THE FUTURE of one of Europe’s finest wild salmon and trout habitats has been threatened by “environmental vandalism”, according to the Western Regional Fisheries Board
It is investigating the “deliberate introduction” of predatory pike into several lakes on the Owenriff river system near Oughterard, Co Galway.
A significant number of juvenile pike have been found in two lakes upstream of Lough Corrib which had provided a haven for salmon and trout.
Board staff will use gill netting and electro-fishing to stun and remove the pike in an effort to restore the lakes to their status as required under the EU Water Framework. However, this may be affected by budgetary constraints.
Kevin Crowley of the fisheries board said yesterday the pike may have been in loughs Boffin and Agraffard for the past two years, but had only recently been detected after spawning.
Lough Corrib has pike, but the game fish which they feed on were able to migrate up to the safety of the two acidic lakes due to a large waterfall on the route which is impassable to the predators.
Mr Crowley said: “The wild brown trout who hatched in the streams above the lake grow for up to two years before descending to Lough Corrib to join the existing trout stocks. Unfortunately, these lakes now have significant and rapidly expanding pike populations which have only juvenile trout on which to feed.”
The fisheries board says anyone caught transporting live fish and introducing fish into lakes is liable to prosecution, but admits it may be impossible to find the culprit in this case. “We are talking about a minority,” said Mr Crowley. “Most anglers are very responsible, and will be very upset by this.”