Galway Bay fm newsroom - Inland Fisheries Ireland is investigating the origin of newly arrived pike in Aughrusbeg Lough in Connemara
The presence of the pike in the lake was found during a fish stock survey by the state agency
The agency is very concerned at the development as it is dangerous to ecosystems to move fish between watercourses
Inland Fisheries Ireland is responsible for the protection and conservation of freshwater fish and habitats
This is the first official record of pike being present in Aughrusbeg Lough
The confirmation was made during a fish stock survey by Inland Fisheries Ireland research staff earlier this week
Officials are investigating if the pike was ‘introduced’ to the Connemara lake through human activity, by the illegal movement of fish between watercourses.
The introduction of pike to small low-complexity lakes, such as Aughrusbeg Lough, could be devastating to resident fish populations. New introductions are also potentially a carrier of fish disease and parasites
Chief Executive Officer Francis O’Donnell says Ireland’s inland waterbodies are ecologically important ecosystems, which support significant recreational fisheries for native and established fish species.
He says ‘Introductions’ of new species threaten these ecosystems
He added a similar introduction of pike into the upper sections of the Owenriff catchment in Oughterard over ten years ago caused the virtual collapse of what had been a very important salmonid fishery in the West of Ireland.
Inland Fisheries researchers are currently analysing samples from the latest fish stock survey to establish the age and distribution of the pike population discovered in Aughrusbeg Lough
