Killarney shad or goureens are found in just one Kerry lake.
Scientists have unravelled the eventful family tree of a remarkable County Kerry resident right back to the Ice Age.
This is the fish episode of the ‘Who Do You Think You Are’ genealogy show and traces the family history of the Killarney shad – that’s the Shads of Killarney – born survivors with an apparent keen instinct to overcome adversity and adapt to dangerous environments.
Known locally as the ‘goureen’, it turns out that the Shads of Killarney have kept themselves to themselves for quite a while and are unique to one lake in the world, Lough Leane in Kerry. The herring-like fish are now “critically-endangered” and in need of protection…..
Irish Times 29/08/2013 Read the article ‘Scientists unravel ancestry of Ireland’s rarest fish’
