Early colonisation of the zebra mussel (dreissena polymorpha) in Lough Neagh: ecological and socio-economic impacts for the rural eel fishing industry.

Abstract

The zebra mussel Dreissena polymorpha (Pallas , 1771) was first documented in Ireland in Lough Derg in 1997 . The species quickly spread through the navigable Shannon system and was first observed in the Lough Erne system around 1998 . Surveys of Lough Neagh in 2004 found no zebra mussels and the Lough was identified in the " Zebra Mussel Management Strategy Northern Ireland " as the waterbody in the province most at risk of becoming infected with zebra mussels. In November 2005 five adult zebra mussels were identified on the hull of a boat in Kinnego Marina, Lough Neagh . As a result of this discovery a preliminary investigation was initiated to assess whether zebra mussels were present throughout the Lough . The preliminary study found that in 2006 a small breeding population of zebra mussels existed in Lough Neagh . Since 2007 the early population dynamics including population expansion and range expansion of the zebra mussel in Lough Neagh have been studied using a suite of pre-and post-settlement phase sampling techniques. The potential impact of the zebra mussel on the socio-economically important yellow eel population was also investigated.

Date of Award	Dec 2012
Original language	English
Awarding Institution	Queen's University Belfast
Sponsors	Department of Agriculture, Environment and Rural Affairs
Supervisor	Dai Roberts (Supervisor) & Robert Rosell (Supervisor)