IP(09)10 Protection, Restoration and Enhancement of Salmon Habitat
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IP(09)10 Protection, Restoration and Enhancement of Salmon Habitat Focus Area Report EU-Ireland INTRODUCTION ......................................................................................................... 3 1. Overview of Salmon Rivers within the Jurisdiction .................................................. 3 2. Current status of salmon habitat and the quantity and quality of salmon habitat (historic and current) ...................................................................................................... 6 Quantity and Quality of Salmon Habitat ................................................................... 6 Quality of Salmon Habitat ......................................................................................... 9 Water Quality ........................................................................................................... 11 3. Process for identifying and designating priority/key habitat areas and issues to be addressed ...................................................................................................................... 14 1. Salmonid River Surveys ...................................................................................... 14 2. Salmon Conservation Stamp Funding ................................................................. 14 3. Catchment Wide Electro-fishing .......................................................................... 14 4. Rehabilitation of Salmon Rivers above Hydro-Electric Dams ............................ 14 5. Programme for Rehabilitation of Drained Rivers ................................................ 15 6. Aerial Photography Database .............................................................................. 15 7. Water Framework Directive River Monitoring ................................................... 15 8. Programme of Measures under Water Framework Directive .............................. 15 9. Monitoring for Habitats Directive Fish Species .................................................. 16 10. Fishery Owners / Angling Clubs ........................................................................ 16 11. NRFB Salmon Rivers Programme ..................................................................... 16 12. Mitigation for Infrastructural Programmes ........................................................ 16 13. Preparation of River Management Plans ........................................................... 16 4. Activities and approaches used to share and exchange information on habitat issues, and best management practices, between relevant bodies within the jurisdiction. ...... 17 5. Description of Plans: Describe Work being undertaken and/or planned to establish comprehensive salmon habitat protection, restoration, and enhancement plans, ............................................................................................................................ 18 5 A. Describe the extent to which these plans - identify Impacts and Potential Risks to Productive Capacity: ............................................................................................ 20 Water Abstraction .................................................................................................... 31 Urbanisation / Road Development ........................................................................... 31 Quarrying / Suspended Solids Run-off .................................................................... 32 Peat Harvesting/other Siltation ................................................................................ 33 Overgrazing / Bank trampling / Riparian damage ................................................... 33 Industrial Discharges ............................................................................................... 34 Inadequate Sewage Treatment ................................................................................. 34 Hydropower ............................................................................................................. 35 Gravel Removal ....................................................................................................... 35 Flash Flooding / Excessive Substrate Displacement ............................................... 36 Marine Fish Farming ................................................................................................ 36 Freshwater Fish Farming ......................................................................................... 37 Arterial Drainage / Channel Modification ............................................................... 37 Bank Erosion / Braiding ........................................................................................... 38 Artificial Barriers / Fish Passage Problems ............................................................. 38 Afforestation / Reafforestation ................................................................................ 39 Agricultural Enrichment .......................................................................................... 40 New Habitat Impacts Identified since 2004 ............................................................. 40 Tunnelling ................................................................................................................ 40 Invasive Species ....................................................................................................... 41 1 5B. The Extent To Which These Plans Include Procedures For Implementation, In A Timely Fashion, Of Corrective Measures; ........................................................... 42 5C. The Extent to Which the Plans Place the Burden of Proof on Proponents of an Activity Which May Have an Impact on Habitat; ................................................... 42 5D. The Extent to which these Plans address how the risks and the benefits to the Atlantic salmon stocks are weighed with the socio-economic implications of any given project; ........................................................................................................... 43 5E The extent to which these plans consider the effects of habitat activities on biodiversity in the area affected; .............................................................................. 44 5F. The extent to which these plans take into account other biological factors affecting the productive capacity of Atlantic salmon populations. .......................... 45 6. Overview of Ongoing Habitat Activities: Summarize ongoing or planned habitat work to demonstrate progress in implementing the salmon habitat protection, restoration and enhancement plans identified above in item 5. ................................... 45 A. Conservation Stamp Funding .............................................................................. 45 B. Programme for Rehabilitation of Drained Rivers ............................................... 46 Environmental River Enhancement Programme (EREP) ........................................ 46 Enhanced Maintenance Programme ........................................................................ 48 C. Rehabilitation of Salmon Rivers above Hydro-Electric Dams ........................... 49 D. Other Programmes .............................................................................................. 50 Where possible, quantify the extent to which habitat has been restored or enhanced, or describe other criteria used to evaluate progress. ................................................ 50 References ................................................................................................................ 51 Appendix 1. Summary from Irelands Implementation Plan outlining the actions in response to the main threats affecting habitat in Irish rivers ................................... 55 Appendix 2. Quantity of Salmon Habitat in Irelands 148 Salmon Rivers ............... 57 2 Focus Area Report on Protection, Restoration and Enhancement of Salmon Habitat in the Republic of Ireland INTRODUCTION Under the „Next Steps‟ process, Focus Area Reports (FARs) are intended to provide an in-depth assessment of measures, as reflected in Implementation Plans, to implement NASCO Agreements, Resolutions, and Guidelines. The FARs provide the basis for review of the current management approach and proposed actions and to assess their efficacy in addressing the overall objectives of NASCO and, in particular, to conserve, restore and enhance salmon stocks. A summary of Ireland‟s Implementation Plans for Habitat Protection and Restoration is set out in Appendix 1. The Summary Plan outlines the actions in response to the main threats affecting habitat in Irish rivers and outlines the management approach for the protection and restoration of habitat over the coming years including monitoring and actions required under the EU WFD and Habitats Directives. These actions also address these threats in the context of the NASCO agreements including expected outputs and delivery dates. This Focus Area report will set out in-depth the measures to implement the NASCO Plan of Action for the Application of the Precautionary Approach to the Protection and Restoration of Atlantic Salmon Habitat. This Plan of Action identifies that NASCO‟s overall objective is to maintain and, where possible, increase the current productive capacity of Atlantic salmon habitat. Furthermore, Contracting Parties have agreed that they and their relevant jurisdictions should seek to: Protect the current productive capacity of the existing physical habitat of Atlantic