2 minute read
Conservation Success on Lough Arrow
from ATU Magazine
by ATU Sligo
A fascinated audience of anglers, conservationists and academics met on the shores of Lough Arrow in Co Sligo on April 7. In the sunshine between hail flurries, they celebrated the conservation successes on Lough Arrow and learned about plans for the site.
The event included a practical demonstration from Dr Joe Caffrey of INVAS Biosecurity (pictured below) on how the invasive weed is ideally evolved to spread within the lake and how easy it is for fragments of the plant to infect neighbouring water bodies through the equipment and boats of lake users.
Although it may be that the weed can never be eradicated due to practicalities and cost, the idea of using jute matting to suppress the weed in biosecure channels has long term potential. This means that people can safely access the deep weed-free waters to fish, swim, and boat without breaking weeds, preventing spread within or out of the Lough.
The CANN project, funded by the EU’s INTERREG VA Programme, through the Special EU Programmes Body (SEUPB) to the tune of €9.4 million, is working with 11 partners to deliver conservation targets across Northern Ireland, the border region of Ireland and western Scotland. The CANN project is also match-funded by the Department of Agriculture. Environment and Rural Affairs in Northern Ireland, NatureScot in Scotland and the Department of Housing, Local Government and Heritage in Ireland. ”
Professor Frances Lucy (Head of Department of Environmental Science, ATU Sligo) said: “The Nuttall’s weed has been entirely suppressed under the matting and, even more importantly, the charophytes or stoneworts that are such an essential part of the lifecycles of the lake are successfully growing through the jute.”
An announcement was also made at the event that the Lough is due to be central within the next stage of the River Basin Management Plans, and so work and research will continue on the Lough, carrying CANN’s legacy into the future.
