Albert Einstein wrote ‘Look deeper into nature, and you will understand everything better‘. Cairde an Chláir prime objective is to improve the recruitment of wild fish. Increasing wild brown trout and salmon stocks in a natural and sustainable way and we do this by providing nature with the tools to achieve this end.
Working in collaboration with Inland Fisheries Ireland (IFI), we have over the last five years embarked on a number of headwater stream enhancements within the Clare river catchment to improve the recruitment of wild fish. These enhancements involve the introduction of rock structure and gravel at strategic points to improve spawning and nursery habitat for young fish.
This year the positive work to improve recruitment of wild fish in our headwater streams has continued with two new developments. The Abbert River at Killaclogher, a 600m enhancement was one of the developments. This section had the added benefit that it followed downstream of the 1100m 2020 site enhancement.
The Office of Public Works (OPW) were the contractor involved in this development. Gravel and constriction points have been added to improve the habitat for spawning and supporting young wild fish. No material was removed and several areas where natural flams were consolidating, were left. This is a positive shift in OPW’s mode of operation and a huge improvement over a time when the natural build of instream material would have been removed.
Gravel was introduced at specified sites to improve spawning. Again this was done without disturbing the natural habitat and was performed with a more compassionate understanding of how a river works. Selected sites were positions where there was increased flow to sort the gravel in periods of high flow and create a clean scour.
Rock constriction points were added to create scour and provide energy diversity to the river flow, these were introduced in areas where the gradient was insufficient or where the river channel had been widened by previous drainagework. This would increase water flow, and this improvement in water energy will help pool formation and sorting of the introduced gravel. Creating conditions which are key to providing ideal habitat for both spawning adult trout and salmon and supporting young fish.
These stone constriction points will narrow the river channel in areas of low flow creating greater flow through the restricted channel width.
Our quest to improve damaged habitat for the recruitment of wild fish continues. IFI have put in many hours of agency work to ensure that these nursery stream enhancements are implemented in the Clare river catchment. Working in collaboration with the agency for the conservation and protection of fish in Ireland, the target of 8000m of nursery stream enhancements has been surpassed, a milestone achievement. One which will benefit the recruitment of wild fish for the Clare river and Lough Corrib.
Cairde an Chláir hope that this progressive policy endorsed by IFI will continue into the future.
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