Loughs Agency will have a visible presence during the upcoming Foyle Maritime Festival, with a wide range of water and land activities for the whole family to enjoy. The activities will mostly be based at the Agency’s zone along the River Foyle and bookings are now open. Revellers can enjoy…
The internationally acclaimed Foyle Maritime Festival makes its highly anticipated return to the banks of the River Foyle this July, alongside the Clipper Round the World Yacht Race fleet. Hundreds of thousands of people are expected to attend the festival, with the landmark event set…
Thursday 9th June sees the launch of the ‘Finn Through the Lens’ exhibition, a stunning photographic display of the majestic River Finn from photographer Emer O’Shea. This photographic exhibition charts the meanderings of the Finn from its source in Fintown to its exit from Donegal at…
Loughs Agency are delighted to be a strategic partner with Derry City and Strabane District Council for the Foyle Maritime Festival. Loughs Agency along with our delivery partners are offering the public a wide range of activities and spectacles on the water from Kayaking to Canoeing to Yoga on Stand-Up…
Loughs Agency has released the following statement regarding the escape of rainbow trout: Loughs Agency and DAERA Inland Fisheries have detected an escape of a limited number of rainbow trout from a facility in the Foyle Area, with investigations currently being conducted by DAERA officials. In the meantime, any…
Interested parties are invited to apply for a licence to fish the 2022/2023 Native Oyster fishery. Applicants will be required to submit a completed application to the address listed below. Due to the Covid-19 situation, all applications must be delivered via post. It is the responsibility…
Loughs Agency has welcomed Europe’s top marine scientists to the northwest for the European Tracking Network (ETN) Annual Meeting, with delegates from across the continent attending the three-day event in Derry/Londonderry. The conference, which is funded by the EU’s COST Action programme, took place in the City Hotel Derry…
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…