Under the AIE Regs to request records of the circa 175 barriers assessed using the secondary assessment tool mentioned below
For the purposes of this AIE please provide the records in the electronic format held by IFI
I-BAST assessment For primary assessment, Inland Fisheries Ireland has developed the I-BAST (IFI Barrier Assessment and Screening Tool) application as an initial screening and barriers assessment tool. To date, we have surveyed almost 22,600 structures using the I-BAST assessment and a further 175 structures using the secondary assessment.’
The register lists all barrier currently assessed (SNIFFER assessment) and includes an indication of whether a report is available (column k in excel file).
To date the register includes 232 structures, 56 of which have a report completed and available.
Please note that some of these reports are catchment wide reports and encompass all barriers assessed within that catchment. e.g. Boyne catchment
Attached the register of barriers assessed with this letter. This lists in a high-level record what I consider within the scope of your request. It provides a brief description of barriers assessed and any subsequent records related to it. e.g., Reports and or drone imagery.
Please note that each row has a corresponding SNIFFER excel assessment, this assessment contains the measurement data in raw format e.g. height/ width /head height/ velocity etc. of each barrier.
Records of Interest
If you could please indicate which specific barriers/ reports are of interest to you by returning the register with the relevant rows/ columns highlighted. We will endeavour to extract the records within the timeframe remaining. If the number of records is likely to exceed the timeframe remaining, we will correspond with you to agree a schedule of release of the relevant records.
Please note that if any drone imagery is requested, we will facilitate you by providing access to view the relevant records by laptop in a suitable IFI office. Currently we do not have the facility to share the data electronically due to the size of the files concerned.
We can provide you with an example of the raw SNIFFER excel assessment of a barrier, to help you ascertain if the record is what you require.
Inland Fisheries Ireland (IFI) is the statutory body with the responsibility for the protection, development, and management of the inland fishery resource within the state. As part of their responsibility to manage the fish stocks on the Upper River Inny at Castlecor Weir, it is proposed to hire the services of a consulting firm to prepare an options report for fish pass improvement works at the weir, considering all environmental and engineering circumstances that are present at the site upstream and downstream. IFI wishes to appoint consultants to prepare an options report, based on a number of environmental and technical surveys and using a recognised decision matrix, present a preferred option for fish pass improvement works at Castlecor Weir.
Following the approval of the preferred option, the consultants will then be required to prepare design, calculations, and drawings of the preferred option. These will be sent to the Department of Environment, Climate and Communication, and OPW for licences and approvals. The consultant will be required to prepare a planning application of the preferred option for Meath Local Authority, following the granting of planning permission, the consultant will be required to prepare construction drawings and tender documents for the hire of a construction company. The consultant will also be required to assist IFI in the tender assessment and the appointment of the successful construction company. The consultant will then be required to oversee the construction phase of the preferred option and sign off on the completed project. Please see the attached pricing schedule for more information. The design will take account of cost, constructability, maintenance, disturbance, and other structural and ecological implications. (Please see Scoping and Service Requirement document for further information)
In 2021-22 IFI removed and replaced 4 culvert barriers to fish migration. This involved removing historic concrete pipe culverts and replacing them with clear span bridge. Facilitating unimpacted fish passage through the culvert. This was done in collaboration with the local county councils.
Example
There are 2 projects listed under barrier mitigation that were completed in 2022. They are Ballinacarrig and Owenglen. A fish pass was installed at Ballinacarrig and a fish pass was repaired on the Owenglen.
2021 Ops Dev sheet also listed one barrier mitigation project at Castlerea. While the project was completed in 2021, the barrier was actually removed in 2018.
In summary; no barriers to fish passage were recorded as removed by IFI in the Ops Development reports in 2021 or 2022
River Boyne Catchment Management Programme – Martry Weir Fish Pass planned for 2023 (rock ramp)
FOI request for database/spreadsheet/record/list of all suspected or actual fish kill/pollution events reported / investigated by Inland Fisheries in the period 2020, 2021, and thus far in 2022.
This record to include location, a brief narrative description of what happened, the scale of the fish kill, the suspected cause, and the outcome of any proceedings that resulted.
Loughs Corrib, Mask, Carra, Conn, Cullin, Arrow and Sheelin are some of the best wild brown trout fisheries in Europe and are collectively known as the Great Western Lakes.
Inland Fisheries Ireland wishes to develop a long term management plan for these lakes to address many of the factors currently impacting on the ecological wellbeing of native fish stocks in their catchments.
As part of an AIE request, we are seeking to understand the process whereby DAFM Forest Service refer forestry applications to Inland Fisheries Ireland for feedback
Overview
This table outlines the number of forestry applications (nationally) assessed by IFI Environmental Officer for the period January – July 2022:
DAFM FS refer a significant volume of licence applications to IFI, so we took a look initially at just the referrals for the East River Basin District (ERBD), and then focused in on Wicklow, and on just the clearfell referrals.
Note email below to Eastern River Basin District (ERBD) on July 15th 2022 from the Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine in relation to felling licence applications.
