In September 2021, Natel worked with Kleinschmidt Associates on a through-turbine test of juvenile alewife, a migratory species of alosine, similar to American shad and blueback herring. The study included 800 total fish, with 60 percent passed through the turbine and the remainder serving as controls. Results indicate negligible turbine-related mortality; publication of a full report is pending.
Co-founders Gia Schneider and Abe Schneider spoke with Massachusetts Institute of Technology reporter Zach Winn about how MIT helped lay a foundation for Natel's FishSafe approach to hydropower.