A project involving nine local authorities to tackle the invasive Quagga mussel in the river Shannon is one of 128 initiatives approved for over €1.4 million in funding through the Local Biodiversity Action Fund (LBAF).

A feasibility study of the potential for wetland restoration at Galway’s Ballyloughane beach has also been approved as part of the tranche of projects in support of the National Biodiversity Action Plan.

The Quagga mussel, a high-impact aquatic invasive alien species, was discovered in the Shannon in 2021, and the approved project aims to address several “key knowledge gaps”.

Scientists say the Quagga mussel will outcompete the Zebra mussel, and establish higher biomass even on soft sediments to a depth far beyond 34m.

This could affect the filtering rates of lake and river water and threaten the provision of water as it will affect abstraction, they say.

Since it was launched in 2018, a total of almost €4m has been granted to local authorities through the LBAF to carry out projects in support of the National Biodiversity Action Plan 2017-2021 (NBAP).

Minister of State for Heritage Malcolm Noonan said the 128 projects funded across all 31 local authorities will have a “real, tangible impact for nature and couldn’t come at a more crucial time”.

He said that all 31 local authorities applied for and will receive funding this year, with a total of 128 projects approved, covering a range of biodiversity-related activities, including invasive alien species control, dune restoration, wetland surveys and biodiversity awareness and training.

Other projects approved include a Mayo wetland county survey, and wetland restoration in Fingal County Council.

The public consultation for Ireland’s new 4th National Biodiversity Action Plan was initiated on September 1st and closes on November 9th.

Submissions are invited here

The Inland Waterways Association of Ireland has alerted members over reports of the invasive quagga mussel in the River Shannon.

The bivalve is said to be “abundant in Lough Ree over a wide range of depths” and has also been found in Lough Derg and the stretch of the Shannon between the loughs.

Similar in appearance to another invasive species, the zebra mussel, the quagga mussel (Dreissena rostriformis bugensis) has spread over a number of decades from its native waters in Ukraine as far as Mexico. It was first recorded in the UK in 2014.

According to Dr Jan-Robert Baars of UCD’s Invasive Ecology (InEco) laboratory and Dr Dan Minchin of the Lough Derg Science Group, the quagga mussel “behaves in a similar way [to the zebra mussel] and is also a filter feeder removing planktonic organisms from the water column. It has a high filtration rate likely to result in further changes to water quality and nutrient dynamics of, in particular, lakes.

“The quagga mussel is likely to compete with the zebra mussel and native species. Having a wide ecological tolerance and suited to Irish climatic conditions, it is expected to become widely distributed in time.

“It appears to have a preference for cooler water and can settle on finer sediments than the zebra mussel explaining its greater abundance at depth in some colonised lakes elsewhere.”

The scientists warn that the species “is likely to be spread by boats to the upper Shannon, and through the Shannon-Erne Waterway to the Erne. It is also likely to be spread overland by trailered craft. Owners of boats should be made aware they could spread this species from the Shannon.”

In addition, the presence of the quagga mussel “is likely to lead to a further surge in fouling and may have additional impacts on water quality and the ecological integrity of Irish aquatic ecosystems.”

The species is currently under a rapid assessment field study by the InEco lab.