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Survey on Arctic char

Researchers are looking for feedback from the public to better understand attitudes towards Arctic char and how they might be conserved. Do you have 20 minutes to fill out a questionnaire to help to develop a better plan the conservation of a unique and rare Irish native fish?

Arctic char are one of Ireland’s most unique native Irish fishes. They were the some of the earliest colonisers, following the ice sheets northwards at the end of the Ice Age and have now formed relict populations in isolated glacial loughs, meaning they are some of our oldest living natural heritage. They are threatened along some of their range and more information is needed to help better understand how we can best protect those populations that are left.

Male Irish Arctic char from Coumnaglashlaw, Co. Kerry exhibiting splendid colouration during spawning time– Source Irish Char Conservation Group.

The questionnaire takes less than 20 minutes to fill out, so please take the time and when you start please make sure to finish it. Please complete by midnight 18 December 2021.

Take the survey: https://survey.eu.qualtrics.com/jfe/form/SV_eRFUewgCZi9TVye

Learn more:

For more information on the study you can check out https://www.qub.ac.uk/sites/irish-artic-char/– but we recommend that you fill out the questionnaire first to avoid survey bias.

If you would like to make a submission on the draft River Basin Management Plan 2022-2027, it is open for consultations at the LAWPRO virtual consultation room LAWPRO Virtual Consultation Room (drbmp-vcr.ie).

Supported by the Local Authority Waters Programme, Inland Fisheries Ireland & the EPA. This project is funded under the EPA Research Programme 2014-2020. The EPA Research Programme is a Government of Ireland initiative funded by the Department of Communications, Climate Action and Environment. It is administered by the Environmental Protection Agency, which has the statutory function of co-ordinating and promoting environmental research.

About author

EPA Catchments Unit

Administrator

The EPA Catchments Unit is based in Dublin, and the team is involved with catchment science, chemistry, ecology, hydromorphology, modelling, Geographic Information Systems and planning. We work with the wider EPA, all of our local authorities, the Local Authority Waters and Communities Office, the Department of Housing, Planning and Local Government, and other public bodies and Departments to ensure we have the best available data and information about our catchments.

Who is involved?
Quite simply, everyone in Ireland has a role to play. This can be from something as simple as making sure you don’t pollute your local stream, or a local community working together to establish a Rivers Trust to enhance the rivers and lakes in their area, to a Government Department or Agency helping a Minister implement a new policy to help protect and enhance all our water bodies.

This website has been developed and is maintained by the Environmental Protection Agency, and is a collaboration between the Department of Housing, Planning and Local Government, the Environmental Protection Agency, and the Local Authority Waters Programme.

Local Authority Waters Programme

The Local Authority Waters Programme coordinates the efforts of local authorities and other public bodies in the implementation of the River Basin Management Plan, and supports local community and stakeholder involvement in managing our natural waters, for everyone’s benefit.

Environmental Protection Agency

The EPA is responsible for coordinating the monitoring, assessment and reporting on the status of our 4,842 water bodies, looking at trends and changes, determining which waterbodies are at risk and what could be causing this, and drafting environmental objectives for each.

Department of Housing, Local Government and Heritage

The Department is responsible for making sure that the right policies, regulations and resources are in place to implement the Water Framework Directive, and developing a River Basin Management Plan and Programme of Measures to protect and restore our waters.