Site navigation:

ECOFACT ECOFACT | Lamprey Surveys and Management Services

The category page

Lamprey Surveys and Research


.

Introduction

Three species of lamprey occur in Ireland: brook lamprey Lampetra planeri; river lamprey Lampetra fluviatilis and sea lamprey Petromyzon marinus. All three Irish lamprey species are listed on Annex II of the European Union Habitats Directive (92/43/EEC). This directive legally protects each of these species in designated Special Areas of Conservation (SACs) and requires the monitoring and protection of lamprey species coupled with the conservation and maintenance of their preferred habitat.

Lampreys are an important element in river ecosystems. The key importance of lampreys is the fact that, together with the hagfishes, they are the sole survivors of the agnathan (jawless) stage in vertebrate evolution. Recent work on fossils in China indicates that lampreys arose over 500 million years ago. Lampreys are of high ecological value and can play an important role in processing nutrients, nutrient storage, and nutrient cycling in streams. Moreover, they also constitute a food source for other animals and can act as a buffer for salmon from predators in areas where they are abundant. It is now understood that they are susceptible to the same threats facing other native freshwater fish (i.e. pollution, barriers to migration, habitat destruction, etc.) and require careful management and consideration.

Albino-Lampreys lamprey-electrofishing sea-lamprey

The National Parks and Wildlife Service (NPWS) of the Department of Environment, Heritage and Local Government (DEHLG) contracted ECOFACT to undertake catchment-wide lamprey surveys in selected river SACs designated for lampreys. ECOFACT has completed lamprey catchment-wide surveys on the Moy, Boyne, Feale, Corrib and Suir catchments. The following reports have been produced and are available to download from www.npws.ie or at the following links:-

We have continued work on lampreys since the above surveys, with the work mainly involved in surveys as part of Environmental Impact Assessments and Natura Impact Assessments.  Much of our recent work is on a volunteer basis to help secure better protection for lampreys.

.

Dedicated Lampreys Website

We have a dedicated website for lampreys at www.LampreySurveys.com, and we offer a range of services in relation to lamprey conservation and management. We have argued for over 10 years that protecting native lamprey populations is not a fisheries management priority in Ireland, and it should be. Most of the fisheries programmes undertaken in Ireland continue to focused exclusively on salmonids and other species of recreational or commercial importance.

Lampreys River-Brook-lampreys Lampreys-surveys
 Lamprey survey (3)  Lamprey survey (5)  lamprey-survey

We care passionately about lampreys and their protection in Ireland and, despite being a commercial company, are campaign for better treatment of these species in Ireland. Recently we have prepared the following articles to highlight the plight of lamprey species in Ireland. We are particularly worried about the the future of Lampetra fluviatilis in Ireland, and believe that this species has been wrongly assessed as being at ‘favourable’ conservation status in this country. The following are recent articles which we have written in relation to lampreys in Ireland, and can be accessed by clicking on these links:-

.

What needs to be done

There needs to be a major change in the way lampreys are managed and protected in Ireland, or in the short to medium term we are going to lose these species from many of our rivers as has happened in other European countries. We believe that it was an error to give responsibility for lampreys to Inland Fisheries Ireland in 2009 and they have failed to protect them in Irish rivers, in our opinion.  There are no fisheries for lampreys in Ireland, and never will be. We believe that protection of lampreys in Ireland needs to be returned immediately to the National Parks and Wildlife Service (NPWS).

Juvenile-lamprey-survey-(7) lamprey-Survey-(14) lampreys

Contact

We are internationally recognised experts in the management and conservation of lampreys. Please contact us if you have issues in relation to lampreys and we are available to work throughout the European Union.

.

Lamprey photo gallery

Make sure to visit the link below to see photos we have taken of lampreys which we have found during our lamprey surveys. Also, there are photos of the methodology we use during our lamprey surveys.

We also have numerous additional lamprey photos at the lamprey surveys website which we run. In particular we have a page on survey methods at this site.

Current News Stories:

  • Bats surveys for wind turbines – new guidance

    Scottish Natural Heritage (SNH) published new guidance in January 2019 for bats surveys at wind farm sites. These new guidelines are entitled “Bats and onshore wind turbines – survey, assessment and mitigation”. The document incorporates findings from the latest research on the impact of wind farms on bats.  It is endorsed by all the statutory […]

    Continue Reading
  • Non-volant mammal surveys 2019

    We are one of the leading companies in Ireland providing mammal surveys and assessments. We provide expert advise on both bats and terrestrial non-volant (i.e. non-flying) mammals. We undertake surveys for all terrestrial non-volant mammal species in Ireland, including Badger, Otter, Red Squirrel, Pine Marten, and non-native American Mink, among others. Our staff are fully […]

    Continue Reading
  • Filming a documentary on Sea Lampreys

    We were delighted to work recently with BBC Earth on a documentary on Sea Lampreys Petromyzon marinus. The filming took place during early-June 2017 on the old River Shannon at Castleconnell, Co Limerick. This is part of the Lower River Shannon Special Area of Conservation, and Sea Lampreys are a key conservation interest of this […]

    Continue Reading
  • Major new book – Wildlife and Wind Farms

    A major new book will be published in May 2017 entitled ‘Wildlife and Wind Farms: Conflicts and Solutions’. Volume 1 of this book includes a chapter prepared by Ecofact Principal Ecologist Dr. William O’Connor. The two-volume set provides a comprehensive overview of the interactions between wind farms and wildlife, each volume dedicated to one of the two […]

    Continue Reading
  • Surveying wintering birds in the Irish Midlands

    Our staff are currently undertaking a number of wintering bird surveys in the Irish Midlands. Here we have provided some photos and videos from bird surveys we undertook during December 2015. Our bird surveys are undertaken to inform both the Environmental Impact Statement (EIS) and Natura Impact Statement (NIS) reports being prepared for proposed wind energy […]

    Continue Reading

Photo Gallery

View More >>

Site Search

facebooktwitterlinkedinyoutube