Research infrastructure

Research and monitoring infrastructure

The research infrastructure at the National Salmonid Index Catchment, managed by Inland Fisheries Ireland (IFI), include a research station with fisheries laboratory, fish trapping facilities, an experimental hatchery, and an extensive telemetry array.

Research station  

The research station, located at Aasleagh Falls at the mouth of the Erriff River system, is maintained by on-site fisheries staff and hosts a wide-range of fisheries researchers from IFI and its national and international research partners.  The facility includes a well-equipped wet laboratory for fisheries research, work stations, field monitoring equipment and information technology resources including those directly linked into the adjacent Aasleagh fish monitoring trap. The research station is further supported by an experimental fish hatchery facility and the extensive range of fisheries sampling resources held by the wider IFI organisation.

Fish trapping facilities  

A full upstream fish trapping facility and associated VAKI fish counter is located adjacent to the research station.  These enable the collection of information on the abundance and biological character of Atlantic salmon and sea trout returning from the marine environment each year. There is also a fish trap present in the middle reaches of the catchment at the Tawnyard Lough outflow to the Black River to monitor downstream salmonid smolt and kelt runs from this important spawning and nursery section of the system. Further trapping facilities, including screw traps and bag nets, are periodically installed in the catchment and estuary, respectively, to meet particular research and monitoring requirements.

Telemetry array

An extensive hydroacoustic array has been installed in the Erriff River system, along the inshore area in Killary Harbour fjord and in the coastal area outside the fjord. VEMCO receiver technology is employed (VR2W, VR2AR, VR2C and VR-100 receiver models) with fish acoustically tagged to according to various study requirements.

Experimental hatchery and fish holding facilities  

Both enclosed and outdoor hatchery facilities are present on-site to facilitate a number on ongoing experimental research programmes.  Wild fish retained for broodstock studies are sometimes held here in advance of gamete stripping. In addition, reared salmon are periodically imprinted here and treated with a SLICE therapeutant for long-term studies which are assessing the impact of sea lice on marine survival.

PIT tag reader

A fixed  PIT (Passive Integrated Transponder) is installed at the Aasleagh trap and a mobile PIT tag reader is also available for deployment to monitor the downstream run of smolts and returning adults previously tagged by researchers undertaking biological, migratory and marine survival studies.   The PIT Tag antenna is linked directly into the IT infrastructure at the adjacent Research Station enabling the real-time monitoring of tagged fish.