Loughs Agency has made the decision to retain salmon carcass tag numbers for licence holders for the 2022 season in line with the previous year’s policy. The Agency introduced the interim policy for the 2020/2021 season whereby the number of tags issued with a game angling licence was reduced to…
Loughs Agency and Woodland Trust Northern Ireland have officially announced the launch of their new biodiversity project TREES, within the Foyle and Carlingford catchment areas. The primary aim of the TREES project is to protect and restore vital habitats for wildlife in rivers and trees. The project uses a nature-friendly…
Post-primary schools in the Foyle and Carlingford area are being encouraged to discover, explore, and conserve more this year through Loughs Agency’s Ambassador Programme. Loughs Agency has been running the Ambassador programme for several years, with close to 200 young people graduating. During the programme, young people complete activities that enable…
Loughs Agency’s Education Team are currently delivering the Salmon Ambassador programme with primary schools and national schools in the Foyle and Carlingford catchments. So far, pupils have been learning about the amazing lifecycle of the Salmon, from their early beginnings as tiny eggs right through to the adult stage. During…
As part of Loughs Agency’s annual redd counting on the River Roe and tributaries, underwater cameras were successfully deployed and captured footage of salmon spawning activity. Loughs Agency’s Freshwater Fisheries Biologist Mark McCauley describes the footage and this particular stage in the lifecycle of the salmon.”A female salmon begins to…
During the Spring of 2012, 2013, and 2014, Loughs Agency, in partnership with Woodland Trust and with the agreement of local landowners, planted 10,000 mixed species native trees along both banks of the River Roe in the upper Glenshane area. This section of the river holds good populations of…
Loughs Agency has completed river enhancement works on several rivers in the Omagh area in partnership with local landowners, Omagh Anglers Association, and the Strule Tributaries and Rivers Trust. Loughs Agency CEO, Sharon McMahon said: “Since the major flood event in 2017, the Agency has worked extensively to reduce silt…
The CatchmentCare project is nearing completion with the Elatagh instream habitat improvement works along a 3.4km stretch on the Elatagh River, Co. Donegal, and the benefits are already evident. Sharon McMahon, Loughs Agency CEO said: “Loughs Agency is committed to working with partners, stakeholders and landowners in the Finn…
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…