Restoration of Fisheries Habitat on the Ballinglen River
Since 2020, the East Wicklow Rivers Trust (EWRT), Wicklow County Council (WCC), Inland Fisheries Ireland (IFI), and Local Authority Waters Programme (LAWPRO) have been working together in partnership to improve habitat and biodiversity for migratory fish in rivers and streams in Co. Wicklow – the ‘Wicklow Fish Barrier Mitigation Programme’. The project has also been supported by local riparian landowners and National Parks and Wildlife Service.
The Ballinglen project involves the construction of a fish pass in the Derry Water River below Ballinglen Bridge. This is a full channel width cascaded rock ramp design fish pass.
Recognising the built heritage of the bridge, WCC carried out all necessary heritage and archaeology studies /reports and the East Wicklow Rivers Trust received funding from the IFI Salmon & Sea Trout Rehabilitation, Conservation & Protection Fund 2021 for the project and engaged RIVUS Ecological Engineering to complete an Ecological Impact Assessment Report, an Appropriate Assessment Screening Report and to design the fish pass and lamprey/eel pass.
RIVUS Ecological Engineering were appointed to construct the rock ramp and these works are now substantially complete and we look forward to welcoming our special river inhabitants back to the Ballinglen Valley.
Read more about this project here.