A FISH unique to Kerry can trace its ancestry to isolated species left there after the last ice age, new research shows. Despite only being discovered in 1911, the Killarney shad – known locally as the goureen – may have evolved after its ancestors, trapped in Lough Leane in Killarney some 16,000 years ago, interbred. This fish is a dwarf version of a related species, the twaite shad, and can grow to just 22cm. A member of the herring family, the goureen is only found in Lough Leane.
Irish Independent, 30/08/13. Read the full article ‘Frozen in time: rare fish traces roots to ice age‘.
