Conserving Habitats and Fish Populations

“Conservation for us is not only about enhancing fish populations and improving water quality: it’s about increasing biodiversity,” says Declan Cooke, Habitats Manager at Inland Fisheries Ireland. “It’s true that we have anglers in mind, and we want to ensure that there are enough fish for them, but we are also absolutely focused on the bigger picture. With climate change and the global biodiversity crisis upon us, we are in the privileged position of being able to use our expertise to actively increase biodiversity and build climate resilience in river catchments.”

Inland Fisheries Ireland is alert to a variety of threats, which include pollution that may come in the shape of run-off from agricultural land, physical barriers in watercourses, or the alteration of river depth and flow (hydromorphology). When natural habitats are changed, there are knock-on effects on fish – and other wildlife. Inland Fisheries Ireland’s conservation projects for the large part focus on salmon and trout, two of Ireland’s main native fish. Eels and lamprey are other native fish that are also an important focus for their work

“Weirs can be significant barriers for fish, especially for salmon and trout that need to swim freely upstream to spawn,” says Alan Cullagh, Fisheries Inspector at Inland Fisheries Ireland. Alan and his team’s project on the Ballinacarrig Weir, on the River Burren, Co. Carlow, is just one example of works that are undertaken to improve fish passage.

“We take great care that all our projects are managed professionally. Surveys are carried out – sometimes more than ten – on aspects of the project such as hydrology and topography, and together with consultant engineers we arrive at an options report.” From these, a preferred option is chosen using a decision matrix, and this preferred option is then fully designed. “Following this, we then go for planning permission, during which we have to satisfy planners’ queries and take stakeholders’ concerns into consideration.” This entire phase can take up to two years and sometimes longer.

When phase one is complete, contractors are appointed, however the work is very often time sensitive, meaning that it can only be carried out at certain periods of the year to account for water levels and the breeding and migration cycles of fish. All wildlife and nearby physical structures such as bridges and roads have to be factored in. Health and safety is vital, especially when working on large rivers, as is access to and security on sites.

“It's a wonderful day when a project is complete, and we see huge value for our time and investment. On the Ballinacarrig Weir, for example, we completed the works in September 2022, in time for the annual upstream migration of Atlantic salmon. They can now freely access 40km of spawning and nursery habitat in the River Burren and a further 80km of spawning and nursery habitat in the tributaries connected to this river.”