New boom but no further progress with elver trap
I visited the elver trap at Ardnacrusha hydroelectric station on the Lower River Shannon in September 2017. The promised upgrades to the trap were never completed this year by the…
Category: Ardnacrusha
Highlighting problems on the River Shannon for World Fish Migration Day
World Fish Migration Day is a particular relevant day for the River Shannon; a river with numerous fish passage issues – both due to the presence of the ESB’s dams…
Study shows dramatic impact of ESB dams on salmon
A new study just published shows that salmon runs on Shannon are less than five percent of what they should be. This is due to the impact of ESB dams. Essentially the salmon…
We need to start managing the Lower Shannon sustainably
The Lower (old) River Shannon downstream of Parteen Regulating Weir is usually provided with a ‘compensation’ flow of just 10 m3 sec-1 (cumecs). However, during the winter of 2015/16 flows in the…
Silver eel turbine passage mortalities at Ardnacrusha
We are currently assessing silver eel turbine passage mortality at Ardnacrusha hydroelectric station on the Lower River Shannon. Silver eels are adult maturing eels on their spawning migration to the…
Are Ireland’s large hydroelectric schemes sustainable?
Ireland’s hydroelectric power stations are widely considered to be a sustainable source of ‘green’ energy. But is this really true? As we approach the centenary anniversary of the opening of Ireland’s…
Ardnacrusha; water management, silver eels and cormorants
These are some photos of Ardnacrusha hydroelectric station taken on the morning of the 24th November 2014. In addition to the four turbines being on full load, water was also being…
No elver traps operating on the River Shannon
Rivers across Europe are currently experiencing a phenomenal increase in the runs of juvenile eels, or elvers. The numbers that have arrived into rivers such as the River Severn in…
