At the turn of the Millennium, Lough Sheelin was a lost soul. Ireland’s anglers had given up on the fishery and the word was, it was finished. How that has now changed, acre for acre this very rich limestone lough is producing more trout in the 50 to 60cm size range than any other fishery in Ireland. In May, when the hawthorn is in blossom and the mayfly are dancing, anglers both domestic and international now flock to Sheelin’s shores to experience a taste of what this incredible fishery has to offer. What has brought about this dramatic transformation.
A dedicated group, the Lough Sheelin Trout Preservation Association (LSTPA) never gave up on this renowned wild brown trout fishery and over the years working in collaboration with the previous fishery board which in 2010, became Inland Fisheries Ireland (IFI), they have injected new life into a lough that was all but lost. Lough Sheelin is a world class fishery which is now living up to that status classification, but there was time when the story was completely different and a positive strategy was required to turn around the parlous state of the fishery.
The LSTPA took to this task with a conviction that Sheelin could be saved as a wild brown trout fishery. They set to work with a strategy of enhancing damaged nursery habitat for wild fish production, and backed this development with a campaign which promoted conservation of mature fish.
The slogan, ‘DON’T KILL THE GOOSE‘ really caught on and the majority of caring anglers which fished Sheelin, began releasing trout in size range which previously would have most certainly been killed.
This campaign which was backed by a reduction in the catch limit to two fish, supported the dedicated stream development work which was taking place. The results were not instant but after a few years, young fish began to show in anglers catches, an event which hadn’t been witnessed on the lough for some considerable time. This was the beginning of the resurrection of Sheelin. Over time the population dynamic of wild brown has improved, with increasing numbers of larger trout figuring in anglers catches and the improvement has been such, that we now have a fishery which is producing world class fishing.
IFI working in collaboration with the LSTPA, have supported this strategy and they have been the prime player when it comes to nursery stream development. Without the committed and dedicated support of IFI, the state agency for the protection and conservation of fish in Ireland, this positive turnaround of Sheelins fortune would never have happened. The success of Sheelin is a clear example of what can be achieved when local stakeholders such as the LSTPA, positively work with IFI to implement a strategy of nursery stream development that is supported with conservation measures to support the mature fish.
Lough Sheelin is a nutrient rich water, it has one of the highest nutrient loadings in Ireland and its catchment is intensively farmed, however, the LSTPA have actively lobbied for better water quality and are vigilant when it comes to any practice which could increase the nutrient loading. The water quality is still a concern and even though the clarity of Sheelin has improved due to the filtration actions of the invasive zebra mussel, the nitrate and phosphate levels are still high. This would not be an uncommon problem in Ireland, it is an issue which sadly impacts on many of our prime fishery’s but the LSTPA and IFI did not give up on Sheelin.
What the dedication of IFI and the LSTPA has proven, is that irrespective of the unsatisfactory high nutrient levels, the lough was more than capable of supporting fish and by improving damaged nursery stream habitat and backing this with conservation measures to protect the mature fish, a lough which was deemed as a lost cause has been resurrected from the ashes of decline to a jewel in the Irish crown of limestone lough fisheries.
This is a success story and it is one that both IFI and the LSTPA should be proud of. What has been achieved on Sheelin can be adopted to any fishery in Ireland, it just requires positive stakeholder involvement with the state agency, Inland Fisheries Ireland. This template of working with IFI too enhance damaged nursery stream habitat and supporting the work with realistic conservation measures to protect mature fish, is a strategy which has also been adopted by Cairde an Chláir. It is a strategy which is known to work and Sheelin is the proof of this.
Article continued with Finaway Restoration article.
Note: photographs by Brenda Montgomery, IFI