#InlandWaters - Minister for Natural Resources Joe McHugh and the NI Minister for Arts Culture and Leisure Caral Ni Chuilin have welcome the agreement completed by ESB with both departments to mitigate the loss of a quantity of elvers at ESB’s Cathaleen’s Fall hydroelectric plant on the River Erne.

“I want to commend ESB for the responsibility and diligence they have shown in agreeing a comprehensive package to mitigate the loss of elvers," said Minister McHugh.

“The package includes the purchase and release of eels into the sea and the extension of its highly successful 'trap and transport' programme on the Erne to carry eels around the Hydro Electric Plant.”

Both ministers were also briefed on the inter-agency protocol jointly developed by ESB, Northern Ireland's Department of Culture, Arts and Leisure (DCAL) and Inland Fisheries Ireland (IFI) around the entire operation of the trapping and release of eels at the plant.

“Key to any response to this incident is the requirement to minimise the risk of repeating it and that measures in place, North and South, to protect the vulnerable eel species are not undermined," said Minister Ni Chuilin.

“Officials in my department and IFI have agreed a new protocol to clarify roles and responsibilities regarding the operation of hydroelectric plant installations, and fisheries staff from both government organisations will assist in overseeing the monitoring of elver traps and the subsequent overland transport of them by ESB on the Erne catchment.”

Both ministers also were also happy that ESB had, since the incident, made considerable investment in a full upgrade of elver trapping facilities to the latest available technology at Cathaleen’s Fall.

This upgrade ensures enhanced aeration and storage facilities for collected elvers before release.

“ESB acted on the technology upgrade very quickly," said Minister McHugh. "I want to emphasise that a key element of the mitigation agreement also includes a commitment by ESB to keep operational matters under review in the light of future developments in technology.”

Minister Ni Chuilin stressed that in contemplation of potential mitigation options, both departments had sought the views of the Standing Scientific Committee on Eels (SSCE), which is composed of scientists from a range of organisations North and South acting in an independent advisory capacity.

“Independent scientific views on the effectiveness and adequacy of proposed mitigation measures to address the initial loss [are] essential for stakeholder confidence, and I trust that the new protocols which have been put in place will avoid any repeat of the incident which happened at Easter 2014,” she said.