From the licence application list provided the IFI local Environmental Office initially screened out applications in the Wicklow area and then further refined the felling applications to be commented on, based primarily on their proximity to a watercourse and the sensitivity of the watercourse and provided a response in respect of these applications.
There was a total of 79 applications in this tranche for the Wicklow area with a total of 45 responses submitted by IFI from the time of receipt on 15/07/2022 to 04/08/2022.
The responses are generic in their content however there is also individual elements specific to each river or clearfell application contained within each response.
IFI confirmed that the resources to do a deep dive into each application is not available and would probably involve site visits.
Note: DAFM FS allow a 4 week timeframe for response, but often batch large volumes for consultation on the same day. This is likely to overwhelm the available resources of the consultation body, in this case the IFI. Consultation bodies can apply for an extension.
Dear Sir/Madam,
With regard to applications for felling licences, pursuant to Section 17(5)(a) of the Forestry Act 2014, the Minister may consult any person whom he or she considers to be appropriate. To this end, the Minister issues felling licence referrals to a number of statutory authorities and other bodies of which Inland Fisheries Ireland is one. Inland Fisheries Ireland is now invited to submit comments and observations in respect of the felling licences referenced in the above table. The timeframe in which a response is expected is four weeks. Please note, if no response is received within this timeframe, “No Comment” will be noted in respect of the files listed above. Should you require an extension please notify the Dept as soon as possible.
While the Minister will have regard to any written submissions or observations received in respect of any such felling licence application so referred, he or she must be mindful that where he or she decides to grant a licence, in whole or part, with or without conditions, in attaching any such conditions to the licence, those conditions must be within the powers conferred upon him or her by statute, and will be guided in doing so by the following criteria for the imposition of conditions, namely that they are necessary, relevant to the project or activity for which a licence has been sought, enforceable, precise, and reasonable.
The Minister will also have due regard to other statutory obligations placed upon him or her, as well as taking account of the relevant policies or objectives of the Government as regards the development and promotion of forestry in a manner that maximises the economic, environmental and social value of forests within the principles of sustainable forest management.
Applications referred to you are available to view in the Forestry Licence Viewer. The FLV may be found here https://forestry-maps.apps.rhos.agriculture.gov.ie/ . The user will be able to see the site boundaries and can see other applications for forestry licences in the area (applications from 1st January, 2018). Looking at a specific application by keying in the reference number in the search box, the user can view the application documents, including maps.
The proposed clear felling refers to lands in the upper catchment of the Ballydonnell Brook_010 which has a current WFD status of Moderate and which must be improved to a minimum of good status.
The Ballydonnell Brook is a tributary of the River Liffey which flows into Poulaphouca Reservoir, the main drinking water supply source for the greater Dublin area.
The clear-felling is in an area of peaty soils, raises concerns about peat deposits entering watercourses resulting from forestry harvesting activities, posing a significant environmental threat to water quality.
Poor water quality will impact upon fish, benthic invertebrates and aquatic flora and these are the primary biological elements used in the classification of waters in the context of the WFD.
The proposed clear felling refers to lands in the catchment of the River Liffey_30 which has a current WFD status of Good and which must be maintained.
The River Liffey at this point flows into Poulaphouca Reservoir, the main drinking water supply source for the greater Dublin area.
The clear-felling raises concerns about suspended solids and nutrients entering watercourses resulting from forestry harvesting activities, posing a significant environmental threat to water quality.
Poor water quality will impact upon fish, benthic invertebrates and aquatic flora and these are the primary biological elements used in the classification of waters in the context of the WFD.
The proposed clear felling refers to lands in the catchment of the River Liffey_30 which has a current WFD status of Good and which must be maintained.
The River Liffey at this point flows into Poulaphouca Reservoir, the main drinking water supply source for the greater Dublin area.
The clear-felling raises concerns about suspended solids and nutrients entering watercourses resulting from forestry harvesting activities, posing a significant environmental threat to water quality.
Poor water quality will impact upon fish, benthic invertebrates and aquatic flora and these are the primary biological elements used in the classification of waters in the context of the WFD.
The proposed clear felling refers to lands in the catchment of the Glencree River_010 which has a current WFD status of Good and which must be maintained.
This Glencree river is an important salmonid system supporting populations of Atlantic salmon, Sea trout and Brown trout.
It represents a valuable resource both in terms of local natural heritage (biological diversity value) and particularly from a native fisheries perspective.
The clear-felling raises concerns about suspended solids and nutrients entering watercourses resulting from forestry harvesting activities, posing a significant environmental threat to water quality.
Poor water quality will impact upon fish, benthic invertebrates and aquatic flora and these are the primary biological elements used in the classification of waters in the context of the WFD
The proposed clear felling refers to lands in the catchment of the Glencree River_010 which has a current WFD status of Good and which must be maintained.
This Glencree river is an important salmonid system supporting populations of Atlantic salmon, Sea trout and Brown trout.
It represents a valuable resource both in terms of local natural heritage (biological diversity value) and particularly from a native fisheries perspective.
The clear-felling raises concerns about suspended solids and nutrients entering watercourses resulting from forestry harvesting activities, posing a significant environmental threat to water quality.
