Lough’s Agency concerned at trout escape

The Lough’s Agency is demanding improved efforts to maintain biodiversity, after an estimated 387,000 rainbow trout escaped from a fish farm in Newtownstewart into the River Strule during last August’s floods.
A report into the escape has just been published.
At the time of the escape, Loughs Agency personnel carried out an initial assessment of the damage caused to the fishery habitat, and raised concerns with the Department of Agriculture, Environment and Rural Affairs (DAERA) Marine and Fisheries Division, who are the licencing authority for fish farms in Northern Ireland.
Independent expert opinion was sought from Prof Ken Whelan, one of Ireland’s foremost Fisheries Scientists. His report has now been published.
Loughs Agency says while some of these fish have moved downstream, the majority of these fish are still concentrated in the lower Strule, lower Derg and upper Mourne.
They say they will continue to work with the relevant statutory agencies to ensure robust biosecurity mechanisms are put in place at fish farms to minimise the risk of further escapements.

The agency is now collecting data on Rainbow Trout which are being caught, and is asking that any which are over 30cm in length be given to the Agency so they can conduct further analysis.
Anglers are also being asked not to discard rainbow trout on the river banks.
Full report available here – http://www.loughs-agency.org/wp-content/uploads/2018/04/Rainbow-Trout-Assessment-K-Whelan.compressed.pdf