Abstract: A water intake for example for taking cooling water for industrial installations from a river, a lake or the sea, has a sieve with a filter element and a recovery channel associated with the filter element for collecting and saving elements of the biomass which become stuck to the filter element. Electrodes are associated with the recovery channel 25 and are designed to induce an electrical field, at right angles to the recovery channel in the water to be tapped, so as to compel fish either to swim by themselves in the direction of this recovery channel or to allow themselves to be carried towards the recovery channel by a reverse water current induced at right angles thereto.