Poor water quality will impact upon fish, benthic invertebrates, and aquatic flora and these are the primary biological elements used in the classification of waters in the context of the WFD.
The proposed clear felling refers to lands in the catchment of the river Dargle_020 which has a current WFD status of Good and which must be maintained.
This Dargle river is an important salmonid system supporting populations of Atlantic salmon, Sea trout and Brown trout and is a designated in accordance with Salmonid River Regs (S.I. 293) affording the river extra protection in law.
It represents a valuable resource both in terms of local natural heritage (biological diversity value) and particularly from a native fisheries perspective.
The clear-felling raises concerns about suspended solids and nutrients entering watercourses resulting from forestry harvesting activities, posing a significant environmental threat to water quality.
Poor water quality will impact upon fish, benthic invertebrates, and aquatic flora and these are the primary biological elements used in the classification of waters in the context of the WFD.
The proposed clear felling refers to lands in the catchment of the Glencree River_010 which has a current WFD status of Good and which must be maintained.
This Glencree river is an important salmonid system supporting populations of Atlantic salmon, Sea trout and Brown trout.
It represents a valuable resource both in terms of local natural heritage (biological diversity value) and particularly from a native fisheries perspective.
The clear-felling raises concerns about suspended solids and nutrients entering watercourses resulting from forestry harvesting activities, posing a significant environmental threat to water quality.
Poor water quality will impact upon fish, benthic invertebrates, and aquatic flora and these are the primary biological elements used in the classification of waters in the context of the WFD.
The proposed clear felling refers to lands in the catchment of the Glencree River_010 which has a current WFD status of Good and which must be maintained.
This Glencree river is an important salmonid system supporting populations of Atlantic salmon, Sea trout and Brown trout.
It represents a valuable resource both in terms of local natural heritage (biological diversity value) and particularly from a native fisheries perspective.
The clear-felling raises concerns about suspended solids and nutrients entering watercourses resulting from forestry harvesting activities, posing a significant environmental threat to water quality.
Poor water quality will impact upon fish, benthic invertebrates, and aquatic flora and these are the primary biological elements used in the classification of waters in the context of the WFD.
The proposed clear felling refers to lands in the river Vartry_010 catchment, and which has a current WFD status of Good and which must be maintained.
This Vartry river at this point is an important nursery system supporting populations of Brown trout. It is also part of the water supply to the Vartry water treatment works.
It represents a valuable resource both in terms of local natural heritage (biological diversity value) and particularly from a native fisheries perspective.
The clear-felling raises concerns about suspended solids and nutrients entering watercourses resulting from forestry harvesting activities, posing a significant environmental threat to water quality.
Poor water quality will impact upon fish, benthic invertebrates, and aquatic flora and these are the primary biological elements used in the classification of waters in the context of the WFD.
The proposed clear felling refers to lands in the catchment of the Newtownmountkennedy river_020 which has a current WFD status of Poor and which must be improved to Good Status by 2027.
The Newtownmountkennedy river is under severe pressure from various sources and must not be subjected to any further activities that will exacerbate the status of the river.
The clear-felling raises concerns about suspended solids and nutrients entering watercourses resulting from forestry harvesting activities, posing a significant environmental threat to water quality.
Poor water quality will impact upon fish, benthic invertebrates, and aquatic flora and these are the primary biological elements used in the classification of waters in the context of the WFD.
The proposed clear felling refers to lands in the catchment of Ballymacahara and the Inchanappa streams, both of which has a current WFD status of Good and which must be maintained.
Both streams are of important nursery habitat, supporting populations of Brown trout.
The clear-felling raises concerns about suspended solids and nutrients entering watercourses resulting from forestry harvesting activities, posing a significant environmental threat to water quality.
Poor water quality will impact upon fish, benthic invertebrates, and aquatic flora and these are the primary biological elements used in the classification of waters in the context of the WFD
The proposed clear felling refers to lands in the catchment of the Avonmore_040 which has a current WFD status of High and which must be maintained.
The Avonmore River is an important salmonid system supporting populations of Atlantic salmon, and Brown trout.
The area of felling is directly adjacent to the Wicklow Mountains SAC which must be protected.
It represents a valuable resource both in terms of local natural heritage (biological diversity value) and particularly from a native fisheries perspective.
The clear-felling raises concerns about suspended solids and nutrients entering watercourses resulting from forestry harvesting activities, posing a significant environmental threat to water quality.
Poor water quality will impact upon fish, benthic invertebrates, and aquatic flora and these are the primary biological elements used in the classification of waters in the context of the WFD.
The proposed clear felling refers to lands in the catchment of the Avonmore_050 which has a current WFD status of Good, and which must be maintained.
The Avonmore River is an important salmonid system supporting populations of Atlantic salmon, and Brown trout.
The river represents a valuable resource both in terms of local natural heritage (biological diversity value) and particularly from a native fisheries perspective.
The clear-felling raises concerns about suspended solids and nutrients entering watercourses resulting from forestry harvesting activities, posing a significant environmental threat to water quality.
Poor water quality will impact upon fish, benthic invertebrates, and aquatic flora and these are the primary biological elements used in the classification of waters in the context of the WFD.
