SLIDE 1
Barriers to Progress- migration issues for sediment and species in Irish rivers
EPA Water Conference, Galway 8-9 June 2016
Brian Coghlan and James J. King Inland Fisheries Ireland
SLIDE 2 Inland Fisheries Ireland
- Inland Fisheries Ireland (IFI) is the state agency responsible for
the protection, management and conservation of Ireland's inland fisheries and sea angling resources.
- Fisheries resource = ∑(species + habitats)
SLIDE 3 EU Water Framework Directive (WFD)
- Water ‘Quality’ assessed via a series of Quality
Elements
- Fish as a Quality Element
- Hydromorphology as a support
- Hydromorphology is fundamental to fish – it
creates the habitat!
SLIDE 4 Hydromorphology in WFD
3 key parts in rivers
- Hydrology – quantity and dynamics of flow
- Morphology – instream and riparian condition
- River continuity
SLIDE 5 Hydrology
- drought conditions – flood conditions
SLIDE 6
Morphology - instream
SLIDE 7
Morphology - riparian
SLIDE 8 River Continuity
WFD: “The continuity of the river is not disturbed …….. allows undisturbed migration of aquatic
sediment transport”
SLIDE 9
Hydromorphology – potential/actual impacts ….where does it crop up???
SLIDE 10
Fine sediment runoff = sediment loading
SLIDE 11
Drainage
SLIDE 12
Urbanisation = flashy flows
SLIDE 13
Riparian zone management in agriculture:
good practise benefits rivers
Teagasc – IFI initiative
SLIDE 14
Livestock ingress – sediment, nutrients, pathogens
SLIDE 15
Water abstraction
SLIDE 16
Flow regulation
SLIDE 17
Man-made Barriers
SLIDE 18 ………and back to…….River Continuity
WFD: “The continuity of the river is not disturbed …….. allows undisturbed migration of aquatic
sediment transport”
SLIDE 19 Discontinuity - Barriers as a HYMO pressure
Impedance leads to;
- Altered sediment flow
- Migration problems for keystone fish species
- Ponding effect upstream – loss of productivity
- Reduced fish ecological status due to barrier
SLIDE 20
Barrier impact on sediment transport
SLIDE 21
Sediment transport – sediment shoaling downstream of barriers
SLIDE 22 Convergence of concerns in EU legislation
EU WFD – hydromorphology and barriers
fish species
SLIDE 23 Barriers: Fish species
Ireland
SLIDE 24 Barriers: Fish species
Ireland
SLIDE 25 Sea lamprey passage issues in Irish rivers
High Impact Partial Barrier Complete Barrier
SLIDE 26 River Slaney SAC – sea lamprey spawning: 2003 & 2010
Sea lamprey Redds 2003 n=32 2010 n=83
SLIDE 27
Slaney – Ballycarney Bridge
– WFD III Barrier Assessment Tool
High Impact Partial Barrier
SLIDE 28
Slaney – Clohamon Weir
– WFD III Barrier Assessment Tool
High Impact Partial Barrier
SLIDE 29 National GIS layer of Barriers – work of IFI
Standard format for barriers:
- Geo-reference
- Photos
- Basic measurements
- Basic information
SLIDE 30 IFI staff training
BH = HEIGHT OF BARRIER SL = SILL LENGTH (Horizontal distance from toe to tip) PPD = PLUNGE POOL DEPTH
SLIDE 31 WFD 111 (SNIFFER) barrier passability:
detailed assessment where modification is proposed
Complete Barrier Complete Barrier Complete Barrier
SLIDE 32 ReConnect – EPA-funded 2016-19
- UCD multi-disciplinary team
- Inventory of barriers in selected sub-catchments with IFI protocol
- Development of app for Citizen Science to facilitate sightings of barriers –
geo-reference and image!!
SLIDE 33
- Italian tool being refined for Irish Rivers
- Hydromorphological characterisation
- Classify the morphological quality of rivers
- Morphological component - evaluates
- Geomorphological functionality
- Artificiality
- Channel adjustments
The Morphological Quality Index (MQI) – a brief intro…….
SLIDE 34 MQI
- Outputs
- typologies
- increased understanding
- provide information to help diagnose issues and identify measures
SLIDE 35
Thank You
