is preferably mounted in the groove (6j) of the specifically adapted module U (as shown in Fig.14) . Each section (6i) is integrated with the base, and preferably it is poured together with the base. System with a transverse rod, preferably a steel one (Fig. 6), not discussed in detail herein, is used to connect the section (6i) of the partition wall.

[0030 ] One skilled in the art will appreciate that a similar system of fixing the internal walls to the side walls (4) can be applied to the chamber fishways, wherein the inner walls then extend from one side wall (4) to other and have respective holes for the flow of water.

[0031] Figs. 13 and fig. 14 show other preferred embodiments of the technical fishway modules. Fig. 13 represents a corner module used to change the fishway track. According to the invention its bottom wall also has regularly arranged means (10) for fixing base, on which bases (5) with filling elements (6) are mounted. Fig. 14 represents a U-shaped module (1) for a technical fishway, preferably a vertical-slot fishway. Such a module (1) has special vertical grooves on the inside of the side walls (4) allowing really easy fixing of the partition walls (6h) . Of course this module may be used also to design a fishway with locks, wherein vertical grooves and regularly arranged means (10) for fixing base allow easy transition from a fishway with locks into a vertical-slot one or the other way round. Preferably, ribbed modules (1) have a flat face (3) and are connected by the elements (12a , 12b) described with reference to Fig. 16

[0032 ] A method of constructing a fishway according to the invention will be now described with reference to Fig. 15, Fig. 16 and Fig. 17, in particular a technical fishway such as a modular fishway with locks. The description of this embodiment is a non-limiting example, and one skilled in the art will appreciate that it should be modified appropriately depending on the type of the fishway being constructed, in particular depending on whether the fishway is constructed from the beginning, or on the basis of remains of an old fishway in the form of a bottom wall constituting an artificial foundation. As shown in Fig. 15, consecutive prefabricated U-shaped modules (1) are founded on a prepared and hardened surface (15), preferably made from concrete,. In the course of their manufacture means (10) for fixing base were regularly arranged. Preferably, instead of prefabricated modules, the walls forming the channel of the fishway can be poured on the spot. Means (10) for fixing base are then formed during the pouring of the bottom wall (3) .

[0033 ] For fishways close to nature, an intermediate step (not discussed herein) could be connecting together the bottom walls (3) with the side walls (4) as shown in Fig. 2a or Fig.9. Meanwhile, in the case of the method for assembling a modular technical fishway described hereby, the next step of assembling is interconnecting modules. For this purpose, as shown in Fig. 9 and Fig. 10, additional fixing means are used, enabling stable and releasable connection of the face of one module (1) to the face of the second module (1) . As mentioned previously, such elements can also be used to connect the side walls (4) to the bottom walls (3) in the case of another type of fishways.

[0034 ] According to the first embodiment (Fig. 16), on its first face

(la) side the module (1) has a continuous offset (lc) on the inner side of the walls (3,4) in the bottom wall (3) and in the side walls (4) Similarly, on its second face (lb) side the module (1) has a continuous offset (Id) on the outer side of the walls (3,4) in the bottom wall (3) and in the side walls (4) . Advantageously, a seal (If) (not shown in Fig, 16) may be inserted in the groove arranged in the face (la and lb) . Such a construction of the module (1) allows sliding over the modules (1) on each other so as their faces touch each other in a tight manner (la, lb) . For the purpose of stabilising, at the time of installation said modules are firstly connected by tightening elements (12a) and then by the mounting plates (12b) . In yet another embodiment (not shown) instead of continuous offsets, the bottom wall (3) may project beyond the length of the side walls (4) from the first face (la) side and from the second face

(lb) side the bottom wall may be shorter than the wall sides (4) .

[0035 ] One skilled in the art will appreciate that it is possible to use alternative mechanical means for stably connect the modules without departing from the scope of the invention.

[0036 ] As shown in Fig. 17, once the connection of the modules (1) performed, bases (5) are being mounted with filling elements (6) integrated thereon, or only the bases (5) themselves are being mounted on the bottom wall (3) having regularly spaced means (10) for fixing base. As described above, the bases (5) have fixing means (11) which are complementary to the means (10) for fixing base. The bases (5) are mounted side by side according to the tessellation concept so as to cover with them the entire area of the bottom wall (3) . Mounting of the bases

(5) involves positioning of a suitable base (5) onto an area of the bottom wall (3) consistent with the design. Due to properly selected shapes, the bases (5) can be mounted in a different order, as their assembling/disassembling is independent of the other bases (5) . For the bases (5), which bear the filling elements (6) such as transverse walls (6f), their size and shape results from composing together few smallest areas of bases (5) of the standard size used in this tessellation pattern. One skilled in the art will appreciate that the fishway shown in Fig. 16 it is not the actual implementation of a specific design due to a combination of many filling elements (6) of different types of fishways. Fig.16 was only made for the purpose of presenting large project opportunities of the fishways according to the invention.

[0037 ] According to the invention it is possible to design a range of types of fishways, adapted to very different requirements. Several embodiments have been shown in the figs. 18 to fig. 23. In particular, fig. 22 represents an embodiment of a technical fishway with U-shaped cross section, which is adapted for kayaking. In this embodiment a tessellation with the bases (5) having a triangular shape was used. Moving across of kayaks is guaranteed by specially designed placement of the filling elements (6) . As shown in Fig. 21 the tessellation concept can also be used to construct fishways in which the filling elements (6) are deflector elements. Fig. 23 represents yet another embodiment of the invention, namely a fishway, which uses the concept of spatial tessellation by placing elements such as the base (5) one upon the other to form a spatial structure such as the inner wall of the vertical-slot fishway. The base (5) laid on the bottom wall (3) of the fishway is modified and has through holes instead of seats. In addition, threaded sleeves for mounting upper layers are mounted in said base. Successive bases (5) laid on top have through holes spaced identically to the spacing of the threaded sleeves at the lowest base (5) . After laying the most top layer, the bases (5) forming partition walls are secured to the base by means of so-called pins, or threaded rods.