Loughs Agency’s CatchmentCARE Team has been busy throughout the summer delivering and deploying passive samplers across the Finn catchment. The passive sampler survey aims to detect the presence of herbicides and pesticides such as MCPA, Diazinon, Cypermethrin and Acetamiprid in the target areas. The samplers have been placed strategically at…
Much of the work carried out by Loughs Agency revolves around science, and its importance in informing the management of the environment within the Agency’s catchments. To mark Science Week 2021, we caught up with our Head of Science Sarah McLean for a Q&A session on a variety of scientific…
Loughs Agency reminds anglers of the annual close season, which prohibits fishing over the winter months to help protect salmon and sea trout from disturbance when spawning. The Foyle Area and Carlingford Area (Close Seasons for Angling) Regulations prohibit fishing for salmon and sea trout over the winter, with fishing…
Loughs Agency has welcomed the announcement of its new Board Chairperson, Heather Mackey, who is also the first female appointee in the role. The appointment was officially announced at a recent meeting of the North South Ministerial Council (NSMC). Loughs Agency’s Board is responsible for ensuring that the Agency’s statutory…
Field personnel from the Ocean Tracking Network (OTN) based at Dalhousie University in Nova Scotia, Canada, are currently in the North West working with the team servicing critical animal tracking infrastructure in support of the EU INTERREG VA-funded SeaMonitor project. Led by the Loughs Agency and supported by eight leading…
A section of riverbank on the Owenkillew River which was eroded by flash flooding in Co Tyrone, has been stabilised as part of a wider habitat enhancement project being progressed by Loughs Agency. Flood waters had stripped the 160m riverbank area of vegetation, and trees became unstable resulting in subsidence…
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…
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.