#INLAND WATERWAYS - Trial dredging operations to curtail the spread of Asian clams at designated sites in the lower River Barrow are set to conclude today.

Inland Fisheries Ireland (IFI) employed the use of a a traditional cockle harvesting boat to physically remove the clams from the river bed, in an effort to explore methods of controlling or eradicating what it describes as an "ecosystem-changing invader" in other infested waters.

IFI scientists supervised the trials, using teams of divers to quantify the result of the dredging efforts.

The Asian clam (Corbicula fluminea) is "a most unwelcome addition to the fauna of the lower River Barrow". The bivalve mollusc is regarded as "one of the most notorious aquatic invasive species in the world".

First recorded in the river downstream of St Mullin’s in April 2010, subsequent IFI studies have revealed that the Asian clam is firmly established in the lower Barrow and in the River Nore downstream of Inistioge. Populations have also been recorded in the River Shannon and in Lough Derg.

In one section of the River Barrow the clam has achieved a "staggering" density of almost 10,000 per square metre.

Dr Joe Caffrey, senior scientist with IFI, said of the trial dregding: “It is imperative that every effort is made to control the expansion and spread of this highly adept invasive species.

"The results from these trials will inform future national management plans for this most unwelcome non-native species and will, at the very least, dramatically reduce the numbers of individuals in the test sites.

He added: "In tandem with these trials, research effort is being focused at producing other control methods that can be targeted as this species.”

The New York Times recently paid a visit to the River Moy in Co Sligo, where angling has experienced a resurgance in recent years.

Since the ban on drift netting off Irish shores in 2007, salmon numbers in the Moy have risen to 75,000 annually, according to Inland Fisheries Ireland.

It's a welcome boon for the River Moy, which also suffered the effects of dregding for agricultural purposes in the 1960s which "cripped much of the integrity of the river’s substrata away, creating the equivalent of a featureless canal through much of its course."

Weirs and spawning gravel in tributary streams have helped the Moy to recover some of its former glory, and the river now welcomes thousands of anglers each year - especially to the top spots in Ballina town centre.

The New York Times has more on the story HERE.

Today's Irish Times looks into the lives of people who've made their homes on or near Dublin's canals.

One resident is Breffnie O'Kelly of Percy Place, whose back garden abuts the banks of the Grand Canal - which has experienced a revival in recent years, with dredging work now completed and a new cycle path on the way. 

O'Kelly is also a member of the Friends of the Grand Canal Group, which meets regularly to keep their stretch of the canal clean.

Another voice singing the praises of the canal is author John Banville, who has set much of his crime fiction in the area around Lower Mount Street, where he himself lived for a time.

The Irish Times has more on the story HERE.

Waterways Ireland has confirmed that further dredging of the Grand Canal in Dublin will commence this month and continue till the end of April on the inland waterway.

The canal will be closed to navigation from Lock C4 at Baggot Street to Lock 1 at Suir Road for the removal of sediment and rubbish between Mespil Road and Portobello Harbour, making the canal navigable for a large range of boats.

Traffic management plans have been agreed with Dublin City Council to keep disruption to a minimum, and discussions have taken place with the National Parks and Wildlife Service on measures to minimise the impact on sensitive habitats along the canal.

Malahide is one of over a dozen harbours around the coast to benefit from an announcement by Sean Connick TD, Minister of State at the Department of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food today that funding has been approved for harbour development projects in Local Authority owned harbours under the Fishery Harbour and Coastal Infrastructure Development Programme 2010.

Funding has been approved for projects that have been identified as priorities by each of the five Local Authorities listed below. Up to 75% of the cost of an approved project (subject to the maximum figure approved) will be available for each project with the Local Authority providing the balance. The project must be completed and funding drawn down before the end of the current calendar year.  The projects are located in harbours around our coastline that are in Local Authority ownership.

Minister Connick said “The Local Authority owned fishing harbours supplement and underpin the activities undertaken in our Department of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food owned Fishery Harbour Centres. These harbours are of great importance to the fishing and aquaculture industries and provide much needed employment and support for economic activity in our coastal communities. I am delighted to be able to announce the provision of this funding to enhance and develop these facilities”.

The following is a list of the Local Authorities that have been approved funding: