1 / 36

Control of Aquatic Invasive Species and Restoration of Natural Communities in Ireland

Control of Aquatic Invasive Species and Restoration of Natural Communities in Ireland. Dr Joe Caffrey Central Fisheries Board. QUB, Belfast – 7 th April 2009. Scope. High impact aquatic invasive species in Ireland. Case study Lagarosiphon major (Curly Waterweed). Future work and funding.

evalerie
Download Presentation

Control of Aquatic Invasive Species and Restoration of Natural Communities in Ireland

An Image/Link below is provided (as is) to download presentation Download Policy: Content on the Website is provided to you AS IS for your information and personal use and may not be sold / licensed / shared on other websites without getting consent from its author. Content is provided to you AS IS for your information and personal use only. Download presentation by click this link. While downloading, if for some reason you are not able to download a presentation, the publisher may have deleted the file from their server. During download, if you can't get a presentation, the file might be deleted by the publisher.

E N D

Presentation Transcript

  1. Control of Aquatic Invasive Species and Restoration of Natural Communities in Ireland Dr Joe Caffrey Central Fisheries Board QUB, Belfast – 7th April 2009

  2. Scope High impact aquatic invasive species in Ireland Case study Lagarosiphon major (Curly Waterweed) Future work and funding

  3. High Impact Aquatic Invasive Species Curly Waterweed Lagarosiphon major Nuttall’s Waterweed Elodea nuttallii Dace Leuciscus leuciscus Zebra Mussel Dreissena polymorpha New Zealand Pigmyweed Crassula helmsii Parrot Feather Myriophyllum aquaticum Fringed Water lily Nymphoides peltata Water Fern Azolla filiculoides

  4. Potentially High Impact Aquatic Invasive Species Chinese Mitten Crab Eriocheir sinensis Chub Leuciscus cephalus Bloody Red ShrimpHemimysis anomala Floating Pennywort Hydrocotyle ranunculoides

  5. Lagarosiphon near Kilmeaden, Waterford 2005

  6. Nuttall’s Waterweed (Elodea nuttallii) in Carrigadrohid Reservoir

  7. New Zealand Pigmyweed (Crassulahelmsii) Emergent and submerged

  8. Parrot’s Feather (Myriophyllum aquaticum)

  9. Fringed Water lily (Nymphoides peltata)

  10. Water Fern (Azolla filiculoides)

  11. Azolla in River Barrow and Limerick Canal

  12. Chinese Mitten Crab (Eriocheir sinensis) - 2005

  13. Chub (Leuciscus leuciscus), River Inny – 2006

  14. Bloody Red Shrimp (Hemimysis anomala) Photo - Dan Minchin (2008)

  15. Floating Pennywort (Hydrocotyle ranunculoides)

  16. INVASIVE SPECIES CONTROL Case Study Lagarosiphon major in Lough Corrib

  17. Curly Waterweed (Lagarosiphon major) Submerged aquatic ‘Oxygenating weed’ Artificial watercourses ~ Only natural habitat is Lough Corrib

  18. Rinerroon Bay, Lough Corrib pre-Lagarosiphon major

  19. Rinerroon Bay, Lough Corrib post-Lagarosiphon major (2005)

  20. Why is Lagarosiphon a Problem? No natural enemies in Ireland Rapid growth rate Dispersal through fragmentation Actively grows in winter Canopy forming – excludes indigenous macrophytes Alters macroinvertebrate community structure Creates improved conditions for coarse fish No legislation to prohibit its sale and distribution

  21. Lagarosiphon Control Methods Currently Employed Hand removal using Scuba Mechanical cutting and harvesting Herbicides Light exclusion Life cycle studies [Biological control]

  22. Hand Removal using Scuba Lagarosiphon in low abundance - recently colonised sites - edge of large stands - following other treatment methods

  23. Herbicides for Lagarosiphon Control Lough Corrib is a SAC and drinking water supply !!! Only one approved herbicide to treat submerged weeds Lagarosiphon is susceptible to dichlobenil Applied locally in upper lake

  24. Mechanical Cutting in Lough Corrib Deep cut with trailing knives (V-blades) 10 infested sites treated in 2008 4,700 tonnes of Lagarosiphon removed 29.2 hectares of infested lake bed cleared

  25. Light Exclusion using Biodegradable Geotextile - 2008 Trials commenced in August 2008 1,750 sq m at 4 sites treated Early indications positive

  26. Life Cycle Studies as an Aid to Lagarosiphon Control Little is known about the life cycle strategies or adventive traits of Lagarosiphon under Irish conditions Less is known about the factors that influence its growth in Irish waters This information is vital if potential weak links in Lagarosiphon’s life cycle are to be identified and targeted for specific control

  27. Restoration of Natural Communities Natural recolonisation of indigenous species from spores, seeds, fragments Transplant indigenous species Create conditions favourable for indigenous species

  28. Funding & Future Research Primary source of funding for 2009 - 2013 is Life+ (EU & NPWS) €1.5 million 2 ProjectsLagarosiphon control in Lough Corrib Invasive species in Grand Canal / Barrow corridor Worth approx. €180k per annum per project (vsc. €200k for 6 months on Lagarosiphon in 2008)

  29. Strategic Control of Lagarosiphon in 2009 Clearance of sites from all upstream sites

  30. Strategic Control of Lagarosiphon in 2009 Mechanical cutting of sites on north-western shore

  31. Strategic Control of Lagarosiphon in 2009 Apply geotextile to all sites in the middle lake

  32. Road Map for Lagarosiphon Control in Lough Corrib

  33. Road Map for Lagarosiphon Control in Lough Corrib Biocontrol PhD to be funded – commencing in summer 2009 Collaboration with University of Grahamstown in SA No. of candidate species already identified Photos J-R Baars

  34. Can We Eradicate Lagarosiphon in Lough Corrib? Enormous task – using traditional methods Best expertise available will be utilised Biocontrol may provide the ‘silver bullet’

More Related