Approximately 70 members of the public, old and young alike, came to the banks of the River Deel in beautiful Crossmolina to attend a Fisheries Information Evening on Wednesday, 25th July. There, they were treated to demonstrations of biodiversity monitoring techniques used by Inland Fisheries Ireland, including electro-fishing and kick sampling. Attendees were extremely impressed with the variety of species which were collected in a very small space of time from the River Deel, right in the centre of the Village. This was a testament to the water quality of the river, a major tributary of the River Moy system and an important spawning and juvenile nursery river for salmon.
In just a few minutes IFI staff to collected samples of trout fry, salmon fry and parr. On the smaller scale, scores of invertebrates were also gathered, including cased-caddis fly larva, stone fly larva, may fly larva and fresh water shrimp. All samples were then put on display for a short period, to allow the public to view them up close, before being returned unharmed to the river. Members of IFI were present to answer the multitude of questions relating to the biodiversity of the river system from the intrigued on-lookers, who ranged in age from 2 years old to 70 years plus.
