Presenter Barra Best has been learning about the iconic Atlantic Salmon from school pupils at the recent ‘Salmon Ambassador’ conference hosted by Loughs Agency. The conference was the culmination of a five-month primary school education programme that encouraged pupils to learn about their local river system. The programme included a…
If you suspect you have caught an escaped farmed Atlantic salmon, escaped farmed Rainbow trout, escaped farmed Brown trout, non-native Pink salmon or a fish displaying external or internal signs of disease please implement the advice below: Please report any suspected catches of escaped farmed Atlantic salmon, Rainbow trout or…
The multi-agency cross border group established in response to the peat slide in Meenbog continues to meet on an ongoing basis and the organisations involved are coordinating the various enforcement actions that are underway. Construction works on the windfarm site where the peat slide originated remain suspended, with the exception…
Loughs Agency has been a supporter of the Foyle Maritime Festival for many years. The Agency welcomes the news that Derry City & Strabane District Council’s Business and Culture Committee have endorsed the proposal to host the Clipper Round the World Yacht Race in 2022. Sharon McMahon, CEO of Loughs…
Loughs Agency is currently attending the scene of an extensive pollution incident on the Aghlisk River, a tributary of the Owenreagh in county Tyrone. …
Marine experts sounding out salmon, basking sharks, skate, dolphins, whales and seals A unique marine research project led by Loughs Agency is underway to study the seas around Ireland and Western Scotland with the deployment of ‘Europe’s largest fish counter’. The SeaMonitor project – which is supported by eight leading…
Loughs Agency angling permits now available online Loughs Agency has announced that angling permits for its waters on the River Finn and River Foyle, including the Greenbrae’s, are now available to purchase online. Online permits will make angling in these rivers even more accessible, particularly during the current COVID-19 government…
Loughs Agency has invested over £80,000 in habitat enhancement projects in the River Roe catchment area during the past two years. More than 20 sites within the Roe catchment were prioritised by the Agency as a result of an assessment process conducted with habitat surveys and local angling club engagement. Investment…
Loughs Agency, like its stakeholders, is concerned about the populations and interactions between cormorant populations and populations of Atlantic salmon, and in particular, the impact of cormorant predation on juvenile salmon during the annual smolt migration. Cormorants are one of many predators on juvenile salmon populations. However, one of the…
Loughs Agency’s Habitat Improvement Strategy sets out its commitment to fisheries habitat enhancement. It outlines works associated with conserving, protecting, and improving the abundance and distribution of wild salmon and trout in Foyle and Carlingford’s freshwater catchments. Within the Drumragh catchment, Loughs Agency invested £12,000 during 2020 in several tailored…
Whilst some anglers enjoyed success on the rivers within Foyle and Carlingford in 2020, Loughs Agency continues to take a precautionary approach in line with national and international trends. The State of the Salmon Report published by the international lead on salmon management, the North Atlantic Salmon Conservation Organization (NASCO),…
In the Foyle and Carlingford catchments, preparations are underway for the start of the salmon, sea trout and wild brown trout angling season with the Rivers Finn and Foyle opening on 1st March. However, game, coarse and sea angling is already available in both catchments. For still water game anglers,…
Loughs Agency has today launched a new campaign appealing for anglers to embrace the practice of ‘catch and release’ to help sustain fish stocks in the Foyle and Carlingford areas. The Agency welcomes the growing trend of ‘catch and release’ angling as a way of continuing to fish whilst limiting…
The Cross Border Multi-Agency Working Group established following the serious pollution event on the Mourne Beg River triggered by a peat slide continues to meet on an ongoing basis. Following the incident the developer of the a wind farm in Meenbog from where the peat slide originated has been carrying…
Anglers are reminded to log and submit their angling effort, catches and fish releases for the 2020 angling season in Foyle and Carlingford. When an angler buys a rod licence to fish for salmon and sea trout in Foyle and Carlingford, they are legally obliged to inform Loughs Agency of…
Loughs Agency’s assessment of the fisheries impact of the bog slide at Meenbog is ongoing and may take some time to complete. Unfortunately, survey work and assessments are being hampered by high water conditions and the colouration of the river. Due to the nature of the investigation, the Agency is…
Loughs Agency staff are currently in the process of evaluating the environmental effect of a significant peat slide in the Mourne Beg River. The Agency has been onsite over the weekend and continues to investigate alongside colleagues in Donegal County Council and other statutory agencies. As the extent of the…
The State of the Salmon report published recently by the international lead on salmon management, the North Atlantic Salmon Conservation Organization (NASCO), highlights the worrying and continuous decline in the populations of the Atlantic salmon. NASCO states ‘it now takes about double the amount of eggs to produce one adult…
Important research that will help advance the management of our seas around Ireland, Western Scotland and Northern Ireland has not totally ceased during the Covid-19 pandemic. The EU INTERREG VA-funded SeaMonitor project, which is led by the Loughs Agency and supported by another eight leading marine research institutions, was able…
Last weekend, Loughs Agency Fishery Officers seized a 150m long net in the River Foyle at an area known as Rosses Bay. This area is known to be an important holding water for salmon on their journey to the tributary rivers upstream. Protection of this area is…
Following the Government’s advice in relation to COVID-19, Loughs Agency has put in place a number of measures to maximise our capacity to continue to deliver our
services as best we can.