DESCRIZIONE
A marine life protection system and method for use with a water intake system (1) disposed to remove water from a water body through a water inlet (2), comprising a decanting wall (3) spaced an effective distance from the water inlet thereby forming a critical intake zone (4), wherein the decanting wall extends above a surface (8) of the water body; and a gas source (5) capable of generating a bubble curtain (6) comprised of gas bubbles within the water body, wherein the gas source is spaced apart from, and on an opposite side of the decanting wall as the water inlet; wherein the gas bubbles comprise a gas selected from the group consisting of air, oxygen-enriched air, oxygen, nitrogen, and carbon dioxide is provided.